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Blum K, Bowirrat A, Baron D, Elman I, Makale MT, Cadet JL, Thanos PK, Hanna C, Ahmed R, Gondre-Lewis MC, Dennen CA, Braverman ER, Soni D, Carney P, Khalsa J, Modestino EJ, Barh D, Bagchi D, Badgaiyan RD, McLaughlin T, Cortese R, Ceccanti M, Murphy KT, Gupta A, Makale MT, Sunder K, Gold MS. Identification of stress-induced epigenetic methylation onto dopamine D2 gene and neurological and behavioral consequences. GENE & PROTEIN IN DISEASE 2024; 3:10.36922/gpd.1966. [PMID: 38766604 PMCID: PMC11100097 DOI: 10.36922/gpd.1966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
The D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) gene has garnered substantial attention as one of the most extensively studied genes across various neuropsychiatric disorders. Since its initial association with severe alcoholism in 1990, particularly through the identification of the DRD2 Taq A1 allele, numerous international investigations have been conducted to elucidate its role in different conditions. As of February 22, 2024, there are 5485 articles focusing on the DRD2 gene listed in PUBMED. There have been 120 meta-analyses with mixed results. In our opinion, the primary cause of negative reports regarding the association of various DRD2 gene polymorphisms is the inadequate screening of controls, not adequately eliminating many hidden reward deficiency syndrome behaviors. Moreover, pleiotropic effects of DRD2 variants have been identified in neuropsychologic, neurophysiologic, stress response, social stress defeat, maternal deprivation, and gambling disorder, with epigenetic DNA methylation and histone post-translational negative methylation identified as discussed in this article. There are 70 articles listed in PUBMED for DNA methylation and 20 articles listed for histone methylation as of October 19, 2022. For this commentary, we did not denote DNA and/or histone methylation; instead, we provided a brief summary based on behavioral effects. Based on the fact that Blum and Noble characterized the DRD2 Taq A1 allele as a generalized reward gene and not necessarily specific alcoholism, it now behooves the field to find ways to either use effector moieties to edit the neuroepigenetic insults or possibly harness the idea of potentially removing negative mRNA-reduced expression by inducing "dopamine homeostasis."
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Blum
- Department of Molecular Biology, Adelson School of Medicine, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
- Division of Addiction Research & Education, Center for Sports, Exercise & Mental Health, Western University of the Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, United States of America
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, Wright University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH, United States of America
- Division of Nutrigenomics, The Kenneth Blum Behavioral Neurogenetic Institute, Austin, TX United States of America
- Centre for Genomics and Applied Gene Technology, Institute of Integrative Omics and Applied Biotechnology, Nonakuri, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India
- Department of Nutrigenomic Research, Victory Nutrition International, Inc., Bonita Springs, FL, United States of America
- Division of Personalized Neuromodulation Research, Sunder Foundation, Palm Springs, CA, United States of America
| | - Abdalla Bowirrat
- Department of Molecular Biology, Adelson School of Medicine, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - David Baron
- Division of Addiction Research & Education, Center for Sports, Exercise & Mental Health, Western University of the Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, United States of America
| | - Igor Elman
- Division of Personalized Neuromodulation Research, Sunder Foundation, Palm Springs, CA, United States of America
- Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Milan T. Makale
- Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, UC San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0819, United States of America
| | - Jean Lud Cadet
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD., United States of America
| | - Panayotis K. Thanos
- Behavioral Neuropharmacology and Neuroimaging Laboratory on Addictions, Clinical Research Institute on Addictions, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biosciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States of America; Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY., United States of America
| | - Colin Hanna
- Behavioral Neuropharmacology and Neuroimaging Laboratory on Addictions, Clinical Research Institute on Addictions, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biosciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States of America; Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY., United States of America
| | - Rania Ahmed
- Behavioral Neuropharmacology and Neuroimaging Laboratory on Addictions, Clinical Research Institute on Addictions, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biosciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States of America; Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY., United States of America
| | - Marjorie C. Gondre-Lewis
- Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, and Developmental Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington D.C., United States of America
| | - Catherine A. Dennen
- Department of Family Medicine, Jefferson Health Northeast, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Eric R. Braverman
- Division of Nutrigenomics, The Kenneth Blum Behavioral Neurogenetic Institute, Austin, TX United States of America
| | - Diwanshu Soni
- Division of Addiction Research & Education, Center for Sports, Exercise & Mental Health, Western University of the Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, United States of America
| | - Paul Carney
- Division Pediatric Neurology, University of Missouri, School of Medicine, Columbia, MO., United States of America
| | - Jag Khalsa
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, George Washington University, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Edward J. Modestino
- Department of Psychology, Curry College, Milton, MA., United States of America
| | - Debmalya Barh
- Centre for Genomics and Applied Gene Technology, Institute of Integrative Omics and Applied Biotechnology, Nonakuri, Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India
- Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Debasis Bagchi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Southern University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Rajendra D. Badgaiyan
- Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland OH., 44106, USA and Department of Psychiatry, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Thomas McLaughlin
- Division of Nutrigenomics, The Kenneth Blum Behavioral Neurogenetic Institute, Austin, TX United States of America
| | - Rene Cortese
- Department of Child Health – Child Health Research Institute, & Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health School of Medicine, University of Missouri, MO, United States of America
| | - Mauro Ceccanti
- Alcohol Addiction Program, Latium Region Referral Center, Sapienza University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | - Kevin T. Murphy
- Division of Personalized Neuromodulation and Patient Care, PeakLogic, LLC, Del Mar, CA, United States of America
| | - Ashim Gupta
- Future Biologics, Lawrenceville, Georgia, 30043, United States of America
| | - Miles T. Makale
- Department of Psychology, UC San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0819, United States of America
| | - Keerthy Sunder
- Division of Personalized Neuromodulation Research, Sunder Foundation, Palm Springs, CA, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, UC Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA, United States of America
| | - Mark S. Gold
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States of America
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Vilca S, Wahlestedt C, Izenwasser S, Gainetdinov RR, Pardo M. Dopamine Transporter Knockout Rats Display Epigenetic Alterations in Response to Cocaine Exposure. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1107. [PMID: 37509143 PMCID: PMC10377455 DOI: 10.3390/biom13071107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: There is an urgent need for effective treatments for cocaine use disorder (CUD), and new pharmacological approaches targeting epigenetic mechanisms appear to be promising options for the treatment of this disease. Dopamine Transporter (DAT) transgenic rats recently have been proposed as a new animal model for studying susceptibility to CUD. (2) Methods: DAT transgenic rats were treated chronically with cocaine (10 mg/kg) for 8 days, and the expression of epigenetic modulators, Lysine Demethylase 6B (KDM6B) and Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4), was examined in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). (3) Results: We show that only full knockout (KO) of DAT impacts basal levels of KDM6B in females. Additionally, cocaine altered the expression of both epigenetic markers in a sex- and genotype-dependent manner. In response to chronic cocaine, KDM6B expression was decreased in male rats with partial DAT mutation (HET), while no changes were observed in wild-type (WT) or KO rats. Indeed, while HET male rats have reduced KDM6B and BRD4 expression, HET female rats showed increased KDM6B and BRD4 expression levels, highlighting the impact of sex on epigenetic mechanisms in response to cocaine. Finally, both male and female KO rats showed increased expression of BRD4, but only KO females exhibited significantly increased KDM6B expression in response to cocaine. Additionally, the magnitude of these effects was bigger in females when compared to males for both epigenetic enzymes. (4) Conclusions: This preliminary study provides additional support that targeting KDM6B and/or BRD4 may potentially be therapeutic in treating addiction-related behaviors in a sex-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samara Vilca
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (S.V.); (C.W.); (S.I.)
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Claes Wahlestedt
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (S.V.); (C.W.); (S.I.)
- Center for Therapeutic Innovation, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Sari Izenwasser
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (S.V.); (C.W.); (S.I.)
| | - Raul R. Gainetdinov
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg University Hospital, St. Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya Emb. 7-9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia;
| | - Marta Pardo
- Department of Neurology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
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Stewart AF, Lepack AE, Fulton SL, Safovich P, Maze I. Histone H3 dopaminylation in nucleus accumbens, but not medial prefrontal cortex, contributes to cocaine-seeking following prolonged abstinence. Mol Cell Neurosci 2023; 125:103824. [PMID: 36842545 PMCID: PMC10247417 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2023.103824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Enduring patterns of epigenomic and transcriptional plasticity within the mesolimbic dopamine system contribute importantly to persistent behavioral adaptations that characterize substance use disorders (SUD). While drug addiction has long been thought of as a disorder of dopamine (DA) neurotransmission, therapeutic interventions targeting receptor mediated DA-signaling have not yet resulted in efficacious treatments. Our laboratory recently identified a non-canonical, neurotransmission-independent signaling moiety for DA in brain, termed dopaminylation, whereby DA itself acts as a donor source for the establishment of post-translational modifications (PTM) on substrate proteins (e.g., histone H3 at glutamine 5; H3Q5dop). In our previous studies, we demonstrated that H3Q5dop plays a critical role in the regulation of neuronal transcription and, when perturbed within monoaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), critically contributes to pathological states, including relapse vulnerability to both psychostimulants (e.g., cocaine) and opiates (e.g., heroin). Importantly, H3Q5dop is also observed throughout the mesolimbic DA reward pathway (e.g., in nucleus accumbens/NAc and medial prefrontal cortex/mPFC, which receive DA input from VTA). As such, we investigated whether H3Q5dop may similarly be altered in its expression in response to drugs of abuse in these non-dopamine-producing regions. In rats undergoing extended abstinence from cocaine self-administration (SA), we observed both acute and prolonged accumulation of H3Q5dop in NAc, but not mPFC. Attenuation of H3Q5dop in NAc during drug abstinence reduced cocaine-seeking and affected cocaine-induced gene expression programs associated with altered dopamine signaling and neuronal function. These findings thus establish H3Q5dop in NAc, but not mPFC, as an important mediator of cocaine-induced behavioral and transcriptional plasticity during extended cocaine abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F Stewart
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Ashley E Lepack
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Sasha L Fulton
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Polina Safovich
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Ian Maze
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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Martella N, Pensabene D, Varone M, Colardo M, Petraroia M, Sergio W, La Rosa P, Moreno S, Segatto M. Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal Proteins in Brain Physiology and Pathology: BET-ing on Epigenetic Regulation. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11030750. [PMID: 36979729 PMCID: PMC10045827 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11030750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BET proteins function as histone code readers of acetylated lysins that determine the positive regulation in transcription of genes involved in cell cycle progression, differentiation, inflammation, and many other pathways. In recent years, thanks to the development of BET inhibitors, interest in this protein family has risen for its relevance in brain development and function. For example, experimental evidence has shown that BET modulation affects neuronal activity and the expression of genes involved in learning and memory. In addition, BET inhibition strongly suppresses molecular pathways related to neuroinflammation. These observations suggest that BET modulation may play a critical role in the onset and during the development of diverse neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, fragile X syndrome, and Rett syndrome. In this review article, we summarize the most recent evidence regarding the involvement of BET proteins in brain physiology and pathology, as well as their pharmacological potential as targets for therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemi Martella
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
| | - Daniele Pensabene
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
- Department of Science, University Roma Tre, Viale Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neurodevelopment, Neurogenetics and Neuromolecular Biology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 64 via del Fosso di Fiorano, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Michela Varone
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
| | - Mayra Colardo
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
| | - Michele Petraroia
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
| | - William Sergio
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
| | - Piergiorgio La Rosa
- Division of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, via dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Sandra Moreno
- Department of Science, University Roma Tre, Viale Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neurodevelopment, Neurogenetics and Neuromolecular Biology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 64 via del Fosso di Fiorano, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Segatto
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
- Correspondence:
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Perrine SA, Alsharif WF, Harutyunyan A, Kamal S, Viola NT, Gelovani JG. Low- and high-cocaine intake affects the spatial and temporal dynamics of class IIa HDAC expression-activity in the nucleus accumbens and hippocampus of male rats as measured by [18F]TFAHA PET/CT neuroimaging. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 4:100046. [PMID: 36540409 PMCID: PMC9762729 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2022.100046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Repeated cocaine alters neuronal function in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a brain region involved in cocaine taking, and in hippocampus (HC), known for contextual and associative learning. [18F]TFAHA is a histone deacetylase (HDAC) class IIa-specific radiotracer for positron emission tomography (PET)-imaging developed by our group to study epigenetic mechanisms. Here, [18F]TFAHA was used to conduct PET-imaging coupled with computed tomography (CT) of rat brains at baseline and after repeated cocaine intravenous self-administration (cocaine-IVSA) in low-intake versus high-intake cocaine groups. A 3 h-access FR1-schedule of cocaine-IVSA (0.5 mg/kg/infusion) for 12 continuous days was used with male Sprague Dawley rats following jugular vein catheterization. PET/CT neuroimaging with [18F]TFAHA was acquired in a dynamic mode over 40 min post-radiotracer administration at baseline and on day 12 of cocaine-IVSA using a longitudinal, repeated design. This study shows that high-cocaine intake significantly decreases class IIa HDAC expression-activity in NAc, while low-cocaine intake significantly decreases expression-activity in HC in male rats. These findings suggest the individual rats with low-cocaine intake had epigenetic changes in HC, where drug-associative changes occur. Alternatively, individuals with high-cocaine intake had robust epigenetic changes in NAc, where rewared-related behaviors originate. These findings are the first longitudinal data obtained in vivo to implicate class IIa HDACs in the persistent behavioral effects of cocaine. Furthermore, our results are consistent with published research implicating class IIa HDACs in cocaine-induced brain changes and studies suggesting a relationship between an individual's drug-taking behavior and regional pattern of epigenetic changes in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane A. Perrine
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, 6135 Woodward Avenue, Suite 3119, Detroit, MI, USA
- Research Services, John D. Dingell VAMC, Detroit, MI, USA
| | | | - Arman Harutyunyan
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, 6135 Woodward Avenue, Suite 3119, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Swatabdi Kamal
- Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Nerissa T. Viola
- Oncology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
- Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Juri G. Gelovani
- Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
- Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI, USA
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6
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Shang A, Bieszczad KM. Epigenetic mechanisms regulate cue memory underlying discriminative behavior. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 141:104811. [PMID: 35961385 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The burgeoning field of neuroepigenetics has introduced chromatin modification as an important interface between experience and brain function. For example, epigenetic mechanisms like histone acetylation and DNA methylation operate throughout a lifetime to powerfully regulate gene expression in the brain that is required for experiences to be transformed into long-term memories. This review highlights emerging evidence from sensory models of memory that converge on the premise that epigenetic regulation of activity-dependent transcription in the sensory brain facilitates highly precise memory recall. Chromatin modifications may be key for neurophysiological responses to transient sensory cue features experienced in the "here and now" to be recapitulated over the long term. We conclude that the function of epigenetic control of sensory system neuroplasticity is to regulate the amount and type of sensory information retained in long-term memories by regulating neural representations of behaviorally relevant cues that guide behavior. This is of broad importance in the neuroscience field because there are few circumstances in which behavioral acts are devoid of an initiating sensory experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Shang
- Dept. of Psychology - Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience, Rutgers University - New Brunswick, 152 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Kasia M Bieszczad
- Dept. of Psychology - Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience, Rutgers University - New Brunswick, 152 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science (RuCCS), Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08854, USA.
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7
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Singh MB, Babigian CJ, Sartor GC. Domain-selective BET inhibition attenuates transcriptional and behavioral responses to cocaine. Neuropharmacology 2022; 210:109040. [PMID: 35314160 PMCID: PMC8986626 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic pharmacotherapies have emerged as a promising treatment option for substance use disorder (SUD) due to their ability to reverse maladaptive transcriptional and behavioral responses to drugs of abuse. In particular, inhibitors of bromodomain and extra terminal domain (BET) reader proteins have been shown to reduce cocaine- and opioid-seeking behaviors in rodents. However, only pan-BET inhibitors, small molecules that bind to both bromodomains (BD1 and BD2) with all BET proteins, have been investigated in animal models of SUD. Given the potential side effects associated with pan-BET inhibitors, safer and more selective strategies are needed to advance BET therapeutics as a potential treatment for SUD. Here, we show that RVX-208, a clinically tested, BD2-selective BET inhibitor, dose-dependently reduced cocaine conditioned place preference in male and female mice, similar to the pan-BET inhibitor JQ1. In other behavioral experiments, RVX-208 treatment did not alter distance traveled, anxiety-like behavior, or novel object recognition memory. At the transcriptional level, RVX-208 attenuated the expression of multiple cocaine-induced genes in the nucleus accumbens in a sex-dependent manner. RVX-208 produced a distinct transcriptional response in stimulated primary neurons compared to JQ1 but had little effect on gene expression in non-stimulated neurons. Together, these data indicate that targeting domain-specific BET mechanisms may be an effective and safer strategy to reduce cocaine-induced neurobehavioral adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandakini B Singh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, United States
| | - Christopher J Babigian
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, United States
| | - Gregory C Sartor
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, United States.
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8
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Zhao X, Zhang F, Kandel SR, Brau F, He JJ. HIV Tat and cocaine interactively alter genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression and exacerbate learning and memory impairments. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110765. [PMID: 35508123 PMCID: PMC9615417 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Cocaine use is a major comorbidity of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). In this study, we show that cocaine exposure worsens the learning and memory of doxycycline-inducible and brain-specific HIV Tat transgenic mice (iTat) and results in 14,838 hypermethylated CpG-related differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and 15,800 hypomethylated CpG-related DMRs, which are linked to 52 down- and 127 upregulated genes, respectively, in the hippocampus of iTat mice. These genes are mostly enriched at the neuronal function-, cell morphology-, and synapse formation-related extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor-ligand interaction pathway and mostly impacted in microglia. The accompanying neuropathological changes include swollen dendritic spines, increased synaptophysin expression, and diminished glial activation. We also find that sex (female) and age additively worsen the behavioral and pathological changes. These findings together indicate that chronic cocaine and long-term Tat expression interactively contribute to HAND, likely involving changes of DNA methylation and ECM receptor-ligand interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojie Zhao
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA; Center for Cancer Cell Biology, Immunology and Infection, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA; School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
| | - Fan Zhang
- Department of Family Medicine, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Suresh R Kandel
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA; Center for Cancer Cell Biology, Immunology and Infection, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
| | - Frédéric Brau
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, IPMC, Sophia-Antipolis 06560, France
| | - Johnny J He
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA; Center for Cancer Cell Biology, Immunology and Infection, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA; School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA.
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9
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Xiao J, Ma Y, Wang X, Wang C, Li M, Liu H, Han W, Wang H, Zhang W, Wei H, Zhao L, Zhang T, Lin H, Guan F. The Vulnerability to Methamphetamine Dependence and Genetics: A Case-Control Study Focusing on Genetic Polymorphisms at Chromosomal Region 5q31.3. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:870322. [PMID: 35669261 PMCID: PMC9163382 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.870322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Methamphetamine (METH) is a central nervous psychostimulant and one of the most frequently used illicit drugs. Numerous genetic loci that influence complex traits, including alcohol abuse, have been discovered; however, genetic analyses for METH dependence remain limited. An increased histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) expression has been detected in Fos-positive neurons in the dorsomedial striatum following withdrawal after METH self-administration. Herein, we aimed to systematically investigate the contribution of HDAC3 to the vulnerability to METH dependence in a Han Chinese population. METHODS In total, we recruited 1,221 patients with METH dependence and 2,328 age- and gender-matched controls. For genotyping, we selected 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located within ± 3 kb regions of HDAC3. The associations between genotyped genetic polymorphisms and the vulnerability to METH dependence were examined by single marker- and haplotype-based methods using PLINK. The effects of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) on targeted gene expressions were investigated using the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database. RESULTS The SNP rs14251 was identified as a significant association signal (χ2 = 9.84, P = 0.0017). An increased risk of METH dependence was associated with the A allele (minor allele) of rs14251 [odds ratio (95% CI) = 1.25 (1.09-1.43)]. The results of in silico analyses suggested that SNP rs14251 could be a potential eQTL signal for FCHSD1, PCDHGB6, and RELL2, but not for HDAC3, in various human tissues. CONCLUSION We demonstrated that genetic polymorphism rs14251 located at 5q31.3 was significantly associated with the vulnerability to METH dependence in Han Chinese population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Xiao
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine & Forensics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yitian Ma
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine & Forensics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiaochen Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine & Forensics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Changqing Wang
- Department of Health Science, Chang'an Drug Rehabilitation Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Miao Li
- Department of Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Haobiao Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wei Han
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine & Forensics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Huiying Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine & Forensics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wenpei Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine & Forensics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hang Wei
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine & Forensics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Longrui Zhao
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine & Forensics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Tianxiao Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Huali Lin
- Department of Psychiatry, Xi'an Mental Health Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Fanglin Guan
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine & Forensics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
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Pribut HJ, Vázquez D, Wei AD, Tennyson SS, Davis IR, Roesch MR, Li X. Overexpressing Histone Deacetylase 5 in Rat Dorsal Striatum Alters Reward-Guided Decision-Making and Associated Neural Encoding. J Neurosci 2021; 41:10080-10090. [PMID: 34716230 PMCID: PMC8660049 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0916-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence in the past decade implicates histone-modifying enzymes, such as class I histone deacetylases (HDACs), in learning and memory and, recently, habit formation. However, it is unclear whether HDACs play roles in complex cognitive function. To address this issue, we examined the role of dorsal striatal HDAC5, a class II HDAC, in reward-guided decision-making and associated neural encoding in rats. We first injected adeno-associated virus to overexpress a nuclear-localized HDAC5 in dorsal striatum (DS). We then recorded neural correlates from dorsolateral striatum (DLS) as rats performed two reward-guided choice tasks, in which we manipulated either the size of or delay to reward. During these tasks, rats first learned which of two options led to the better reward and then reversed those contingencies in a second block of trials. We found that rats with HDAC5 overexpression in DS responded faster and chose higher value reward more often during the first block of trials but were less able to reverse those contingencies in the second block of trials. At the neural level, HDAC5 overexpression in DS elevated and reduced the number of cells in DLS that increased firing to stimuli and reward, respectively, and shifted encoding toward cues that predicted more immediate reward. These results suggest that the HDAC5 overexpression in DS contributes to inflexible decision-making, demonstrating a role of histone-modifying enzymes in complex cognitive function.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT HDACs are important for learning and habit formation. Here, we expanded on these functions and found that overexpression of HDAC5 produced faster and more automatic behavior, and related changes in dorsolateral striatal neural firing in rats performing a value-based decision-making task. These results implicate HDAC5 as a potential therapeutic target for psychiatric conditions that impair decision-making and executive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather J Pribut
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Daniela Vázquez
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Alice D Wei
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Stephen S Tennyson
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Ian R Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Matthew R Roesch
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Xuan Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
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11
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Epigenetic Regulatory Dynamics in Models of Methamphetamine-Use Disorder. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12101614. [PMID: 34681009 PMCID: PMC8535492 DOI: 10.3390/genes12101614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Methamphetamine (METH)-use disorder (MUD) is a very serious, potentially lethal, biopsychosocial disease. Exposure to METH causes long-term changes to brain regions involved in reward processing and motivation, leading vulnerable individuals to engage in pathological drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior that can remain a lifelong struggle. It is crucial to elucidate underlying mechanisms by which exposure to METH leads to molecular neuroadaptive changes at transcriptional and translational levels. Changes in gene expression are controlled by post-translational modifications via chromatin remodeling. This review article focuses on the brain-region specific combinatorial or distinct epigenetic modifications that lead to METH-induced changes in gene expression.
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12
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Cheron J, Kerchove d'Exaerde AD. Drug addiction: from bench to bedside. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:424. [PMID: 34385417 PMCID: PMC8361217 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01542-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug addiction is responsible for millions of deaths per year around the world. Still, its management as a chronic disease is shadowed by misconceptions from the general public. Indeed, drug consumers are often labelled as "weak", "immoral" or "depraved". Consequently, drug addiction is often perceived as an individual problem and not societal. In technical terms, drug addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing disease resulting from sustained effects of drugs on the brain. Through a better characterisation of the cerebral circuits involved, and the long-term modifications of the brain induced by addictive drugs administrations, first, we might be able to change the way the general public see the patient who is suffering from drug addiction, and second, we might be able to find new treatments to normalise the altered brain homeostasis. In this review, we synthetise the contribution of fundamental research to the understanding drug addiction and its contribution to potential novel therapeutics. Mostly based on drug-induced modifications of synaptic plasticity and epigenetic mechanisms (and their behavioural correlates) and after demonstration of their reversibility, we tried to highlight promising therapeutics. We also underline the specific temporal dynamics and psychosocial aspects of this complex psychiatric disease adding parameters to be considered in clinical trials and paving the way to test new therapeutic venues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Cheron
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, B-1070, Belgium
| | - Alban de Kerchove d'Exaerde
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, B-1070, Belgium.
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13
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Effect of histone acetylation on maintenance and reinstatement of morphine-induced conditioned place preference and ΔFosB expression in the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex of male rats. Behav Brain Res 2021; 414:113477. [PMID: 34302880 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Recently, epigenetic mechanisms are considered as the new potential targets for addiction treatment. This research was designed to explore the effect of histone acetylation on ΔFosB gene expression in morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in male rats. CPP was induced via morphine injection (5 mg/kg) for three consecutive days. Animals received low-dose theophylline (LDT) or Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic acid (SAHA), as an histone deacetylase (HDAC) activator or inhibitor, respectively, and a combination of both in subsequent extinction days. Following extinction, a priming dose of morphine (1 mg/kg) was administered to induce reinstatement. H4 acetylation and ΔFosB expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) were assessed on the last day of extinction and the following CPP reinstatement. Our results demonstrated that daily administration of SAHA (25 mg/kg; i.p.), facilitated morphine-extinction and decreased CPP score in reinstatement of place preference. Conversely, injections of LDT (20 mg/kg; i.p.) prolonged extinction in animals. Co-administration of LDT and SAHA on extinction days counterbalanced each other, such that maintenance and reinstatement were no different than the control group. The gene expression of ΔFosB was increased by SAHA in NAc and mPFC compared to the control group. Administration of SAHA during extinction days, also altered histone acetylation in the NAc and mPFC on the last day of extinction, but not on reinstatement day. Collectively, administration of SAHA facilitated extinction and reduced reinstatement of morphine-induced CPP in rats. This study confirms the essential role of epigenetic mechanisms, specifically histone acetylation, in regulating drug-induced plasticity and seeking behaviors.
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14
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Faillace MP, Bernabeu RO. Epigenetic Mechanisms Mediate Nicotine-Induced Reward and Behaviour in Zebrafish. Curr Neuropharmacol 2021; 20:510-523. [PMID: 34279203 PMCID: PMC9608226 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x19666210716112351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Nicotine induces long-term changes in the neural activity of the mesocorticolimbic reward pathway structures. The mechanisms involved in this process have not been fully characterized. The hypothesis discussed here proposed that epigenetic regulation participates in the installation of persistent adaptations and long-lasting synaptic plasticity generated by nicotine action on the mesolimbic dopamine neurons of zebrafish. The epigenetic mechanisms induced by nicotine entail histone and DNA chemical modifications, which have been described to lead to changes in gene expression. Among the enzymes that catalyze epigenetic chemical modifications, histone deacetylases (HDACs) remove acetyl groups from histones, thereby facilitating DNA relaxation and making DNA more accessible to gene transcription. DNA methylation, which is dependent on DNA methyltransferase (DNMTs) activity, inhibits gene expression by recruiting several methyl binding proteins that prevent RNA polymerase binding to DNA. In zebrafish, phenylbutyrate (PhB), an HDAC inhibitor, abolishes nicotine rewarding properties together with a series of typical reward-associated behaviors. Furthermore, PhB and nicotine alter long- and short-term object recognition memory in zebrafish, respectively. Regarding DNA methylation effects, a methyl group donor L-methionine (L-met) was found to dramatically reduce nicotine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in zebrafish. Simultaneous treatment with DNMT inhibitor 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine (AZA) was found to reverse the L-met effect on nicotine-induced CPP as well as nicotine reward-specific effects on genetic expression in zebrafish. Therefore, pharmacological interventions that modulate epigenetic regulation of gene expression should be considered as a potential therapeutic method to treat nicotine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Paula Faillace
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina e Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Profesor Bernardo Houssay (IFIBIO-Houssay, CONICET-UBA), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ramón O Bernabeu
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina e Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Profesor Bernardo Houssay (IFIBIO-Houssay, CONICET-UBA), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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15
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Contó MB, Dos Santos NB, Munhoz CD, Marcourakis T, D'Almeida V, Camarini R. Exposure to Running Wheels Prevents Ethanol Rewarding Effects: The Role of CREB and Deacetylases SIRT-1 and SIRT-2 in the Nucleus Accumbens and Prefrontal Cortex. Neuroscience 2021; 469:125-137. [PMID: 34175423 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder is one of the most prevalent addictions, strongly influenced by environmental factors. Voluntary physical activity (VPA) has proven to be intrinsically reinforcing and we hypothesized that, as a non-drug reinforcer, VPA could mitigate ethanol-induced rewarding effects. The transcriptional factor cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), and deacetylases isozymes sirtuins 1 and 2 (SIRT-1 and SIRT-2) have a complex interplay and both play a role in the rewarding effects of ethanol. To test whether the exposure of mice to running wheels inhibits the development of ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP), mice were assigned into four groups: housed in home cages with locked ("Sedentary") or unlocked running wheels (VPA), and treated with saline or 1.8 g/kg ethanol during the conditioning phase. The groups were referred as Saline-Sedentary, Saline-VPA, Ethanol-Sedentary and Ethanol-VPA. The expression of CREB, SIRT-1 and SIRT-2 were evaluated in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). VPA prevented the development of ethanol-induced CPP. VPA, ethanol and the combination of both inhibited pCREB and pCREB/CREB ratio in the NAc, suggesting that both reward stimuli can share similar patterns of CREB activation. However, we have found that ethanol-induced increased CREB levels were prevented by VPA. Both VPA groups presented lower SIRT-1 levels in the NAc compared to the Sedentary groups. Thus, exposure to running wheels prevented ethanol-rewarding effects and ethanol-induced increases in CREB in the NAc. The molecular alterations underlying CPP prevention may be related to a lower expression of CREB in the NAc of Ethanol-VPA compared to the respective Sedentary group, given the positive correlation between CPP and CREB levels in the Ethanol-Sedentary group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Brandão Contó
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Nilton Barreto Dos Santos
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carolina Demarchi Munhoz
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tania Marcourakis
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Vânia D'Almeida
- Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina (UNIFESP/EPM), Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rosana Camarini
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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Psychostimulants and opioids differentially influence the epigenetic modification of histone acetyltransferase and histone deacetylase in astrocytes. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252895. [PMID: 34115777 PMCID: PMC8195369 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Illicit drugs are known to affect central nervous system (CNS). Majorly psychostimulants such as cocaine, methamphetamine (METH) and opioids such as morphine are known to induce epigenetic changes of histone modifications and chromatin remodeling which are mediated by histone acetyltransferase (HAT) and histone deacetylase (HDAC). Aberrant changes in histone acetylation-deacetylation process further exacerbate dysregulation of gene expression and protein modification which has been linked with neuronal impairments including memory formation and synaptic plasticity. In CNS, astrocytes play a pivotal role in cellular homeostasis. However, the impact of psychostimulants and opioid mediated epigenetic changes of HAT/HADCs in astrocytes has not yet been fully elucidated. Therefore, we have investigated the effects of the psychostimulants and opioid on the acetylation-regulating enzymes- HAT and HDACs role in astrocytes. In this study, Class I and II HDACs and HATs gene expression, protein changes and global level changes of acetylation of H3 histones at specific lysines were analyzed. In addition, we have explored the neuroprotective “nootropic” drug piracetam were exposed with or without psychostimulants and opioid in the human primary astrocytes. Results revealed that psychostimulants and opioid upregulated HDAC1, HDAC4 and p300 expression, while HDAC5 and GCN5 expression were downregulated. These effects were reversed by piracetam coexposure. Psychostimulants and opioid exposure upregulated global acetylation levels of all H3Ks, except H3K14. These results suggest that psychostimulants and opioids differentially influence HATs and HDACs.
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17
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Li H, Chen JA, Ding QZ, Lu GY, Wu N, Su RB, Li F, Li J. Behavioral sensitization induced by methamphetamine causes differential alterations in gene expression and histone acetylation of the prefrontal cortex in rats. BMC Neurosci 2021; 22:24. [PMID: 33823794 PMCID: PMC8022387 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-021-00616-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Methamphetamine (METH) is one of the most widely abused illicit substances worldwide; unfortunately, its addiction mechanism remains unclear. Based on accumulating evidence, changes in gene expression and chromatin modifications might be related to the persistent effects of METH on the brain. In the present study, we took advantage of METH-induced behavioral sensitization as an animal model that reflects some aspects of drug addiction and examined the changes in gene expression and histone acetylation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of adult rats. Methods We conducted mRNA microarray and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) coupled to DNA microarray (ChIP-chip) analyses to screen and identify changes in transcript levels and histone acetylation patterns. Functional enrichment analyses, including Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses, were performed to analyze the differentially expressed genes. We then further identified alterations in ANP32A (acidic leucine-rich nuclear phosphoprotein-32A) and POU3F2 (POU domain, class 3, transcription factor 2) using qPCR and ChIP-PCR assays. Results In the rat model of METH-induced behavioral sensitization, METH challenge caused 275 differentially expressed genes and a number of hyperacetylated genes (821 genes with H3 acetylation and 10 genes with H4 acetylation). Based on mRNA microarray and GO and KEGG enrichment analyses, 24 genes may be involved in METH-induced behavioral sensitization, and 7 genes were confirmed using qPCR. We further examined the alterations in the levels of the ANP32A and POU3F2 transcripts and histone acetylation at different periods of METH-induced behavioral sensitization. H4 hyperacetylation contributed to the increased levels of ANP32A mRNA and H3/H4 hyperacetylation contributed to the increased levels of POU3F2 mRNA induced by METH challenge-induced behavioral sensitization, but not by acute METH exposure. Conclusions The present results revealed alterations in transcription and histone acetylation in the rat PFC by METH exposure and provided evidence that modifications of histone acetylation contributed to the alterations in gene expression caused by METH-induced behavioral sensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing-An Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Qian-Zhi Ding
- Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Guan-Yi Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Ning Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui-Bin Su
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, People's Republic of China. .,Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27th Taiping Road, 100850, Beijing, China.
| | - Jin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, People's Republic of China. .,Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 27th Taiping Road, 100850, Beijing, China.
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18
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Abstract
A growing body of evidence from the past 15 years implicates epigenetic mechanisms in the behavioral effects of addictive drugs. The main focus of these studies has been epigenetic mechanisms of psychomotor sensitization and drug reinforcement, as assessed by the conditioned place preference and drug self-administration procedures. Some of these studies have documented long-lasting changes in the expression of epigenetic enzymes and molecules that persist for weeks after the last drug exposure. These observations have inspired more recent investigations on the epigenetic mechanisms of relapse to drug seeking after prolonged abstinence. Here, we review studies that have examined epigenetic mechanisms (e.g., histone modifications, chromatin remodeler-associated modifications, and DNA methylation) that contribute to relapse to cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, morphine, heroin, nicotine, or alcohol seeking, as assessed in rodent models. We first provide a brief overview of studies that have examined persistent epigenetic changes in the brain after prolonged abstinence from noncontingent drug exposure or drug self-administration. Next, we review studies on the effect of either systemic or brain site-specific epigenetic manipulations on the reinstatement of drug-conditioned place preference after extinction of the learned preference, the reinstatement of drug seeking after operant drug self-administration and extinction of the drug-reinforced responding, and the incubation of drug craving (the time-dependent increase in drug seeking after cessation of drug self-administration). We conclude by discussing the implications of these studies for understanding mechanisms contributing to persistent relapse vulnerability after prolonged abstinence. We also discuss the implications of these results for translational research on the potential use of systemically administered epigenetic enzyme inhibitors for relapse prevention in human drug users.
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Ariza A, Funahashi Y, Kozawa S, Omar Faruk M, Nagai T, Amano M, Kaibuchi K. Dynamic subcellular localization and transcription activity of the SRF cofactor MKL2 in the striatum are regulated by MAPK. J Neurochem 2021; 157:1774-1788. [PMID: 33449379 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Dopamine type 1 receptor (D1R) signaling activates protein kinase A (PKA), which then activates mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) through Rap1, in striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs). MAPK plays a pivotal role in reward-related behavior through the activation of certain transcription factors. How D1R signaling regulates behavior through transcription factors remains largely unknown. CREB-binding protein (CBP) promotes transcription through hundreds of different transcription factors and is also important for reward-related behavior. To identify transcription factors regulated by dopamine signaling in MSNs, we performed a phosphoproteomic analysis using affinity beads coated with CBP. We obtained approximately 40 novel candidate proteins in the striatum of the C57BL/6 mouse brain after cocaine administration. Among them, the megakaryoblastic leukemia-2 (MKL2) protein, a transcriptional coactivator of serum response factor (SRF), was our focus. We found that the interaction between CBP and MKL2 was increased by cocaine administration. Additionally, MKL2, CBP and SRF formed a ternary complex in vivo. The C-terminal domain of MKL2 interacted with CBP-KIX and was phosphorylated by MAPK in COS7 cells. The activation of PKA-MAPK signaling induced the nuclear localization of MKL2 and increased SRF-dependent transcriptional activity in neurons. These results demonstrate that dopamine signaling regulates the interaction of MKL2 with CBP in a phosphorylation-dependent manner and thereby controls SRF-dependent gene expression. Cover Image for this issue: https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.15067.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Ariza
- Department of Cell Pharmacology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Funahashi
- Department of Cell Pharmacology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.,Research Project for Neural and Tumor Signaling, Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Sachi Kozawa
- Department of Cell Pharmacology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Md Omar Faruk
- Department of Cell Pharmacology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Taku Nagai
- Division of Behavioral Neuropharmacology, Project Office for Neuropsychological Research Center, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Mutsuki Amano
- Department of Cell Pharmacology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Kozo Kaibuchi
- Department of Cell Pharmacology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.,Research Project for Neural and Tumor Signaling, Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
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Salery M, Trifilieff P, Caboche J, Vanhoutte P. From Signaling Molecules to Circuits and Behaviors: Cell-Type-Specific Adaptations to Psychostimulant Exposure in the Striatum. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:944-953. [PMID: 31928716 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Addiction is characterized by a compulsive pattern of drug seeking and consumption and a high risk of relapse after withdrawal that are thought to result from persistent adaptations within brain reward circuits. Drugs of abuse increase dopamine (DA) concentration in these brain areas, including the striatum, which shapes an abnormal memory trace of drug consumption that virtually highjacks reward processing. Long-term neuronal adaptations of gamma-aminobutyric acidergic striatal projection neurons (SPNs) evoked by drugs of abuse are critical for the development of addiction. These neurons form two mostly segregated populations, depending on the DA receptor they express and their output projections, constituting the so-called direct (D1 receptor) and indirect (D2 receptor) SPN pathways. Both SPN subtypes receive converging glutamate inputs from limbic and cortical regions, encoding contextual and emotional information, together with DA, which mediates reward prediction and incentive values. DA differentially modulates the efficacy of glutamate synapses onto direct and indirect SPN pathways by recruiting distinct striatal signaling pathways, epigenetic and genetic responses likely involved in the transition from casual drug use to addiction. Herein we focus on recent studies that have assessed psychostimulant-induced alterations in a cell-type-specific manner, from remodeling of input projections to the characterization of specific molecular events in each SPN subtype and their impact on long-lasting behavioral adaptations. We discuss recent evidence revealing the complex and concerted action of both SPN populations on drug-induced behavioral responses, as these studies can contribute to the design of future strategies to alleviate specific behavioral components of addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Salery
- Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Pierre Trifilieff
- NutriNeuro, Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 1286, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Bordeaux Institut Polytechnique, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Jocelyne Caboche
- Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Sorbonne Université, Faculty of Sciences, Paris, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR8246, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1130, Paris France.
| | - Peter Vanhoutte
- Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Sorbonne Université, Faculty of Sciences, Paris, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR8246, Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1130, Paris France
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21
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González B, Bernardi A, Torres OV, Jayanthi S, Gomez N, Sosa MH, García‐Rill E, Urbano FJ, Cadet J, Bisagno V. HDAC superfamily promoters acetylation is differentially regulated by modafinil and methamphetamine in the mouse medial prefrontal cortex. Addict Biol 2020; 25:e12737. [PMID: 30811820 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Dysregulation of histone deacetylases (HDAC) has been proposed as a potential contributor to aberrant transcriptional profiles that can lead to changes in cognitive functions. It is known that METH negatively impacts the prefrontal cortex (PFC) leading to cognitive decline and addiction whereas modafinil enhances cognition and has a low abuse liability. We investigated if modafinil (90 mg/kg) and methamphetmine (METH) (1 mg/kg) may differentially influence the acetylation status of histones 3 and 4 (H3ac and H4ac) at proximal promoters of class I, II, III, and IV HDACs. We found that METH produced broader acetylation effects in comparison with modafinil in the medial PFC. For single dose, METH affected H4ac by increasing its acetylation at class I Hdac1 and class IIb Hdac10, decreasing it at class IIa Hdac4 and Hdac5. Modafinil increased H3ac and decreased H4ac of Hdac7. For mRNA, single-dose METH increased Hdac4 and modafinil increased Hdac7 expression. For repeated treatments (4 d after daily injections over 7 d), we found specific effects only for METH. We found that METH increased H4ac in class IIa Hdac4 and Hdac5 and decreased H3/H4ac at class I Hdac1, Hdac2, and Hdac8. At the mRNA level, repeated METH increased Hdac4 and decreased Hdac2. Class III and IV HDACs were only responsive to repeated treatments, where METH affected the H3/H4ac status of Sirt2, Sirt3, Sirt7, and Hdac11. Our results suggest that HDAC targets linked to the effects of modafinil and METH may be related to the cognitive-enhancing vs cognitive-impairing effects of these psychostimulants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betina González
- Instituto de Investigaciones FarmacológicasUniversidad de Buenos Aires – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Alejandra Bernardi
- Instituto de Investigaciones FarmacológicasUniversidad de Buenos Aires – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Oscar V. Torres
- Department of Behavioral SciencesSan Diego Mesa College San Diego CA USA
| | - Subramaniam Jayanthi
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research BranchNIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program Baltimore MD USA
| | - Natalia Gomez
- Instituto de Investigaciones FarmacológicasUniversidad de Buenos Aires – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Máximo H. Sosa
- Instituto de Investigaciones FarmacológicasUniversidad de Buenos Aires – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Edgar García‐Rill
- Center for Translational Neuroscience, Department of Neurobiology and Developmental SciencesUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock AR USA
| | - Francisco J. Urbano
- Laboratorio de Fisiología y Biología Molecular, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y NeurocienciasUniversidad de Buenos Aires – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Jean‐Lud Cadet
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research BranchNIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program Baltimore MD USA
| | - Verónica Bisagno
- Instituto de Investigaciones FarmacológicasUniversidad de Buenos Aires – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Buenos Aires Argentina
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22
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Phosphorylation of Npas4 by MAPK Regulates Reward-Related Gene Expression and Behaviors. Cell Rep 2019; 29:3235-3252.e9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.10.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
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23
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Harvey E, Blurton‐Jones M, Kennedy PJ. Hippocampal BDNF regulates a shift from flexible, goal-directed to habit memory system function following cocaine abstinence. Hippocampus 2019; 29:1101-1113. [PMID: 31206907 PMCID: PMC6851590 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The transition from recreational drug use to addiction involves pathological learning processes that support a persistent shift from flexible, goal-directed to habit behavioral control. Here, we examined the molecular mechanisms supporting altered function in hippocampal (HPC) and dorsolateral striatum (DLS) memory systems following abstinence from repeated cocaine. After 3 weeks of cocaine abstinence (experimenter- or self-administered), we tested new behavioral learning in male rats using a dual-solution maze task, which provides an unbiased approach to assess HPC- versus DLS-dependent learning strategies. Dorsal hippocampus (dHPC) and DLS brain tissues were collected after memory testing to identify transcriptional adaptations associated with cocaine-induced shifts in behavioral learning. Our results demonstrate that following prolonged cocaine abstinence rats show a bias toward the use of an inflexible, habit memory system (DLS) in lieu of a more flexible, easily updated memory system involving the HPC. This memory system bias was associated with upregulation and downregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression and transcriptionally permissive histone acetylation (acetylated histone H3, AcH3) in the DLS and dHPC, respectively. Using viral-mediated gene transfer, we overexpressed BDNF in the dHPC during cocaine abstinence and new maze learning. This manipulation restored HPC-dependent behavioral control. These findings provide a system-level understanding of altered plasticity and behavioral learning following cocaine abstinence and inform mechanisms mediating the organization of learning and memory more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Harvey
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of California Los AngelesLos AngelesCalifornia
| | - Matthew Blurton‐Jones
- Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorUniversity of California IrvineIrvineCalifornia
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research CenterUniversity of California IrvineCalifornia
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological DisordersUniversity of California IrvineCalifornia
| | - Pamela J. Kennedy
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of California Los AngelesLos AngelesCalifornia
- Brain Research InstituteUniversity of California Los AngelesLos AngelesCalifornia
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24
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Park HM, Satta R, Davis RG, Goo YA, LeDuc RD, Fellers RT, Greer JB, Romanova EV, Rubakhin SS, Tai R, Thomas PM, Sweedler JV, Kelleher NL, Patrie SM, Lasek AW. Multidimensional Top-Down Proteomics of Brain-Region-Specific Mouse Brain Proteoforms Responsive to Cocaine and Estradiol. J Proteome Res 2019; 18:3999-4012. [PMID: 31550894 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.9b00481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Cocaine addiction afflicts nearly 1 million adults in the United States, and to date, there are no known treatments approved for this psychiatric condition. Women are particularly vulnerable to developing a cocaine use disorder and suffer from more serious cardiac consequences than men when using cocaine. Estrogen is one biological factor contributing to the increased risk for females to develop problematic cocaine use. Animal studies have demonstrated that estrogen (17β-estradiol or E2) enhances the rewarding properties of cocaine. Although E2 affects the dopamine system, the molecular and cellular mechanisms of E2-enhanced cocaine reward have not been characterized. In this study, quantitative top-down proteomics was used to measure intact proteins in specific regions of the female mouse brain after mice were trained for cocaine-conditioned place preference, a behavioral test of cocaine reward. Several proteoform changes occurred in the ventral tegmental area after combined cocaine and E2 treatments, with the most numerous proteoform alterations on myelin basic protein, indicating possible changes in white matter structure. There were also changes in histone H4, protein phosphatase inhibitors, cholecystokinin, and calmodulin proteoforms. These observations provide insight into estrogen signaling in the brain and may guide new approaches to treating women with cocaine use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hae-Min Park
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, and The Proteomics Center of Excellence , Northwestern University , 2145 North Sheridan Road , Evanston , Illinois 60208 , United States
| | - Rosalba Satta
- Department of Psychiatry , University of Illinois at Chicago , 1601 West Taylor Street , Chicago , Illinois 60612 , United States
| | - Roderick G Davis
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, and The Proteomics Center of Excellence , Northwestern University , 2145 North Sheridan Road , Evanston , Illinois 60208 , United States
| | - Young Ah Goo
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, and The Proteomics Center of Excellence , Northwestern University , 2145 North Sheridan Road , Evanston , Illinois 60208 , United States
| | - Richard D LeDuc
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, and The Proteomics Center of Excellence , Northwestern University , 2145 North Sheridan Road , Evanston , Illinois 60208 , United States
| | - Ryan T Fellers
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, and The Proteomics Center of Excellence , Northwestern University , 2145 North Sheridan Road , Evanston , Illinois 60208 , United States
| | - Joseph B Greer
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, and The Proteomics Center of Excellence , Northwestern University , 2145 North Sheridan Road , Evanston , Illinois 60208 , United States
| | - Elena V Romanova
- Department of Chemistry , University of Illinois , Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States
| | - Stanislav S Rubakhin
- Department of Chemistry , University of Illinois , Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States
| | - Rex Tai
- Department of Psychiatry , University of Illinois at Chicago , 1601 West Taylor Street , Chicago , Illinois 60612 , United States
| | - Paul M Thomas
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, and The Proteomics Center of Excellence , Northwestern University , 2145 North Sheridan Road , Evanston , Illinois 60208 , United States
| | - Jonathan V Sweedler
- Department of Chemistry , University of Illinois , Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States
| | - Neil L Kelleher
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, and The Proteomics Center of Excellence , Northwestern University , 2145 North Sheridan Road , Evanston , Illinois 60208 , United States
| | - Steven M Patrie
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, and The Proteomics Center of Excellence , Northwestern University , 2145 North Sheridan Road , Evanston , Illinois 60208 , United States
| | - Amy W Lasek
- Department of Psychiatry , University of Illinois at Chicago , 1601 West Taylor Street , Chicago , Illinois 60612 , United States
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25
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Sartor GC. Epigenetic pharmacotherapy for substance use disorder. Biochem Pharmacol 2019; 168:269-274. [PMID: 31306644 PMCID: PMC6733674 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2019.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Identifying novel therapeutics for the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD) is an area of intensive investigation. Prior strategies that have attempted to modify one or a few neurotransmitter receptors have had limited success, and currently there are no FDA-approved medications for the treatment of cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana use disorders. Because drugs of abuse are known to alter the expression of numerous genes in reward-related brain regions, epigenetic-based therapies have emerged as intriguing targets for therapeutic innovation. Here, I evaluate potential therapeutic approaches and challenges in targeting epigenetic factors for the treatment of SUD and highlight examples of promising strategies and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory C Sartor
- University of Connecticut, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 69 N. Eagleville Road, Storrs, CT 06269, United States.
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26
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Yi SY, Barnett BR, Yu JPJ. Preclinical neuroimaging of gene-environment interactions in psychiatric disease. Br J Radiol 2019; 92:20180885. [PMID: 30982323 PMCID: PMC6732909 DOI: 10.1259/bjr.20180885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Psychiatric disease is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Despite the global burden and need for accurate diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, psychiatric diagnosis remains largely based on patient-reported symptoms, allowing for immense symptomatic heterogeneity within a single disease. In renewed efforts towards improved diagnostic specificity and subsequent evaluation of treatment response, a greater understanding of the underlying of the neuropathology and neurobiology of neuropsychiatric disease is needed. However, dissecting these mechanisms of neuropsychiatric illness in clinical populations are problematic with numerous experimental hurdles limiting hypothesis-driven studies including genetic confounds, variable life experiences, different environmental exposures, therapeutic histories, as well as the inability to investigate deeper molecular changes in vivo . Preclinical models, where many of these confounding factors can be controlled, can serve as a crucial experimental bridge for studying the neurobiological origins of mental illness. Furthermore, although behavioral studies and molecular studies are relatively common in these model systems, focused neuroimaging studies are very rare and represent an opportunity to link the molecular changes in psychiatric illness with advanced quantitative neuroimaging studies. In this review, we present an overview of well-validated genetic and environmental models of psychiatric illness, discuss gene-environment interactions, and examine the potential role of neuroimaging towards understanding genetic, environmental, and gene-environmental contributions to psychiatric illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sue Y. Yi
- Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, Madison, USA
| | - Brian R. Barnett
- Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, Madison, USA
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27
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Hamilton PJ, Nestler EJ. Epigenetics and addiction. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 59:128-136. [PMID: 31255844 PMCID: PMC6889055 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
As an individual becomes addicted to a drug of abuse, nerve cells within the brain's reward circuitry adapt at the epigenetic level during the course of repeated drug exposure. These drug-induced epigenetic adaptations mediate enduring changes in brain function which contribute to life-long, drug-related behavioral abnormalities that define addiction. Targeting these epigenetic alterations will enhance our understanding of the biological basis of addiction and might even yield more effective anti-addiction therapies. However, the complexity of the neuroepigenetic landscape makes it difficult to determine which drug-induced epigenetic changes causally contribute to the pathogenic mechanisms of drug addiction. In this review, we highlight the evidence that epigenetic modifications, specifically histone modifications, within key brain reward regions are correlated with addiction. We then discuss the emerging field of locus-specific neuroepigenetic editing, which is a promising method for determining the causal epigenetic molecular mechanisms that drive an addicted state. Such approaches will substantially increase the field's ability to establish the precise epigenetic mechanisms underlying drug addiction, and could lead to novel treatments for addictive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Hamilton
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, The Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States
| | - Eric J Nestler
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, The Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States.
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28
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A potential role for the gut microbiome in substance use disorders. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:1513-1530. [PMID: 30982128 PMCID: PMC6599482 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-05232-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Pathological substance use disorders represent a major public health crisis with limited effective treatment options. While much work has been done to understand the neuronal signaling networks and intracellular signaling cascades associated with prolonged drug use, these studies have yielded few successful treatment options for substance use disorders. In recent years, there has been a growing interest to explore interactions between the peripheral immune system, the gut microbiome, and the CNS. In this review, we will present a summary of existing evidence, suggesting a potential role for gut dysbiosis in the pathogenesis of substance use disorders. Clinical evidence of gut dysbiosis in human subjects with substance use disorder and preclinical evidence of gut dysbiosis in animal models of drug addiction are discussed in detail. Additionally, we examine how changes in the gut microbiome and its metabolites may not only be a consequence of substance use disorders but may in fact play a role in mediating behavioral response to drugs of abuse. While much work still needs to be done, understanding the interplay of gut microbiome in substance use disorders may offer a promising avenue for future therapeutic development.
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29
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González B, Torres OV, Jayanthi S, Gomez N, Sosa MH, Bernardi A, Urbano FJ, García-Rill E, Cadet JL, Bisagno V. The effects of single-dose injections of modafinil and methamphetamine on epigenetic and functional markers in the mouse medial prefrontal cortex: potential role of dopamine receptors. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019; 88:222-234. [PMID: 30056065 PMCID: PMC8424782 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
METH use causes neuroadaptations that negatively impact the prefrontal cortex (PFC) leading to addiction and associated cognitive decline in animals and humans. In contrast, modafinil enhances cognition by increasing PFC function. Accumulated evidence indicates that psychostimulant drugs, including modafinil and METH, regulate gene expression via epigenetic modifications. In this study, we measured the effects of single-dose injections of modafinil and METH on the protein levels of acetylated histone H3 (H3ac) and H4ac, deacetylases HDAC1 and HDAC2, and of the NMDA subunit GluN1 in the medial PFC (mPFC) of mice euthanized 1 h after drug administration. To test if dopamine (DA) receptors (DRs) participate in the biochemical effects of the two drugs, we injected the D1Rs antagonist, SCH23390, or the D2Rs antagonist, raclopride, 30 min before administration of METH and modafinil. We evaluated each drug effect on glutamate synaptic transmission in D1R-expressing layer V pyramidal neurons. We also measured the enrichment of H3ac and H4ac at the promoters of several genes including DA, NE, orexin, histamine, and glutamate receptors, and their mRNA expression, since they are responsive to chronic modafinil and METH treatment. Acute modafinil and METH injections caused similar effects on total histone acetylation, increasing H3ac and decreasing H4ac, and they also increased HDAC1, HDAC2 and GluN1 protein levels in the mouse mPFC. In addition, the effects of the drugs were prevented by pre-treatment with D1Rs and D2Rs antagonists. Specifically, the changes in H4ac, HDAC2, and GluN1 were responsive to SCH23390, whereas those of H3ac and GluN1 were responsive to raclopride. Whole-cell patch clamp in transgenic BAC-Drd1a-tdTomato mice showed that METH, but not modafinil, induced paired-pulse facilitation of EPSCs, suggesting reduced presynaptic probability of glutamate release onto layer V pyramidal neurons. Analysis of histone 3/4 enrichment at specific promoters revealed: i) distinct effects of the drugs on histone 3 acetylation, with modafinil increasing H3ac at Drd1 and Adra1b promoters, but METH increasing H3ac at Adra1a; ii) distinct effects on histone 4 acetylation enrichment, with modafinil increasing H4ac at the Drd2 promoter and decreasing it at Hrh1, but METH increasing H4ac at Drd1; iii) comparable effects of both psychostimulants, increasing H3ac at Drd2, Hcrtr1, and Hrh1 promoters, decreasing H3ac at Hrh3, increasing H4ac at Hcrtr1, and decreasing H4ac at Hcrtr2, Hrh3, and Grin1 promoters. Interestingly, only METH altered mRNA levels of genes with altered histone acetylation status, inducing increased expression of Drd1a, Adra1a, Hcrtr1, and Hrh1, and decreasing Grin1. Our study suggests that although acute METH and modafinil can both increase DA neurotransmission in the mPFC, there are similar and contrasting epigenetic and transcriptional consequences that may account for their divergent clinical effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betina González
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Oscar V Torres
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, San Diego Mesa College, San Diego, California, United States
| | - Subramaniam Jayanthi
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Natalia Gomez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Máximo H Sosa
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alejandra Bernardi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Francisco J Urbano
- Laboratorio de Fisiología y Biología Molecular, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (Universidad de Buenos Aires - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Edgar García-Rill
- Center for Translational Neuroscience, Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Jean-Lud Cadet
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Verónica Bisagno
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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30
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Anderson EM, Penrod RD, Barry SM, Hughes BW, Taniguchi M, Cowan CW. It is a complex issue: emerging connections between epigenetic regulators in drug addiction. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 50:2477-2491. [PMID: 30251397 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Drug use leads to addiction in some individuals, but the underlying brain mechanisms that control the transition from casual drug use to an intractable substance use disorder (SUD) are not well understood. Gene x environment interactions such as the frequency of drug use and the type of substance used likely to promote maladaptive plastic changes in brain regions that are critical for controlling addiction-related behavior. Epigenetics encompasses a broad spectrum of mechanisms important for regulating gene transcription that are not dependent on changes in DNA base pair sequences. This review focuses on the proteins and complexes contributing to epigenetic modifications in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) following drug experience. We discuss in detail the three major mechanisms: histone acetylation and deacetylation, histone methylation, and DNA methylation. We discuss how drug use alters the regulation of the associated proteins regulating these processes and highlight how experimental manipulations of these proteins in the NAc can alter drug-related behaviors. Finally, we discuss the ways that histone modifications and DNA methylation coordinate actions by recruiting large epigenetic enzyme complexes to aid in transcriptional repression. Targeting these multiprotein epigenetic enzyme complexes - and the individual proteins that comprise them - might lead to effective therapeutics to reverse or treat SUDs in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan M Anderson
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Ave, MSC 510, Charleston, SC, 29425-2030, USA
| | - Rachel D Penrod
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Ave, MSC 510, Charleston, SC, 29425-2030, USA
| | - Sarah M Barry
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Ave, MSC 510, Charleston, SC, 29425-2030, USA
| | - Brandon W Hughes
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Ave, MSC 510, Charleston, SC, 29425-2030, USA
| | - Makoto Taniguchi
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Ave, MSC 510, Charleston, SC, 29425-2030, USA
| | - Christopher W Cowan
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Ave, MSC 510, Charleston, SC, 29425-2030, USA
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31
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Histone acetylation as a new mechanism for bilirubin-induced encephalopathy in the Gunn rat. Sci Rep 2018; 8:13690. [PMID: 30209300 PMCID: PMC6135864 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32106-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bilirubin neurotoxicity has been studied for decades and has been shown to affect various mechanisms via significant modulation of gene expression. This suggests that vital regulatory mechanisms of gene expression, such as epigenetic mechanisms, could play a role in bilirubin neurotoxicity. Histone acetylation has recently received attention in the CNS due to its role in gene modulation for numerous biological processes, such as synaptic plasticity, learning, memory, development and differentiation. Aberrant epigenetic regulation of gene expression in psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders has also been described. In this work, we followed the levels of histone 3 lysine 14 acetylation (H3K14Ac) in the cerebellum (Cll) of the developing (2, 9, 17 days after the birth) and adult Gunn rat, the natural model for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and kernicterus. We observed an age-specific alteration of the H3K14Ac in the hyperbilirubinemic animals. The GeneOntology analysis of the H3K14Ac linked chromatin revealed that almost 45% of H3K14Ac ChiP-Seq TSS-promoter genes were involved in CNS development including maturation and differentiation, morphogenesis, dendritogenesis, and migration. These data suggest that the hallmark Cll hypoplasia in the Gunn rat occurs also via epigenetically controlled mechanisms during the maturation of this brain structure, unraveling a novel aspect of the bilirubin-induced neurotoxicity.
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De Sa Nogueira D, Merienne K, Befort K. Neuroepigenetics and addictive behaviors: Where do we stand? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 106:58-72. [PMID: 30205119 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Revised: 07/28/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Substance use disorders involve long-term changes in the brain that lead to compulsive drug seeking, craving, and a high probability of relapse. Recent findings have highlighted the role of epigenetic regulations in controlling chromatin access and regulation of gene expression following exposure to drugs of abuse. In the present review, we focus on data investigating genome-wide epigenetic modifications in the brain of addicted patients or in rodent models exposed to drugs of abuse, with a particular focus on DNA methylation and histone modifications associated with transcriptional studies. We highlight critical factors for epigenomic studies in addiction. We discuss new findings related to psychostimulants, alcohol, opiate, nicotine and cannabinoids. We examine the possible transmission of these changes across generations. We highlight developing tools, specifically those that allow investigation of structural reorganization of the chromatin. These have the potential to increase our understanding of alteration of chromatin architecture at gene regulatory regions. Neuroepigenetic mechanisms involved in addictive behaviors could explain persistent phenotypic effects of drugs and, in particular, vulnerability to relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- David De Sa Nogueira
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), UMR 7364, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Team 3 « Abuse of Drugs and Neuroadaptations », Faculté de Psychologie, 12 rue Goethe, F-67000, France
| | - Karine Merienne
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), UMR 7364, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Team 1 « Dynamics of Memory and Epigenetics », Faculté de Psychologie, 12 rue Goethe, F-67000, France
| | - Katia Befort
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), UMR 7364, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Team 3 « Abuse of Drugs and Neuroadaptations », Faculté de Psychologie, 12 rue Goethe, F-67000, France.
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González B, Pantoja CRG, Sosa MH, Vitullo AD, Bisagno V, González CR. Cocaine alters the mouse testicular epigenome with direct impact on histone acetylation and DNA methylation marks. Reprod Biomed Online 2018; 37:269-278. [PMID: 30126647 DOI: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2018.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
RESEARCH QUESTION Recent evidence suggests that cocaine administration in animal models can trigger non-genetic inheritance of addiction traits from father to offspring, affecting development and behaviour. Is chronic cocaine intake involved in alterations of epigenetic homeostasis in the testis? DESIGN Epigenetic marks and mediators in testis and isolated germ cells of adult mice treated with cocaine (10 mg/kg) or vehicle (sterile saline solution) were evaluated in an intermittent binge protocol: three intraperitoneal injections, 1 h apart, one day on/off for 13 days, collecting tissue 24 h after the last binge administration (day 14). RESULTS It was shown that chronic cocaine intake in mice disrupts testicular epigenetic homeostasis, increasing global methylated cytosine levels in DNA from germ cells and sperm. Cocaine also increased testicular and germ cell acetylated histone 3 and 4 and decreased expression of histone deacetylases HDAC1/2. Immunolocalization studies showed that HDAC1/2 and acetylated histone 3 and 4 proteins localize to meiotic germ cells. Analysis of mRNA expression in isolated germ cells shows decreased levels of Hdac1/2/8, Dnmt3b and Tet1 and increased levels of Dnmt3a gene expression after cocaine treatment. CONCLUSIONS Cocaine intake is associated with testicular toxicity and significant reproductive function impairment. The results presented here broaden the basic knowledge of the impact of addictive stimulants on testicular pathophysiology, fertility and male reproductive health and imply that altered epigenetic homeostasis by cocaine may have potential consequences on future generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betina González
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Camilo R Gambini Pantoja
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maximo H Sosa
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alfredo D Vitullo
- Centro de Estudios Biomédicos, Biotecnológicos, Ambientales y de Diagnóstico (CEBBAD), Universidad Maimónides, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Verónica Bisagno
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Candela R González
- Centro de Estudios Biomédicos, Biotecnológicos, Ambientales y de Diagnóstico (CEBBAD), Universidad Maimónides, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Li X, Carreria MB, Witonsky KF, Zeric T, Lofaro OM, Bossert JM, Zhang J, Surjono F, Richie CT, Harvey BK, Son H, Cowan CW, Nestler EJ, Shaham Y. Role of Dorsal Striatum Histone Deacetylase 5 in Incubation of Methamphetamine Craving. Biol Psychiatry 2018; 84:213-222. [PMID: 29397902 PMCID: PMC6026084 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Methamphetamine (meth) seeking progressively increases after withdrawal (incubation of meth craving). We previously demonstrated an association between histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5) gene expression in the rat dorsal striatum and incubation of meth craving. Here we used viral constructs to study the causal role of dorsal striatum HDAC5 in this incubation. METHODS In experiment 1 (overexpression), we injected an adeno-associated virus bilaterally into dorsal striatum to express either green fluorescent protein (control) or a mutant form of HDAC5, which strongly localized to the nucleus. After training rats to self-administer meth (10 days, 9 hours/day), we tested the rats for relapse to meth seeking on withdrawal days 2 and 30. In experiment 2 (knockdown), we injected an adeno-associated virus bilaterally into the dorsal striatum to express a short hairpin RNA either against luciferase (control) or against HDAC5. After training rats to self-administer meth, we tested the rats for relapse on withdrawal days 2 and 30. We also measured gene expression of other HDACs and potential HDAC5 downstream targets. RESULTS We found that HDAC5 overexpression in dorsal striatum increased meth seeking on withdrawal day 30 but not day 2. In contrast, HDAC5 knockdown in the dorsal striatum decreased meth seeking on withdrawal day 30 but not on day 2; this manipulation also altered other HDACs (Hdac1 and Hdac4) and potential HDAC5 targets (Gnb4 and Suv39h1). CONCLUSIONS Results demonstrate a novel role of dorsal striatum HDAC5 in incubation of meth craving. These findings also set up future work to identify HDAC5 targets that mediate this incubation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Li
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Baltimore, Maryland.
| | - Maria B. Carreria
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | | | - Tamara Zeric
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, DHHS, Baltimore, MD
| | | | | | - Jianjun Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
| | | | | | | | - Hyeon Son
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Korea
| | - Christopher W. Cowan
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, MA
| | - Eric J. Nestler
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Yavin Shaham
- Intramural Research Program, NIDA, NIH, DHHS, Baltimore, MD
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Epigenetic mechanisms associated with addiction-related behavioural effects of nicotine and/or cocaine: implication of the endocannabinoid system. Behav Pharmacol 2018; 28:493-511. [PMID: 28704272 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The addictive use of nicotine (NC) and cocaine (COC) continues to be a major public health problem, and their combined use has been reported, particularly during adolescence. In neural plasticity, commonly induced by NC and COC, as well as behavioural plasticity related to the use of these two drugs, the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms, in which the reversible regulation of gene expression occurs independently of the DNA sequence, has recently been reported. Furthermore, on the basis of intense interactions with the target neurotransmitter systems, the endocannabinoid (ECB) system has been considered pivotal for eliciting the effects of NC or COC. The combined use of marijuana with NC and/or COC has also been reported. This article presents the addiction-related behavioural effects of NC and/or COC, based on the common behavioural/neural plasticity and combined use of NC/COC, and reviews the interacting role of the ECB system. The epigenetic processes inseparable from the effects of NC and/or COC (i.e. DNA methylation, histone modifications and alterations in microRNAs) and the putative therapeutic involvement of the ECB system at the epigenetic level are also discussed.
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González B, Jayanthi S, Gomez N, Torres OV, Sosa MH, Bernardi A, Urbano FJ, García-Rill E, Cadet JL, Bisagno V. Repeated methamphetamine and modafinil induce differential cognitive effects and specific histone acetylation and DNA methylation profiles in the mouse medial prefrontal cortex. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 82:1-11. [PMID: 29247759 PMCID: PMC6983674 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Revised: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 12/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Methamphetamine (METH) and modafinil are psychostimulants with different long-term cognitive profiles: METH is addictive and leads to cognitive decline, whereas modafinil has little abuse liability and is a cognitive enhancer. Increasing evidence implicates epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation behind the lasting changes that drugs of abuse and other psychotropic compounds induce in the brain, like the control of gene expression by histones 3 and 4 tails acetylation (H3ac and H4ac) and DNA cytosine methylation (5-mC). Mice were treated with a seven-day repeated METH, modafinil or vehicle protocol and evaluated in the novel object recognition (NOR) test or sacrificed 4days after last injection for molecular assays. We evaluated total H3ac, H4ac and 5-mC levels in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), H3ac and H4ac promotor enrichment (ChIP) and mRNA expression (RT-PCR) of neurotransmitter systems involved in arousal, wakefulness and cognitive control, like dopaminergic (Drd1 and Drd2), α-adrenergic (Adra1a and Adra1b), orexinergic (Hcrtr1 and Hcrtr2), histaminergic (Hrh1 and Hrh3) and glutamatergic (AMPA Gria1 and NMDA Grin1) receptors. Repeated METH and modafinil treatment elicited different cognitive outcomes in the NOR test, where modafinil-treated mice performed as controls and METH-treated mice showed impaired recognition memory. METH-treated mice also showed i) decreased levels of total H3ac and H4ac, and increased levels of 5-mC, ii) decreased H3ac enrichment at promoters of Drd2, Hcrtr1/2, Hrh1 and Grin1, and increased H4ac enrichment at Drd1, Hrh1 and Grin1, iii) increased mRNA of Drd1a, Grin1 and Gria1. Modafinil-treated mice shared none of these effects and showed increased H3ac enrichment and mRNA expression at Adra1b. Modafinil and METH showed similar effects linked to decreased H3ac in Hrh3, increased H4ac in Hcrtr1, and decreased mRNA expression of Hcrtr2. The specific METH-induced epigenetic and transcriptional changes described here may be related to the long-term cognitive decline effects of the drug and its detrimental effects on mPFC function. The lack of similar epigenetic effects of chronic modafinil administration supports this notion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betina González
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Subramaniam Jayanthi
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Natalia Gomez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Oscar V. Torres
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, San Diego Mesa College, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Máximo H. Sosa
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alejandra Bernardi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (Universidad de Buenos Aires – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Francisco J. Urbano
- Laboratorio de Fisiología y Biología Molecular, Instituto de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Neurociencias (Universidad de Buenos Aires – Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Edgar García-Rill
- Center for Translational Neuroscience, Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
| | - Jean-Lud Cadet
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, NIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.,Corresponding authors: Veronica Bisagno, Ph.D. Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (ININFA-UBA-CONICET), Junín 956, piso 5, C1113-Buenos Aires, Argentina. Phone: (+54-11) 4961-6784, Fax: (+54-11) 4963-8593. Jean-Lud Cadet, MD
| | - Verónica Bisagno
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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In silico identification and in vivo validation of miR-495 as a novel regulator of motivation for cocaine that targets multiple addiction-related networks in the nucleus accumbens. Mol Psychiatry 2018; 23:434-443. [PMID: 28044061 PMCID: PMC5495632 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2016.238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2016] [Revised: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression and are implicated in the etiology of several neuropsychiatric disorders, including substance use disorders (SUDs). Using in silico genome-wide sequence analyses, we identified miR-495 as a miRNA whose predicted targets are significantly enriched in the Knowledgebase for Addiction Related Genes (ARG) database (KARG; http://karg.cbi.pku.edu.cn). This small non-coding RNA is also highly expressed within the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a pivotal brain region underlying reward and motivation. Using luciferase reporter assays, we found that miR-495 directly targeted the 3'UTRs of Bdnf, Camk2a and Arc. Furthermore, we measured miR-495 expression in response to acute cocaine in mice and found that it is downregulated rapidly and selectively in the NAc, along with concomitant increases in ARG expression. Lentiviral-mediated miR-495 overexpression in the NAc shell (NAcsh) not only reversed these cocaine-induced effects but also downregulated multiple ARG mRNAs in specific SUD-related biological pathways, including those that regulate synaptic plasticity. miR-495 expression was also downregulated in the NAcsh of rats following cocaine self-administration. Most importantly, we found that NAcsh miR-495 overexpression suppressed the motivation to self-administer and seek cocaine across progressive ratio, extinction and reinstatement testing, but had no effect on food reinforcement, suggesting that miR-495 selectively affects addiction-related behaviors. Overall, our in silico search for post-transcriptional regulators identified miR-495 as a novel regulator of multiple ARGs that have a role in modulating motivation for cocaine.
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Mews P, Walker DM, Nestler EJ. Epigenetic Priming in Drug Addiction. COLD SPRING HARBOR SYMPOSIA ON QUANTITATIVE BIOLOGY 2018; 83:131-139. [PMID: 30936392 PMCID: PMC6764605 DOI: 10.1101/sqb.2018.83.037663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disorder that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and continued use despite negative outcomes. Current pharmacological therapies target neuronal receptors or transporters upon which drugs of abuse act initially, yet these treatments remain ineffective for most individuals and do not prevent disease relapse after abstinence. Drugs of abuse, in addition to their acute effects, cause persistent plasticity after repeated use, involving dysregulated gene expression in the brain's reward regions, which are thought to mediate the persistent behavioral abnormalities that characterize addiction. Emerging evidence implicates epigenetic priming as a key mechanism that underlies the long-lasting alterations in neuronal gene regulation, which can remain latent until triggered by re-exposure to drug-associated stimuli or the drug itself. Thus, to effectively treat drug addiction, we must identify the precise epigenetic mechanisms that establish and preserve the drug-induced pathology of the brain reward circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Mews
- Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Deena M Walker
- Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
| | - Eric J Nestler
- Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
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Abstract
Drug addiction involves long-term behavioral abnormalities that arise in response to repeated exposure to drugs of abuse in vulnerable individuals. It is a multifactorial syndrome involving a complex interplay between genes and the environment. Evidence suggests that the underlying mechanisms regulating these persistent behavioral abnormalities involve changes in gene expression throughout the brain's reward circuitry, in particular, in the mesolimbic dopamine system. In the past decade, investigations have begun to reveal potential genes involved in the risk for addiction through genomewide association studies. Additionally, a crucial role for epigenetic mechanisms, which mediate the enduring effects of drugs of abuse on the brain in animal models of addiction, has been established. This chapter focuses on recent evidence that genetic and epigenetic regulatory events underlie the changes throughout the reward circuitry in humans, as well as animal models of addiction. While further investigations are necessary, a picture of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms involved in addiction is beginning to emerge and the insight gained from these studies will be key to the identification of novel targets for improved diagnosis and treatment of addiction syndromes in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deena M Walker
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Eric J Nestler
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.
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40
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Règue-Guyon M, Lanfumey L, Mongeau R. Neuroepigenetics of Neurotrophin Signaling: Neurobiology of Anxiety and Affective Disorders. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2018; 158:159-193. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2018.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Griffin EA, Melas PA, Zhou R, Li Y, Mercado P, Kempadoo KA, Stephenson S, Colnaghi L, Taylor K, Hu MC, Kandel ER, Kandel DB. Prior alcohol use enhances vulnerability to compulsive cocaine self-administration by promoting degradation of HDAC4 and HDAC5. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:e1701682. [PMID: 29109977 PMCID: PMC5665598 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1701682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Addiction to cocaine is commonly preceded by experiences with legal or decriminalized drugs, such as alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana. The biological mechanisms by which these gateway drugs contribute to cocaine addiction are only beginning to be understood. We report that in the rat, prior alcohol consumption results in enhanced addiction-like behavior to cocaine, including continued cocaine use despite aversive consequences. Conversely, prior cocaine use has no effect on alcohol preference. Long-term, but not short-term, alcohol consumption promotes proteasome-mediated degradation of the nuclear histone deacetylases HDAC4 and HDAC5 in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region critical for reward-based memory. Decreased nuclear HDAC activity results in global H3 acetylation, creating a permissive environment for cocaine-induced gene expression. We also find that selective degradation of HDAC4 and HDAC5, facilitated by the class II-specific HDAC inhibitor MC1568, enhances compulsive cocaine self-administration. These results parallel our previously reported findings that the gateway drug nicotine enhances the behavioral effects of cocaine via HDAC inhibition. Together, our findings suggest a shared mechanism of action for the gateway drugs alcohol and nicotine, and reveal a novel mechanism by which environmental factors may alter the epigenetic landscape of the reward system to increase vulnerability to cocaine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmund A. Griffin
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Philippe A. Melas
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Royce Zhou
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Yang Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Peter Mercado
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | | | - Stacy Stephenson
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Luca Colnaghi
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Kathleen Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Mei-Chen Hu
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Eric R. Kandel
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Denise B. Kandel
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032 USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
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Cross-talk between the epigenome and neural circuits in drug addiction. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2017; 235:19-63. [PMID: 29054289 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2017.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Drug addiction is a behavioral disorder characterized by dysregulated learning about drugs and associated cues that result in compulsive drug seeking and relapse. Learning about drug rewards and predictive cues is a complex process controlled by a computational network of neural connections interacting with transcriptional and molecular mechanisms within each cell to precisely guide behavior. The interplay between rapid, temporally specific neuronal activation, and longer-term changes in transcription is of critical importance in the expression of appropriate, or in the case of drug addiction, inappropriate behaviors. Thus, these factors and their interactions must be considered together, especially in the context of treatment. Understanding the complex interplay between epigenetic gene regulation and circuit connectivity will allow us to formulate novel therapies to normalize maladaptive reward behaviors, with a goal of modulating addictive behaviors, while leaving natural reward-associated behavior unaffected.
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Sadakierska-Chudy A, Frankowska M, Jastrzębska J, Wydra K, Miszkiel J, Sanak M, Filip M. Cocaine Administration and Its Withdrawal Enhance the Expression of Genes Encoding Histone-Modifying Enzymes and Histone Acetylation in the Rat Prefrontal Cortex. Neurotox Res 2017; 32:141-150. [PMID: 28393332 PMCID: PMC5487868 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-017-9728-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Revised: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Chronic exposure to cocaine, craving, and relapse are attributed to long-lasting changes in gene expression arising through epigenetic and transcriptional mechanisms. Although several brain regions are involved in these processes, the prefrontal cortex seems to play a crucial role not only in motivation and decision-making but also in extinction and seeking behavior. In this study, we applied cocaine self-administration and extinction training procedures in rats with a yoked triad to determine differentially expressed genes in prefrontal cortex. Microarray analysis showed significant upregulation of several genes encoding histone modification enzymes during early extinction training. Subsequent real-time PCR testing of these genes following cocaine self-administration or early (third day) and late (tenth day) extinction revealed elevated levels of their transcripts. Interestingly, we found the enrichment of Brd1 messenger RNA in rats self-administering cocaine that lasted until extinction training during cocaine withdrawal with concomitant increased acetylation of H3K9 and H4K8. However, despite elevated levels of methyl- and demethyltransferase-encoded transcripts, no changes in global di- and tri-methylation of histone H3 at lysine 4, 9, 27, and 79 were observed. Surprisingly, at the end of extinction training (10 days of cocaine withdrawal), most of the analyzed genes in the rats actively and passively administering cocaine returned to the control level. Together, the alterations identified in the rat prefrontal cortex may suggest enhanced chromatin remodeling and transcriptional activity induced by early cocaine abstinence; however, to know whether they are beneficial or not for the extinction of drug-seeking behavior, further in vivo evaluation is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Sadakierska-Chudy
- Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Laboratory of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Smetna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland.
| | - Małgorzata Frankowska
- Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Laboratory of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Smetna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland
| | - Joanna Jastrzębska
- Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Laboratory of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Smetna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland
| | - Karolina Wydra
- Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Laboratory of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Smetna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland
| | - Joanna Miszkiel
- Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Laboratory of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Smetna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland
| | - Marek Sanak
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Clinical Genetics, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, ul. Skawinska 8, 31-066, Krakow, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Filip
- Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Laboratory of Drug Addiction Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Smetna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland
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Targeted Epigenetic Remodeling of the Cdk5 Gene in Nucleus Accumbens Regulates Cocaine- and Stress-Evoked Behavior. J Neurosci 2017; 36:4690-7. [PMID: 27122028 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0013-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Recent studies have implicated epigenetic remodeling in brain reward regions following psychostimulant or stress exposure. It has only recently become possible to target a given type of epigenetic remodeling to a single gene of interest, and to probe the functional relevance of such regulation to neuropsychiatric disease. We sought to examine the role of histone modifications at the murine Cdk5 (cyclin-dependent kinase 5) locus, given growing evidence of Cdk5 expression in nucleus accumbens (NAc) influencing reward-related behaviors. Viral-mediated delivery of engineered zinc finger proteins (ZFP) targeted histone H3 lysine 9/14 acetylation (H3K9/14ac), a transcriptionally active mark, or histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2), which is associated with transcriptional repression, specifically to the Cdk5 locus in NAc in vivo We found that Cdk5-ZFP transcription factors are sufficient to bidirectionally regulate Cdk5 gene expression via enrichment of their respective histone modifications. We examined the behavioral consequences of this epigenetic remodeling and found that Cdk5-targeted H3K9/14ac increased cocaine-induced locomotor behavior, as well as resilience to social stress. Conversely, Cdk5-targeted H3K9me2 attenuated both cocaine-induced locomotor behavior and conditioned place preference, but had no effect on stress-induced social avoidance behavior. The current study provides evidence for the causal role of Cdk5 epigenetic remodeling in NAc in Cdk5 gene expression and in the control of reward and stress responses. Moreover, these data are especially compelling given that previous work demonstrated opposite behavioral phenotypes compared with those reported here upon Cdk5 overexpression or knockdown, demonstrating the importance of targeted epigenetic remodeling tools for studying more subtle molecular changes that contribute to neuropsychiatric disease. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Addiction and depression are highly heritable diseases, yet it has been difficult to identify gene sequence variations that underlie this heritability. Gene regulation via epigenetic remodeling is an additional mechanism contributing to the neurobiological basis of drug and stress exposure. In particular, epigenetic regulation of the Cdk5 gene alters responses to cocaine and stress in mouse and rat models. In this study, we used a novel technology, zinc-finger engineered transcription factors, to remodel histone proteins specifically at the Cdk5 gene. We found that this is sufficient to regulate the expression of Cdk5 and results in altered behavioral responses to cocaine and social stress. These data provide compelling evidence of the significance of epigenetic regulation in the neurobiological basis of reward- and stress-related neuropsychiatric disease.
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Hu Q, Kim EJ, Feng J, Grant GR, Heller EA. Histone posttranslational modifications predict specific alternative exon subtypes in mammalian brain. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005602. [PMID: 28609483 PMCID: PMC5487056 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A compelling body of literature, based on next generation chromatin immunoprecipitation and RNA sequencing of reward brain regions indicates that the regulation of the epigenetic landscape likely underlies chronic drug abuse and addiction. It is now critical to develop highly innovative computational strategies to reveal the relevant regulatory transcriptional mechanisms that may underlie neuropsychiatric disease. We have analyzed chromatin regulation of alternative splicing, which is implicated in cocaine exposure in mice. Recent literature has described chromatin-regulated alternative splicing, suggesting a novel function for drug-induced neuroepigenetic remodeling. However, the extent of the genome-wide association between particular histone modifications and alternative splicing remains unexplored. To address this, we have developed novel computational approaches to model the association between alternative splicing and histone posttranslational modifications in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a brain reward region. Using classical statistical methods and machine learning to combine ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq data, we found that specific histone modifications are strongly associated with various aspects of differential splicing. H3K36me3 and H3K4me1 have the strongest association with splicing indicating they play a significant role in alternative splicing in brain reward tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiwen Hu
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Eun Ji Kim
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Jian Feng
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States of America
| | - Gregory R. Grant
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth A. Heller
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
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PARP-1 is required for retrieval of cocaine-associated memory by binding to the promoter of a novel gene encoding a putative transposase inhibitor. Mol Psychiatry 2017; 22:570-579. [PMID: 27595592 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2016.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2013] [Revised: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Reward-related memory is an important factor in cocaine seeking. One necessary signaling mechanism for long-term memory formation is the activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), via poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation. We demonstrate herein that auto-poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of activated PARP-1 was significantly pronounced during retrieval of cocaine-associated contextual memory, in the central amygdala (CeA) of rats expressing cocaine-conditioned place preference (CPP). Intra-CeA pharmacological and short hairpin RNA depletion of PARP-1 activity during cocaine-associated memory retrieval abolished CPP. In contrast, PARP-1 inhibition after memory retrieval did not affect CPP reconsolidation process and subsequent retrievals. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing revealed that PARP-1 binding in the CeA is highly enriched in genes involved in neuronal signaling. We identified among PARP targets in CeA a single gene, yet uncharacterized and encoding a putative transposase inhibitor, at which PARP-1 enrichment markedly increases during cocaine-associated memory retrieval and positively correlates with CPP. Our findings have important implications for understanding drug-related behaviors, and suggest possible future therapeutic targets for drug abuse.
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Histone deacetylase 5 modulates the effects of social adversity in early life on cocaine-induced behavior. Physiol Behav 2017; 171:7-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Revised: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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48
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Bonnaud EM, Suberbielle E, Malnou CE. Histone acetylation in neuronal (dys)function. Biomol Concepts 2017; 7:103-16. [PMID: 27101554 DOI: 10.1515/bmc-2016-0002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive functions require the expression of an appropriate pattern of genes in response to environmental stimuli. Over the last years, many studies have accumulated knowledge towards the understanding of molecular mechanisms that regulate neuronal gene expression. Epigenetic modifications have been shown to play an important role in numerous neuronal functions, from synaptic plasticity to learning and memory. In particular, histone acetylation is a central player in these processes. In this review, we present the molecular mechanisms of histone acetylation and summarize the data underlying the relevance of histone acetylation in cognitive functions in normal and pathological conditions. In the last part, we discuss the different mechanisms underlying the dysregulation of histone acetylation associated with neurological disorders, with a particular focus on environmental causes (stress, drugs, or infectious agents) that are linked to impaired histone acetylation.
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49
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Abstract
Repeated cocaine exposure regulates transcriptional regulation within the nucleus accumbens (NAc), and epigenetic mechanisms-such as histone acetylation and methylation on Lys residues-have been linked to these lasting actions of cocaine. In contrast to Lys methylation, the role of histone Arg (R) methylation remains underexplored in addiction models. Here we show that protein-R-methyltransferase-6 (PRMT6) and its associated histone mark, asymmetric dimethylation of R2 on histone H3 (H3R2me2a), are decreased in the NAc of mice and rats after repeated cocaine exposure, including self-administration, and in the NAc of cocaine-addicted humans. Such PRMT6 down-regulation occurs selectively in NAc medium spiny neurons (MSNs) expressing dopamine D2 receptors (D2-MSNs), with opposite regulation occurring in D1-MSNs, and serves to protect against cocaine-induced addictive-like behavioral abnormalities. Using ChIP-seq, we identified Src kinase signaling inhibitor 1 (Srcin1; also referred to as p140Cap) as a key gene target for reduced H3R2me2a binding, and found that consequent Srcin1 induction in the NAc decreases Src signaling, cocaine reward, and the motivation to self-administer cocaine. Taken together, these findings suggest that suppression of Src signaling in NAc D2-MSNs, via PRMT6 and H3R2me2a down-regulation, functions as a homeostatic brake to restrain cocaine action, and provide novel candidates for the development of treatments for cocaine addiction.
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Zhu J, Zhao N, Chen Y, Zhu L, Zhong Q, Liu J, Chen T. Sodium butyrate modulates a methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference. J Neurosci Res 2016; 95:1044-1052. [PMID: 27426635 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Revised: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies demonstrated that histone acetylation modulated the transcription of associated gene expression and thus contributed to the persistence of addictive behaviors and neuroplasticity. Nonetheless, the roles of histone acetylation in distinct phases of methamphetamine (METH)-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) remain unclear. The current study examines the effects of the histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibitor sodium butyrate (NaB) on the acquisition, extinction, and reinstatement of METH-induced CPP in mice. Our results showed that 1 mg/kg METH induced CPP in mice after four conditioning sessions. METH-induced CPP was extinguished after three extinction training sessions and could be triggered by the same dose (1 mg/kg) of METH on the reinstatement test day. Meanwhile, NaB (400 mg/kg) per se had no effect on the natural preference of mice, but injections of NaB during the conditioning and extinction phases facilitated the acquisition and extinction of METH-induced CPP, respectively. Additionally, although the effect of a single NaB injection prior to the trigger of CPP reinstatement was not observed, repeated NaB injections during the extinction phase totally blocked the reinstatement of METH-induced CPP. Taken together, our results suggested a specific effect of histone acetylation on modulating distinct phases of METH-induced CPP and that treatment of NaB during the extinction phase not only produced beneficial effects on eliminating already established CPP but also blocked the reinstatement of METH-induced CPP. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.,The Key Laboratory of Health Ministry for Forensic Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Na Zhao
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.,Northwest University of Politics and Law School of Police, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanjiong Chen
- Departments of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, College of Basic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Zhu
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.,The Key Laboratory of Health Ministry for Forensic Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing Zhong
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.,The Key Laboratory of Health Ministry for Forensic Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Health Ministry for Forensic Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Teng Chen
- College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.,The Key Laboratory of Health Ministry for Forensic Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
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