Time-course of immediate early gene expression in hippocampal subregions of adrenalectomized rats after acute corticosterone challenge

Activity-induced gene expression in the human brain

Activity-induced gene expression underlies synaptic plasticity and brain function. Here, using molecular sequencing techniques, we define activity-dependent transcriptomic and epigenomic changes at the tissue and single-cell level in the human brain following direct electrical stimulation of the anterior temporal lobe in patients undergoing neurosurgery. Genes related to transcriptional regulation and microglia-specific cytokine activity displayed the greatest induction pattern, revealing a precise molecular signature of neuronal activation in the human brain.

Effects of RU486 in Treatment of Traumatic Stress-Induced Glucocorticoid Dysregulation and Fear-Related Abnormalities: Early versus Late Intervention

Central glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activity is enhanced following traumatic events, playing a key role in the stress-related cognitive abnormalities of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). GR antagonists are expected to have potential as pharmacological agents to treat PTSD-related symptoms such as anxiety and fear memory disruption. However, an incubation period is usually required and stress-induced abnormalities do not develop immediately following the trauma; thus, the optimal intervention timing should be considered. Single prolonged stress (SPS) was employed as a rodent PTSD model to examine the effects of early or late (1–7 versus 8–14 days after the SPS) sub-chronic RU486 (a GR antagonist) administration. Behaviorally, fear conditioning and anxiety behavior were assessed using the fear-conditioning test and elevated T-maze (ETM), respectively. Neurochemically, the expressions of GR, FK506-binding proteins 4 and 5 (FKBP4 and FKBP5), and early growth response-1 (Egr-1) were assessed in the hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), amygdala, and hypothalamus, together with the level of plasma corticosterone. Early RU486 administration could inhibit SPS-induced behavioral abnormalities and glucocorticoid system dysregulation by reversing the SPS-induced fear extinction deficit, and preventing SPS-reduced plasma corticosterone levels and SPS-induced Egr-1 overexpression in the hippocampus. Early RU486 administration following SPS also increased the FKBP5 level in the hippocampus and hypothalamus. Finally, both early and late RU486 administration inhibited the elevated hippocampal FKBP4 level and hypothalamus GR level in the SPS rats. Early intervention with a GR antagonist aids in the correction of traumatic stress-induced fear and anxiety dysregulation.

H3K4 dimethylation at FosB promoter in the striatum of chronic stressed rats promotes morphine-induced conditioned place preference

Expression of FosB gene in striatum is essential in addiction establishment. Activated glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) induce FosB gene expression in response to stressor. Therefore, elevation of FosB expression in striatum serves as one mechanism by which stress increases risk for addiction. In this study, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to investigate whether chronic stress result in histone modifications at FosB gene promoter in striatum and how these histone modifications affect FosB expression and the establishment of addiction behavior after administration of drugs of abuse. Animals were randomly assigned to three groups: Electric foot shock (EFS) group received 7-day EFS to induce chronic stress; electric foot shock plus mifepristone (EFS + Mif) group were injected with mifepristone, a nonspecific GRs antagonist, before EFS; control group did not receive any EFS. All groups then received 2-day conditioned place preference (CPP) training with morphine (5 mg/kg body weight) to test vulnerability to drug addiction. Before and after morphine administration, FosB mRNA in striatum was quantified by real-time RT-PCR. Levels of histone H3/H4 acetylation and histone H3K4 dimethylation at FosB promoter in striatum after morphine administration were measured by using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) plus real-time PCR. EFS group had stronger place preference to morphine and had significantly higher level of FosB mRNA in striatum than the other two groups. H3K4 dimethylation was 2.6-fold higher in EFS group than control group, while no statistical difference in H3/H4 acetylation. Mifepristone administration before EFS decreased histone H3K4 dimethylation and FosB mRNA in striatum, and also diminished morphine-induced conditioned place preference. Altogether, increased level of H3K4 dimethylation at FosB promoter in striatum is partially dependent on the activation of GR and responsible for the elevated level of morphine-induced FosB mRNA in chronic stressed animals.

Early growth response-1 regulates acetylcholinesterase and its relation with the course of Alzheimer's disease

Our previous studies showed that the transcription factor early growth response-1 (EGR1) may play a role in keeping the brain cholinergic function intact in the preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In order to elucidate the mechanisms involved, we first performed data mining on our previous microarray study on postmortem human prefrontal cortex (PFC) for the changes in the expression of EGR1 and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and the relationship between them during the course of AD. The study contained 49 patients, ranging from non-demented controls (Braak stage 0) to late AD patients (Braak stage VI). We found EGR1-mRNA was high in early AD and decreased in late AD stages, while AChE-mRNA was stable in preclinical AD and slightly decreased in late AD stages. A significant positive correlation was found between the mRNA levels of these two molecules. In addition, we studied the relationship between EGR1 and AChE mRNA levels in the frontal cortex of 3-12-months old triple-transgenic AD (3xTg-AD) mice. EGR1- and AChE-mRNA were lower in 3xTg-AD mice compared with wild-type (WT) mice. A significant positive correlation between these two molecules was present in the entire group and in each age group of either WT or 3xTg-AD mice. Subsequently, AChE expression was determined following up- or down-regulating EGR1 in cell lines and the EGR1 levels were found to regulate AChE at both the mRNA and protein levels. Dual-luciferase assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay in the EGR1-overexpressing cells were performed to determine the functionally effective binding sites of the EGR1 on the AChE gene promoter. We conclude that the EGR1 can upregulate AChE expression by a direct effect on its gene promoter, which may contribute significantly to the changes in cholinergic function in the course of AD. The 3xTg-AD mouse model only reflects later stage AD.

Temporal variability of glucocorticoid receptor activity is functionally important for the therapeutic action of fluoxetine in the hippocampus

Previous studies have shown inconsistent results regarding the actions of antidepressants on glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signalling. To resolve these inconsistencies, we used a lentiviral-based reporter system to directly monitor rat hippocampal GR activity during stress adaptation. Temporal GR activation was induced significantly by acute stress, as demonstrated by an increase in the intra-individual variability of the acute stress group compared with the variability of the non-stress group. However, the increased intra-individual variability was dampened by exposure to chronic stress, which was partly restored by fluoxetine treatment without affecting glucocorticoid secretion. Immobility in the forced-swim test was negatively correlated with the intra-individual variability, but was not correlated with the quantitative GR activity during fluoxetine therapy; this highlights the temporal variability in the neurobiological links between GR signalling and the therapeutic action of fluoxetine. Furthermore, we demonstrated sequential phosphorylation between GR (S224) and (S232) following fluoxetine treatment, showing a molecular basis for hormone-independent nuclear translocation and transcriptional enhancement. Collectively, these results suggest a neurobiological mechanism by which fluoxetine treatment confers resilience to the chronic stress-mediated attenuation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity.

Altered gene expression in schizophrenia: findings from transcriptional signatures in fibroblasts and blood

BACKGROUND

Whole-genome expression studies in the peripheral tissues of patients affected by schizophrenia (SCZ) can provide new insight into the molecular basis of the disorder and innovative biomarkers that may be of great utility in clinical practice. Recent evidence suggests that skin fibroblasts could represent a non-neural peripheral model useful for investigating molecular alterations in psychiatric disorders.

METHODS

A microarray expression study was conducted comparing skin fibroblast transcriptomic profiles from 20 SCZ patients and 20 controls. All genes strongly differentially expressed were validated by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in fibroblasts and analyzed in a sample of peripheral blood cell (PBC) RNA from patients (n = 25) and controls (n = 22). To evaluate the specificity for SCZ, alterations in gene expression were tested in additional samples of fibroblasts and PBCs RNA from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) (n = 16; n = 21, respectively) and Bipolar Disorder (BD) patients (n = 15; n = 20, respectively).

RESULTS

Six genes (JUN, HIST2H2BE, FOSB, FOS, EGR1, TCF4) were significantly upregulated in SCZ compared to control fibroblasts. In blood, an increase in expression levels was confirmed only for EGR1, whereas JUN was downregulated; no significant differences were observed for the other genes. EGR1 upregulation was specific for SCZ compared to MDD and BD.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study reports the upregulation of JUN, HIST2H2BE, FOSB, FOS, EGR1 and TCF4 in the fibroblasts of SCZ patients. A significant alteration in EGR1 expression is also present in SCZ PBCs compared to controls and to MDD and BD patients, suggesting that this gene could be a specific biomarker helpful in the differential diagnosis of major psychoses.

Dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function contributes to altered endocrine and neurobehavioral responses to acute stress

Organisms react to environmental challenges by activating a coordinated set of brain-body responses known as the stress response. These physiological and behavioral countermeasures are, in large part, regulated by the neuroendocrine hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Normal functioning of the HPA axis ensures that an organism responds appropriately to altered environmental demands, representing an essential system to promote survival. Over the past several decades, increasing evidence supports the hypothesis that disruption of the HPA axis can lead to dysregulated stress response phenotypes, exacting a physiological cost on the organism commonly referred to as allostatic load. Furthermore, it has been recognized that high allostatic load can contribute to increased vulnerability of the organism to further challenges. This observation leads to the notion that disrupted HPA function and resulting inappropriate responses to stressors may underlie many neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety. In the present set of studies, we investigate the role of both the normally functioning and disrupted HPA axis in the endocrine, neural, and behavioral responses to acute stress. Using a model of non-invasive chronic corticosterone treatment in mice, we show that dysregulating the normal function of the HPA leads to a mismatch between the hormonal and neural response to acute stress, resulting in abnormal behavioral coping strategies. We believe this model can be leveraged to tease apart the mechanisms by which altered HPA function contributes to neurobehavioral dysregulation in response to acute stress.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor: a bridge between inflammation and neuroplasticity

Cytokines are key regulatory mediators involved in the host response to immunological challenges, but also play a critical role in the communication between the immune and the central nervous system. For this, their expression in both systems is under a tight regulatory control. However, pathological conditions may lead to an overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines that may have a detrimental impact on central nervous system. In particular, they may damage neuronal structure and function leading to deficits of neuroplasticity, the ability of nervous system to perceive, respond and adapt to external or internal stimuli. In search of the mechanisms by which pro-inflammatory cytokines may affect this crucial brain capability, we will discuss one of the most interesting hypotheses: the involvement of the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which represents one of the major mediators of neuroplasticity.

Decreased hippocampal volume and increased anxiety in a transgenic mouse model expressing the human CYP2C19 gene

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, various psychoactive drugs, as well as endogenous steroids and cannabinoid-like compounds are metabolized by the polymorphic cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19). Absence of this enzyme has been recently shown to associate with lower levels of depressive symptoms in human subjects. To investigate endogenous functions of CYP2C19 and its potential role in brain function, we have used a transgenic mouse model carrying the human CYP2C19 gene. Here, CYP2C19 was expressed in the developing fetal, but not adult brain and was associated with altered fetal brain morphology, where mice homozygous for the CYP2C19 transgenic insert had severely underdeveloped hippocampus and complete callosal agenesis and high neonatal lethality. CYP2C19 expression was also found in human fetal brain. In adult hemizygous mice we observed besides decreased hippocampal volume, an altered neuronal composition in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Reduced hippocampal volumes have been reported in several psychiatric disorders, supporting the relevance of this model. Here we found that adult hemizygous CYP2C19 transgenic mice demonstrate behavior indicative of increased stress and anxiety based on four different tests. We hypothesize that expression of the CYP2C19 enzyme prenatally may affect brain development by metabolizing endogenous compounds influencing this development. Furthermore, CYP2C19 polymorphism may have a role in interindividual susceptibility for psychiatric disorders.

Glucocorticoid-dependent hippocampal transcriptome in male rats: pathway-specific alterations with aging

Although glucocorticoids (GCs) are known to exert numerous effects in the hippocampus, their chronic regulatory functions remain poorly understood. Moreover, evidence is inconsistent regarding the long-standing hypothesis that chronic GC exposure promotes brain aging/Alzheimer disease. Here, we adrenalectomized male F344 rats at 15 months of age, maintained them for 3 months with implanted corticosterone (CORT) pellets producing low or intermediate (glucocorticoid receptor-activating) blood levels of CORT, and performed microarray/pathway analyses in hippocampal CA1. We defined the chronic GC-dependent transcriptome as 393 genes that exhibited differential expression between intermediate and low CORT groups. Short-term CORT (4 days) did not recapitulate this transcriptome. Functional processes/pathways overrepresented by chronic CORT-up-regulated genes included learning/plasticity, differentiation, glucose metabolism, and cholesterol biosynthesis, whereas processes overrepresented by CORT-down-regulated genes included inflammatory/immune/glial responses and extracellular structure. These profiles indicate that GCs chronically activate neuronal/metabolic processes while coordinately repressing a glial axis of reactivity/inflammation. We then compared the GC transcriptome with a previously defined hippocampal aging transcriptome, revealing a high proportion of common genes. Although CORT and aging moved expression of some common genes in the same direction, the majority were shifted in opposite directions by CORT and aging (eg, glial inflammatory genes down-regulated by CORT are up-regulated with aging). These results contradict the hypothesis that GCs simply promote brain aging and also suggest that the opposite direction shifts during aging reflect resistance to CORT regulation. Therefore, we propose a new model in which aging-related GC resistance develops in some target pathways, whereas GC overstimulation develops in others, together generating much of the brain aging phenotype.

Stress induces glucocorticoid-mediated apoptosis of rat Leydig cells in vivo

Stress can disrupt endocrine signalling in the male reproductive axis through high concentrations of glucocorticoids, the hallmark of stress. Our previous work revealed that a stress level of exogenous glucocorticoids could induce apoptosis of rat Leydig cells, which are the primary source of testosterone. The aim of this study was to investigate whether stress can induce apoptosis in rat Leydig cells in vivo and, if so, whether the process is the result of a direct effect of glucocorticoids. In a chronically stressed rat model, serum corticosterone concentration was increased significantly whereas serum testosterone was decreased. The frequency of apoptotic Leydig cells in stressed rats was also increased. Adrenalectomised rats subjected to chronic stress showed an elevated serum testosterone, while the apoptotic frequency of Leydig cells was not increased. It was established that glucocorticoid-induced Leydig cell apoptosis is mediated by glucocorticoid receptors (GRs), which translocate from cytoplasm to nucleus. Adenovirus microRNA-induced downregulation of GR expression in vitro alleviated the corticosterone-induced increase in apoptosis of Leydig cells. These results indicate that the stress-induced increase in corticosterone secretion resulted in apoptosis in rat Leydig cells in vivo, and thereby decreased testosterone synthesis.

Single-dose and chronic corticosterone treatment alters c-Fos or FosB immunoreactivity in the rat cerebral cortex

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of single-dose and chronic corticosterone treatment on the inducible transcription factor c-Fos and FosB, and thereby to estimate the effects of high-doses of corticosterone on calcium-dependent neuronal responses in the rat cerebral cortex. At the same time we investigated the distribution of interneurons containing calretinin (CR), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in chronically treated animals in order to collect data on the involvement of inhibitory neurons in this process. Adult male rats were injected subcutaneously with 10mg corticosterone, whereas controls received the vehicle (sesame oil). The animals were fixed by transcardial perfusion 12 and 24h following single corticosterone injection, and the brains were processed for c-Fos and FosB immunohistochemistry. To investigate the effects of repeated corticosterone administration, rats were daily treated with the same amount of corticosterone (10mg/animal, subcutaneously) for 21 days. Controls were injected with vehicle. At the end of the experiment, the rats were perfused and immunohistochemistry was used to detect the presence of the FosB protein, CR, VIP and NPY. Quantitative evaluation of immunolabelled cells was performed in the neocortex and the hippocampus. The number of immunoreactive nuclei per unit area was used as a quantitative measure of the effects of corticosterone. It was found that a single-dose administration of corticosterone resulted in a significant, time-dependent increase of c-Fos protein immunoreactivity in the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus, as well as in regions CA1 and CA3 of the hippocampus 12 and 24h post-injection with respect to control animals. Significant enhancement of c-Fos immunoreactivity was also observed in the neocortex at 12 and 24h post-injection. Single-dose treatment did not significantly alter FosB immunolabelling. Repeated administration of corticosterone produced a complex pattern of changes in FosB immunolabelling: significant increase in FosB immunoreactivity was detected in the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus, with no significant changes in the CA1 and CA3 layers of the hippocampus and in the neocortex. However, a significant decrease of FosB induction in the neocortex was observed in chronically treated rats in comparison to single-dose injected animals (12h before immunohistochemistry). Analysis of immunohistochemical detection of interneuronal markers revealed a significant reduction of the CR immunolabelling in the CA3 area of the hippocampus. No changes in VIP or NPY immunoreactivity were found in the Ammon's horn 3 weeks following daily corticosterone treatment. NPY immunoreactivity was significantly attenuated in the neocortex. The present data suggest that single-dose corticosterone treatment increases immunoreactivity of c-Fos protein in a time-dependent manner, 12 and 24h post-injection in the rat hippocampus and the neocortex, whereas chronic corticosterone treatment influences FosB immunoreactivity, primarily in the dentate gyrus. Chronic corticosterone administration seems to affect CR levels in the CA3 area of the hippocampus.

5-HT1A receptors mediate detrimental effects of cocaine on long-term potentiation and expression of polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule protein in rat dentate gyrus

The present study investigated the involvement of 5-HT(1A) receptors in the inhibitory effect of single administration of cocaine (COC, 15 mg/kg i.p.) on the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in slices of rat dentate gyrus (DG), prepared 30 min and 2 days after COC administration. These effects of COC were blocked by an antagonist of 5-HT(1A) receptors, WAY 100635 (0.4 mg/kg i.p.), which had been administered 20 min before COC. The detrimental effect of COC on LTP in slices prepared 30 min after COC administration could be prevented by blocking glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) using mifepristone (RU 38486, 10 mg/kg s.c. given 1 h before COC), similar as in slices obtained 2 days after COC as reported previously [Maćkowiak et al. (2008) Eur J Neurosci 27:2928-2937]. After a single administration of an agonist of 5-HT(1A) receptors, 8-OH-DPAT, (0.5 mg/kg i.p.), the level of LTP in slices prepared 2 days later was significantly decreased resembling the effect of COC. This effect of 8-OH-DPAT was antagonized by WAY 100635 (0.4 mg/kg i.p.), administered 20 min before 8-OH-DPAT and by RU 38486, given 1 h before 8-OH-DPAT. COC-induced inhibition of LTP could be blocked by the inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2 (MEK1/2), SL 327 (50 mg/kg i.p.), administered 1 h before COC, but not by the inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase), LY 294002 (80 mg/kg i.p.). COC-induced reduction in the number of polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM)-positive neurons in rat dentate gyrus could also be prevented by WAY 100635, given 20 min before COC. These data indicate that the indirect 5-HT(1A) receptor activation by a single COC administration and subsequent stimulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK 1/2) signaling pathway result in a decrease of the potential for long-term increase in synaptic efficacy in rat DG lasting at least two but less than 7 days, most likely via activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.

Neuronostatin inhibits cardiac contractile function via a protein kinase A- and JNK-dependent mechanism in murine hearts

Neuronostatin, a newly identified peptide hormone sharing the same precursor with somatostatin, exerts multiple pharmacological effects in gastrointestinal tract, hypothalamus, and cerebellum. However, the cardiovascular effect of neuronostatin is unknown. The aim of this study was to elucidate the impact of neuronostatin on cardiac contractile function in murine hearts and isolated cardiomyocytes. Short-term exposure of neuronostatin depressed left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), maximal velocity of pressure development (+/-dP/dt), and heart rate in Langendorff heart preparation. Consistently, neuronostatin inhibited peak shortening (PS) and maximal velocity of shortening/relengthening (+/-dL/dt) without affecting time-to-PS (TPS) and time-to-90% relengthening (TR(90)) in cardiomyocytes. The neuronostatin-elicited cardiomyocyte mechanical responses were mimicked by somatostatin, the other posttranslational product of preprosomatostatin. Furthermore, the neuronostatin-induced cardiomyocyte mechanical effects were ablated by the PKA inhibitor H89 (1 microM) and the Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor SP600125 (20 microM). The PKC inhibitor chelerythrine (1 microM) failed to alter neuronostatin-induced cardiomyocyte mechanical responses. To the contrary, chelerythrine, but not H89, abrogated somatostatin-induced cardiomyocyte contractile responses. Our results also showed enhanced c-fos and c-jun expression in response to neuronostatin exposure (0.5 to 2 h). Taken together, our data suggest that neuronostatin is a peptide hormone with overt cardiac depressant action. The neuronostatin-elicited cardiac contractile response appears to be mediated, at least in part, through a PKA- and/or JNK-dependent mechanism.