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Romanov MN, Abdelmanova AS, Fisinin VI, Gladyr EA, Volkova NA, Koshkina OA, Rodionov AN, Vetokh AN, Gusev IV, Anshakov DV, Stanishevskaya OI, Dotsev AV, Griffin DK, Zinovieva NA. Selective footprints and genes relevant to cold adaptation and other phenotypic traits are unscrambled in the genomes of divergently selected chicken breeds. J Anim Sci Biotechnol 2023; 14:35. [PMID: 36829208 PMCID: PMC9951459 DOI: 10.1186/s40104-022-00813-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The genomes of worldwide poultry breeds divergently selected for performance and other phenotypic traits may also be affected by, and formed due to, past and current admixture events. Adaptation to diverse environments, including acclimation to harsh climatic conditions, has also left selection footprints in breed genomes. RESULTS Using the Chicken 50K_CobbCons SNP chip, we genotyped four divergently selected breeds: two aboriginal, cold tolerant Ushanka and Orloff Mille Fleur, one egg-type Russian White subjected to artificial selection for cold tolerance, and one meat-type White Cornish. Signals of selective sweeps were determined in the studied breeds using three methods: (1) assessment of runs of homozygosity islands, (2) FST based population differential analysis, and (3) haplotype differentiation analysis. Genomic regions of true selection signatures were identified by two or more methods or in two or more breeds. In these regions, we detected 540 prioritized candidate genes supplemented them with those that occurred in one breed using one statistic and were suggested in other studies. Amongst them, SOX5, ME3, ZNF536, WWP1, RIPK2, OSGIN2, DECR1, TPO, PPARGC1A, BDNF, MSTN, and beta-keratin genes can be especially mentioned as candidates for cold adaptation. Epigenetic factors may be involved in regulating some of these important genes (e.g., TPO and BDNF). CONCLUSION Based on a genome-wide scan, our findings can help dissect the genetic architecture underlying various phenotypic traits in chicken breeds. These include genes representing the sine qua non for adaptation to harsh environments. Cold tolerance in acclimated chicken breeds may be developed following one of few specific gene expression mechanisms or more than one overlapping response known in cold-exposed individuals, and this warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael N. Romanov
- L.K. Ernst Federal Research Centre for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk, Moscow Region Russia ,grid.9759.20000 0001 2232 2818School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Alexandra S. Abdelmanova
- L.K. Ernst Federal Research Centre for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk, Moscow Region Russia
| | - Vladimir I. Fisinin
- grid.4886.20000 0001 2192 9124Federal State Budget Scientific Institution Federal Research Centre “All-Russian Poultry Research and Technological Institute” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Sergiev Posad, Moscow Region Russia
| | - Elena A. Gladyr
- L.K. Ernst Federal Research Centre for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk, Moscow Region Russia
| | - Natalia A. Volkova
- L.K. Ernst Federal Research Centre for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk, Moscow Region Russia
| | - Olga A. Koshkina
- L.K. Ernst Federal Research Centre for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk, Moscow Region Russia
| | - Andrey N. Rodionov
- L.K. Ernst Federal Research Centre for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk, Moscow Region Russia
| | - Anastasia N. Vetokh
- L.K. Ernst Federal Research Centre for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk, Moscow Region Russia
| | - Igor V. Gusev
- L.K. Ernst Federal Research Centre for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk, Moscow Region Russia
| | - Dmitry V. Anshakov
- grid.4886.20000 0001 2192 9124Breeding and Genetic Centre “Zagorsk Experimental Breeding Farm” – Branch of the Federal Research Centre “All-Russian Poultry Research and Technological Institute” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Sergiev Posad, Moscow Region Russia
| | - Olga I. Stanishevskaya
- grid.473314.6Russian Research Institute of Farm Animal Genetics and Breeding – Branch of the L.K. Ernst Federal Research Centre for Animal Husbandry, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Arsen V. Dotsev
- L.K. Ernst Federal Research Centre for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk, Moscow Region Russia
| | - Darren K. Griffin
- grid.9759.20000 0001 2232 2818School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Natalia A. Zinovieva
- L.K. Ernst Federal Research Centre for Animal Husbandry, Dubrovitsy, Podolsk, Moscow Region Russia
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Tuvikene J, Esvald EE, Rähni A, Uustalu K, Zhuravskaya A, Avarlaid A, Makeyev EV, Timmusk T. Intronic enhancer region governs transcript-specific Bdnf expression in rodent neurons. eLife 2021; 10:65161. [PMID: 33560226 PMCID: PMC7891933 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) controls the survival, growth, and function of neurons both during the development and in the adult nervous system. Bdnf is transcribed from several distinct promoters generating transcripts with alternative 5' exons. Bdnf transcripts initiated at the first cluster of exons have been associated with the regulation of body weight and various aspects of social behavior, but the mechanisms driving the expression of these transcripts have remained poorly understood. Here, we identify an evolutionarily conserved intronic enhancer region inside the Bdnf gene that regulates both basal and stimulus-dependent expression of the Bdnf transcripts starting from the first cluster of 5' exons in mouse and rat neurons. We further uncover a functional E-box element in the enhancer region, linking the expression of Bdnf and various pro-neural basic helix–loop–helix transcription factors. Collectively, our results shed new light on the cell-type- and stimulus-specific regulation of the important neurotrophic factor BDNF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Tuvikene
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia.,Protobios LLC, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Eli-Eelika Esvald
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia.,Protobios LLC, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Annika Rähni
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Kaie Uustalu
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Anna Zhuravskaya
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Annela Avarlaid
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Eugene V Makeyev
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tõnis Timmusk
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia.,Protobios LLC, Tallinn, Estonia
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Comparative Genomics of the BDNF Gene, Non-Canonical Modes of Transcriptional Regulation, and Neurological Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:2851-2861. [PMID: 33517560 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-021-02306-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Alternative splicing of genes in the central nervous system is ubiquitous and utilizes many different mechanisms. Splicing generates unique transcript or protein isoforms of the primary gene that result in shortened, lengthened, or reorganized products that may have distinct functions from the parent gene. Learning and memory genes respond selectively to a variety of environmental stimuli and have evolved a number of complex mechanisms for transcriptional regulation to act rapidly and flexibly to environmental demands. Their patterns of expression, however, are incompletely understood. Many activity-inducible genes generate transcripts by alternative splicing that have an unknown physiological or behavioral function. One such gene codes for the protein brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is a neurotrophin whose expression is essential for cellular growth, synaptogenesis, and synaptic plasticity. It is an important model gene because of its complex structure and the variety of transcriptional mechanisms it displays for expression in response to external stimuli. Some of these are unexpected, or non-canonical, transcriptional control mechanisms that require further exploration in an activity-dependent context. In this review, a comparative genomics approach is taken to highlight the different forms of BDNF gene transcription including potential autoregulatory mechanisms. Modes of BDNF control have general implications for understanding the origins of several neurological disorders that are associated with reduced BDNF function.
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Learning-Dependent Transcriptional Regulation of BDNF by its Truncated Protein Isoform in Turtle. J Mol Neurosci 2020; 71:999-1014. [DOI: 10.1007/s12031-020-01722-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Kathpalia P, Nag TC, Chattopadhyay P, Sharma A, Bhat MA, Roy TS, Wadhwa S. In ovo Sound Stimulation Mediated Regulation of BDNF in the Auditory Cortex and Hippocampus of Neonatal Chicks. Neuroscience 2019; 408:293-307. [PMID: 31026564 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is known to mediate activity-dependent changes in the developing auditory system. Its expression in the brainstem auditory nuclei, auditory cortex and hippocampus of neonatal chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) in response to in ovo high intensity sound exposure at 110 dB (arrhythmic sound: recorded traffic noise, 30-3000 Hz with peak at 2700 Hz, rhythmic sound: sitar music, 100-4000 Hz) was examined to understand the previously reported altered volume and neuronal number in these regions. In the brainstem auditory nuclei, no mature BDNF, but proBDNF at the protein level was detected, and no change in its levels was observed after in ovo sound stimulation (music and noise). Increased ProBDNF protein levels were found in the auditory cortex in response to arrhythmic sound, along with decreased levels of one of the BDNF mRNA transcripts, in response to both rhythmic and arrhythmic sound stimulation. In the hippocampus, increased levels of mature BDNF were found in response to music. Expression microarray analysis was performed to understand changes in gene expression in the hippocampus in response to music and noise, followed by gene ontology analysis showing enrichment of probable signaling pathways. Differentially expressed genes like CAMK1 and STAT1 were found to be involved in downstream signaling on comparing music versus noise-exposed chicks. In conclusion, we report that BDNF is differentially regulated in the auditory cortex at the transcriptional and post-translational level, and in the hippocampus at the post-translational level in response to in ovo sound stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poorti Kathpalia
- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Tapas Chandra Nag
- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
| | | | - Arundhati Sharma
- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Muzaffer Ahmed Bhat
- Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Tara Sankar Roy
- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Shashi Wadhwa
- Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India; Department of Anatomy, North Delhi Municipal Medical College, New Delhi, India
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Kilvitis HJ, Ardia DR, Thiam M, Martin LB. Corticosterone is correlated to mediators of neural plasticity and epigenetic potential in the hippocampus of Senegalese house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 269:177-183. [PMID: 30257180 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Our previous research on range-expanding house sparrows in Kenya revealed that (i) range-edge birds released more corticosterone (CORT) in response to a stressor than range-core birds, ii) that range-edge birds were more exploratory than range-core birds, and that (iii) all birds exhibited extensive variation in genome-wide DNA methylation among individuals, regardless of their position along the range expansion. Within the hippocampus, mediators of neural plasticity such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), can influence and be influenced by CORT, hippocampus-associated behaviors and regulatory epigenetic modification enzymes. Here, we investigated whether individuals and populations colonizing a new geographic range, Senegal, vary in the expression of BDNF and DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) within the hippocampus and the release of CORT in response to a stressor. DNMT expression is an important mediator of epigenetic potential, the propensity of a genome to capacitate phenotypic variation via mechanisms such as DNA methylation. We surveyed three populations across Senegal, predicting that hippocampal BDNF and DNMT expression would be highest at the range-edge, and that BDNF and DNMT would be inversely related to one another, but would each positively covary with CORT within individuals. We found a nonlinear relationship between CORT and BDNF expression within individuals. Moreover, we found that CORT positively covaried with DNMT1 expression in a more recently established population, while the reverse was true in the oldest population (i.e. at the range-core). Our study is among the first to explore whether and how variation in CORT regulation contributes to variation in mediators of neural plasticity and epigenetic potential within the hippocampus of a range-expanding vertebrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly J Kilvitis
- University of South Florida, Department of Integrative Biology, Tampa, FL, USA.
| | - Daniel R Ardia
- Franklin & Marshall College, Department of Biology, Lancaster, PA, USA
| | - Massamba Thiam
- Universite Cheikh Anta Diop, Department of Biology, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Lynn B Martin
- University of South Florida, Department of Global Health, Tampa, FL, USA
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Triantaphyllopoulos KA, Ikonomopoulos I, Bannister AJ. Epigenetics and inheritance of phenotype variation in livestock. Epigenetics Chromatin 2016. [PMID: 27446239 DOI: 10.1186/s13072‐016‐0081‐5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic inheritance plays a crucial role in many biological processes, such as gene expression in early embryo development, imprinting and the silencing of transposons. It has recently been established that epigenetic effects can be inherited from one generation to the next. Here, we review examples of epigenetic mechanisms governing animal phenotype and behaviour, and we discuss the importance of these findings in respect to animal studies, and livestock in general. Epigenetic parameters orchestrating transgenerational effects, as well as heritable disorders, and the often-overlooked areas of livestock immunity and stress, are also discussed. We highlight the importance of nutrition and how it is linked to epigenetic alteration. Finally, we describe how our understanding of epigenetics is underpinning the latest cancer research and how this can be translated into directed efforts to improve animal health and welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kostas A Triantaphyllopoulos
- Department of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Faculty of Animal Science and Aquaculture, School of Agricultural Production, Infrastructure and Environment, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos St., 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Ioannis Ikonomopoulos
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, Faculty of Animal Science and Aquaculture, School of Agricultural Production, Infrastructure and Environment, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos St., 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Andrew J Bannister
- Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN UK
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Triantaphyllopoulos KA, Ikonomopoulos I, Bannister AJ. Epigenetics and inheritance of phenotype variation in livestock. Epigenetics Chromatin 2016; 9:31. [PMID: 27446239 PMCID: PMC4955263 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-016-0081-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2016] [Accepted: 07/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic inheritance plays a crucial role in many biological processes, such as gene expression in early embryo development, imprinting and the silencing of transposons. It has recently been established that epigenetic effects can be inherited from one generation to the next. Here, we review examples of epigenetic mechanisms governing animal phenotype and behaviour, and we discuss the importance of these findings in respect to animal studies, and livestock in general. Epigenetic parameters orchestrating transgenerational effects, as well as heritable disorders, and the often-overlooked areas of livestock immunity and stress, are also discussed. We highlight the importance of nutrition and how it is linked to epigenetic alteration. Finally, we describe how our understanding of epigenetics is underpinning the latest cancer research and how this can be translated into directed efforts to improve animal health and welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kostas A. Triantaphyllopoulos
- />Department of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Faculty of Animal Science and Aquaculture, School of Agricultural Production, Infrastructure and Environment, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos St., 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Ioannis Ikonomopoulos
- />Department of Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, Faculty of Animal Science and Aquaculture, School of Agricultural Production, Infrastructure and Environment, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos St., 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Andrew J. Bannister
- />Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN UK
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Jiang Y, Denbow C, Meiri N, Denbow DM. Epigenetic-Imprinting Changes Caused by Neonatal Fasting Stress Protect From Future Fasting Stress. J Neuroendocrinol 2016; 28. [PMID: 26542089 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2014] [Revised: 10/17/2015] [Accepted: 10/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Unfavourable nutritional conditions during the neonatal critical period can cause both acute metabolic disorders and severe metabolic syndromes in later life. These phenomena have been tightly related to the epigenetic modification controlling the balance between satiety and hunger in the hypothalamus. In the present study, we investigated epigenetic modification associated with both the fasting stress effects and the short-term resilience to fasting stress in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of chicks. Fasting for 24 h at 3 days of age (D) (i.e. D3) significantly increased global methylation at lysine 27 of histone 3 (H3K27) and its specific histone methyltransferase (HMT) expression level in the PVN. Because global methylation could not fully reveal the changes at specific genes, the regulation of the gene for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf), which was recently also found to have an anorexigenic effect, was evaluated as a potential target. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay analysis revealed that tri- (me3) and di-methylated (me2) H3K27 exhibited an instant (on D4 only) and latent increase (on both D11 and D41), respectively, at the putative promoter of Bdnf after 24 h of fasting on D3. This indicated that fasting could regulate energy-expenditure-related genes via modifying methylation at H3K27, which we suspected might be a protective mechanism for keeping the inner environment homeostatic. To test this hypothesis, a short-term repetitive fasting stress was applied to chickens, which were fasted for 24 h either on D10 only or on both D3 and D10. It was found that pre-existing fasting on D3 could induce a short-term fasting resilience, which rescued the reduction of Bdnf expression from future fasting on D10. We call this phenomenon the ‘molecular memory’, which was mainly conducted by HMTs and H3K27me2/me3 in the PVN. In conclusion, chicks respond to fasting with dynamic methylation at H3K27 in the PVN during the neonatal critical period. This allows the PVN to form a ‘molecular memory’, which keeps the individual inner environment homeostatic and resilient to future fasting over the short term.
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10
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Genomic organization and identification of promoter regions for the BDNF gene in the pond turtle Trachemys scripta elegans. J Mol Neurosci 2014; 53:626-36. [PMID: 24443176 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-014-0229-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2013] [Accepted: 01/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an important regulator of neuronal development and synaptic function. The BDNF gene undergoes significant activity-dependent regulation during learning. Here, we identified the BDNF promoter regions, transcription start sites, and potential regulatory sequences for BDNF exons I-III that may contribute to activity-dependent gene and protein expression in the pond turtle Trachemys scripta elegans (tBDNF). By using transfection of BDNF promoter/luciferase plasmid constructs into human neuroblastoma SHSY5Y cells and mouse embryonic fibroblast NIH3T3 cells, we identified the basal regulatory activity of promoter sequences located upstream of each tBDNF exon, designated as pBDNFI-III. Further, through chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays, we detected CREB binding directly to exon I and exon III promoters, while BHLHB2, but not CREB, binds within the exon II promoter. Elucidation of the promoter regions and regulatory protein binding sites in the tBDNF gene is essential for understanding the regulatory mechanisms that control tBDNF gene expression.
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Ambigapathy G, Zheng Z, Li W, Keifer J. Identification of a functionally distinct truncated BDNF mRNA splice variant and protein in Trachemys scripta elegans. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67141. [PMID: 23825634 PMCID: PMC3692439 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2013] [Accepted: 05/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has a diverse functional role and complex pattern of gene expression. Alternative splicing of mRNA transcripts leads to further diversity of mRNAs and protein isoforms. Here, we describe the regulation of BDNF mRNA transcripts in an in vitro model of eyeblink classical conditioning and a unique transcript that forms a functionally distinct truncated BDNF protein isoform. Nine different mRNA transcripts from the BDNF gene of the pond turtle Trachemys scripta elegans (tBDNF) are selectively regulated during classical conditioning: exon I mRNA transcripts show no change, exon II transcripts are downregulated, while exon III transcripts are upregulated. One unique transcript that codes from exon II, tBDNF2a, contains a 40 base pair deletion in the protein coding exon that generates a truncated tBDNF protein. The truncated transcript and protein are expressed in the naïve untrained state and are fully repressed during conditioning when full-length mature tBDNF is expressed, thereby having an alternate pattern of expression in conditioning. Truncated BDNF is not restricted to turtles as a truncated mRNA splice variant has been described for the human BDNF gene. Further studies are required to determine the ubiquity of truncated BDNF alternative splice variants across species and the mechanisms of regulation and function of this newly recognized BDNF protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganesh Ambigapathy
- Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Vermillion, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Zhaoqing Zheng
- Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Vermillion, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Wei Li
- Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Vermillion, South Dakota, United States of America
| | - Joyce Keifer
- Neuroscience Group, Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Vermillion, South Dakota, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Ikegame T, Bundo M, Murata Y, Kasai K, Kato T, Iwamoto K. DNA methylation of the BDNF gene and its relevance to psychiatric disorders. J Hum Genet 2013; 58:434-8. [PMID: 23739121 DOI: 10.1038/jhg.2013.65] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2013] [Revised: 05/07/2013] [Accepted: 05/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophic factor, which is important for neuronal survival, development and synaptic plasticity. Accumulating evidence suggests that epigenetic modifications of BDNF are associated with the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and mood disorders. Patients with psychiatric disorders generally show decreased neural BDNF levels, which are often associated with increased DNA methylation at the specific BDNF promoters. Importantly, observed DNA methylation changes are consistent across tissues including brain and peripheral blood, which suggests potential usefulness of these findings as a biomarker of psychiatric disorders. Here we review DNA methylation characteristics of BDNF promoters of cellular, animal and clinical samples and discuss future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tempei Ikegame
- Department of Molecular Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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Suzuki K, Maekawa F, Suzuki S, Nakamori T, Sugiyama H, Kanamatsu T, Tanaka K, Ohki-Hamazaki H. Elevated expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor facilitates visual imprinting in chicks. J Neurochem 2012; 123:800-10. [DOI: 10.1111/jnc.12039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2012] [Revised: 09/13/2012] [Accepted: 09/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Keiko Suzuki
- Division of Biology; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Kitasato University; Sagamihara Kanagawa Japan
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience; School of Biomedical Science & Medical Research Institute; Tokyo Medical and Dental University; Tokyo Japan
| | - Fumihiko Maekawa
- Center for Environmental Health Sciences; National Institute for Environmental Studies; Tsukuba Ibaraki Japan
| | - Shingo Suzuki
- Anatomy and Neurobiology; Faculty of Medicine; Kagawa University; Kagawa Japan
| | - Tomoharu Nakamori
- Division of Biology; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Kitasato University; Sagamihara Kanagawa Japan
- Human Frontier Science Program; Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences; Faculty of Human Health; Komazawa Women's University; Tokyo Japan
| | - Hayato Sugiyama
- Division of Biology; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Kitasato University; Sagamihara Kanagawa Japan
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience; School of Biomedical Science & Medical Research Institute; Tokyo Medical and Dental University; Tokyo Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Kanamatsu
- Department of Environmental Engineering for Symbiosis; Faculty of Engineering; Soka University; Tokyo Japan
| | - Kohichi Tanaka
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience; School of Biomedical Science & Medical Research Institute; Tokyo Medical and Dental University; Tokyo Japan
| | - Hiroko Ohki-Hamazaki
- Division of Biology; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Kitasato University; Sagamihara Kanagawa Japan
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