1
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Zhang Y, Liu C. Evaluating the challenges and reproducibility of studies investigating DNA methylation signatures of psychological stress. Epigenomics 2022; 14:405-421. [PMID: 35170363 PMCID: PMC8978984 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2021-0190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychological stress can increase the risk of a wide range of negative health outcomes. Studies have been completed to determine if DNA methylation changes occur in the human brain because of stress and are associated with long-term effects and disease, but results have been inconsistent. Human candidate gene studies (150) and epigenome-wide association studies (67) were systematically evaluated to assess how DNA methylation is impacted by stress during the prenatal period, early childhood and adulthood. The association between DNA methylation of NR3C1 exon 1F and child maltreatment and early life adversity was well demonstrated, but other genes did not exhibit a clear association. The reproducibility of individual CpG sites in epigenome-wide association studies was also poor. However, biological pathways, including stress response, brain development and immunity, have been consistently identified across different stressors throughout the life span. Future studies would benefit from the increased sample size, longitudinal design, standardized methodology, optimal quality control, and improved statistical procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Zhang
- Medical Department, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Ecology and Population Health in Northwest Minority Areas, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Chunyu Liu
- Center for Medical Genetics and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410078, China
- Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
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2
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Parsegian A, García-Fuster MJ, Hebda-Bauer E, Watson SJ, Flagel SB, Akil H. Adolescent cocaine differentially impacts psychomotor sensitization and epigenetic profiles in adult male rats with divergent affective phenotypes. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1024617. [PMID: 36311521 PMCID: PMC9599748 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1024617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescent drug use reliably predicts increased addiction liability in adulthood, but not all individuals are equally impacted. To explore the biological bases of this differential reactivity to early life drug experience, we used a genetic rat model of temperament and evaluated the impact of adolescent cocaine exposure on adult psychomotor sensitization. Relative to adult bred low-responder (bLR) rats, bred high-responders (bHR) are more sensitive to the psychomotor-activating effects of cocaine and reinstate drug-seeking behavior more readily following prolonged cocaine exposure and/or abstinence. We found that a 7-day sensitizing cocaine regimen (15 mg/kg/day) during either adolescence or adulthood produced psychomotor sensitization in bHRs only, while a dual cocaine exposure prevented further sensitization, suggesting limits on neuroplasticity. By contrast, adolescent cocaine in bLRs shifted their resilient phenotype, rendering them more responsive to cocaine in adulthood following adolescent cocaine. To begin to explore the neural correlates of these behavioral phenotypes, we assessed two functionally opposite epigenetic chromatin modifications implicated in addiction liability, permissive acetylation (ac) and repressive tri-methylation (me3) on Histone 3 Lysine 9 (H3K9), in four striatal sub-regions. In bHRs, decreased H3K9me3 and increased acH3K9 in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core associated with cocaine sensitization. In bLRs, the combination of cocaine exposure in adolescence and adulthood, which lead to an increased response to a cocaine challenge, also increased acH3K9 in the core. Thus, adolescent cocaine experience interacts with genetic background to elicit different behavioral profiles relevant to addiction in adulthood, with concurrent modifications in the epigenetic histone profiles in the NAc that associate with cocaine sensitization and with metaplasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aram Parsegian
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - M Julia García-Fuster
- IUNICS, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain.,Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma, Spain
| | - Elaine Hebda-Bauer
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Stanley J Watson
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Huda Akil
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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3
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Cattaneo A, Suderman M, Cattane N, Mazzelli M, Begni V, Maj C, D'Aprile I, Pariante CM, Luoni A, Berry A, Wurst K, Hommers L, Domschke K, Cirulli F, Szyf M, Menke A, Riva MA. Long-term effects of stress early in life on microRNA-30a and its network: Preventive effects of lurasidone and potential implications for depression vulnerability. Neurobiol Stress 2020; 13:100271. [PMID: 33344724 PMCID: PMC7739180 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposure to early life stress can interfere with neurodevelopmental trajectories to increase the vulnerability for psychiatric disorders later in life. With this respect, epigenetic mechanisms play a key role for the long-lasting changes in brain functions that may elicit and sustain psychopathologic outcomes. Here, we investigated DNA methylation changes as possible epigenetic mechanism mediating the effect of prenatal stress (PNS), an experimental paradigm associated with behavioral and molecular alterations relevant for psychiatric disorders. We identified 138 genes as being differentially methylated in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and in the hippocampus (HIP) of male and female adult rats exposed to PNS. Among these genes, miR-30a and Neurod1 emerged as potential players for the negative outcomes associated with PNS exposure. Indeed, in addition to showing consistent methylation differences in both brain regions and in both sexes, and interacting with each other, they are both involved in Axon guidance and Neurotrophin signaling, which are important to neurodevelopmental disorders. We also found a significant reduction in the expression of a panel of genes (CAMK2A, c-JUN, LIMK1, MAP2K1, MAP2K2, PIK3CA and PLCG1) that belong to these two biological pathways and are also validated targets of miR-30a, pointing to a down-regulation of these pathways as a consequence of PNS exposure. Interestingly, we also found that miR-30a levels were significantly upregulated in depressed patients exposed to childhood trauma, as compared to control individuals. Importantly, we also found that a sub-chronic treatment with the atypical antipsychotic drug, lurasidone, during adolescence was able to prevent the up-regulation of miR-30a and normalized the expression of its target genes in response to PNS exposure. Our results demonstrate that miR-30a undergoes epigenetic changes following early life stress exposure and suggest that this miRNA could play a key role in producing broad and long-lasting alterations in neuroplasticity-related pathways, contributing to the etiology of psychiatric disorders. MiR-30a and Neurod1 undergo epigenetic changes following PNS exposure. MiR-30 and Neurod1 are involved in Axon guidance and Neurotrophin signaling, two important pathways for neurodevelopment. We found lower expression levels of a panel of genes targeted by miR-30a. MiR-30a was significantly up-regulated in depressed patients exposed to childhood trauma. A chronic treatment with lurasidone during adolescence prevented the up-regulation of miR-30a following PNS exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annamaria Cattaneo
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.,Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Matthew Suderman
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, BSB 1TH, UK
| | - Nadia Cattane
- Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Monica Mazzelli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.,Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Veronica Begni
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Carlo Maj
- Institute for Genomic Statistics and Bioinformatics, University Hospital, Bonn, Germany
| | - Ilari D'Aprile
- Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Carmine M Pariante
- Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology Laboratory, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alessia Luoni
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandra Berry
- Section of Behavioural Neurosciences, Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Katharina Wurst
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Leif Hommers
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Würzburg, Germany.,Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, University Hospital of Würzburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Domschke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Center for Basics in Neuromodulation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Francesca Cirulli
- Section of Behavioural Neurosciences, Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Moshe Szyf
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, 3655 Sir William Osler Promenade #1311, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3G 1Y6
| | - Andreas Menke
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Würzburg, Germany.,Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, University Hospital of Würzburg, Germany.,Center for Basics in Neuromodulation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Marco A Riva
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy
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4
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Sun XL, Hao QK, Tang RJ, Xiao C, Ge ML, Dong BR. Frailty and Rejuvenation with Stem Cells: Therapeutic Opportunities and Clinical Challenges. Rejuvenation Res 2019; 22:484-497. [PMID: 30693831 PMCID: PMC6919243 DOI: 10.1089/rej.2017.2048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Frailty, one appealing target for improving successful aging of the elderly population, is a common clinical syndrome based on the accumulation of multisystemic function declines and the increase in susceptibility to stressors during biological aging. The age-dependent senescence, the frailty-related stem cell depletion, chronic inflammation, imbalance of immune homeostasis, and the reduction of multipotent stem cells collectively suggest the rational hypothesis that it is possible to (partially) cure frailty with stem cells. This systematic review has included all of the human trials of stem cell therapy for frailty from the main electronic databases and printed materials and screened the closely related reviews themed on the mechanisms of aging, frailty, and stem cells, to provide more insights in stem cell strategies for frailty, one promising method to recover health from a frail status. To date, a total of four trials about this subject have been registered on clinicaltrials.gov. The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), doses of 100 million cells, single peripheral intravenous infusion, follow-up periods of 6–12 months, and a focus primarily on safety and secondarily on efficacy are common characteristics of these studies. We conclude that intravenous infusion of allogenic MSCs is safe, well tolerated, and preliminarily effective clinically. More preclinical experiments and clinical trials are warranted to precisely elucidate the mechanism, safety, and efficacy of frailty stem cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Lian Sun
- National Clinical Research Center of Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,The Center of Gerontology and Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Sichuan for Elderly Care and Health, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiu-Kui Hao
- National Clinical Research Center of Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,The Center of Gerontology and Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ren-Jie Tang
- Department of Urinary Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.,Department of Urology, Chengdu Sixth People's Hospital, Chengdu, China
| | - Chun Xiao
- National Clinical Research Center of Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,The Center of Gerontology and Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Sichuan Engineering Research Institute of Chi Ding Sheng Tong, Chengdu, China
| | - Mei-Ling Ge
- National Clinical Research Center of Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,The Center of Gerontology and Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Sichuan for Elderly Care and Health, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Bi-Rong Dong
- National Clinical Research Center of Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,The Center of Gerontology and Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Sichuan for Elderly Care and Health, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China
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5
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Kasper C, Hebert FO, Aubin-Horth N, Taborsky B. Divergent brain gene expression profiles between alternative behavioural helper types in a cooperative breeder. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:4136-4151. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.14837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Revised: 07/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Kasper
- Behavioural Ecology; University of Bern; Hinterkappelen Switzerland
| | - Francois Olivier Hebert
- Département de Biologie et Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes; Université Laval; Québec Québec Canada
| | - Nadia Aubin-Horth
- Département de Biologie et Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes; Université Laval; Québec Québec Canada
| | - Barbara Taborsky
- Behavioural Ecology; University of Bern; Hinterkappelen Switzerland
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6
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Iris F, Beopoulos A, Gea M. How scientific literature analysis yields innovative therapeutic hypothesis through integrative iterations. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2018; 42:62-70. [PMID: 30092386 DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2018.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
It is becoming generally accepted that the current diagnostic system often guarantees, rather than diminishes, disease heterogeneity. In effects, syndrome-dominated conceptual thinking has become a barrier to understanding the biological causes of complex, multifactorial diseases characterized by clinical and therapeutic heterogeneity. Furthermore, not only is the flood of currently available medical and biological information highly heterogeneous, it is also often conflicting. Together with the entire absence of functional models of pathogenesis and pathological evolution of complex diseases, this leads to a situation where illness activity cannot be coherently approached and where therapeutic developments become highly problematic. Acquisition of the necessary knowledge can be obtained, in parts, using in silico models produced through analytical approaches and processes collectively known as `Systems Biology'. However, without analytical approaches that specifically incorporate the facts that all that is called `information' is not necessarily useful nor utilisable and that all information should be considered as a priori suspect, modelling attempts will fail because of the much too numerous conflicting and, although correct in molecular terms, physiologically invalid reports. In the present essay, we suggest means whereby this body of problems could be functionally attacked and describe new analytical approaches that have demonstrated their efficacy in alleviating these difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francois Iris
- Bio-Modeling Systems, Tour CIT, 3 Rue de l'Arrivée, 75015, Paris, France.
| | | | - Manuel Gea
- Bio-Modeling Systems, Tour CIT, 3 Rue de l'Arrivée, 75015, Paris, France
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7
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Matrisciano F, Panaccione I, Grayson DR, Nicoletti F, Guidotti A. Metabotropic Glutamate 2/3 Receptors and Epigenetic Modifications in Psychotic Disorders: A Review. Curr Neuropharmacol 2016; 14:41-7. [PMID: 26813121 PMCID: PMC4787284 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x13666150713174242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Revised: 07/03/2015] [Accepted: 07/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder are chronic psychiatric disorders, both considered as “major psychosis”; they are thought to share some pathogenetic factors involving a dysfunctional gene x environment interaction. Alterations in the glutamatergic transmission have been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of psychosis. Our group developed an epigenetic model of schizophrenia originated by Prenatal Restraint Stress (PRS) paradigm in mice. PRS mice developed some behavioral alterations observed in schizophrenic patients and classic animal models of schizophrenia, i.e. deficits in social interaction, locomotor activity and prepulse inhibition. They also showed specific changes in promoter DNA methylation activity of genes related to schizophrenia such as reelin, BDNF and GAD67, and altered expression and function of mGlu2/3 receptors in the frontal cortex. Interestingly, behavioral and molecular alterations were reversed by treatment with mGlu2/3 agonists. Based on these findings, we speculate that pharmacological modulation of these receptors could have a great impact on early phase treatment of psychosis together with the possibility to modulate specific epigenetic key protein involved in the development of psychosis. In this review, we will discuss in more details the specific features of the PRS mice as a suitable epigenetic model for
major psychosis. We will then focus on key proteins of chromatin remodeling machinery as potential target for new
pharmacological treatment through the activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Matrisciano
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, 303E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611.
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8
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Lappé M. Epigenetics, Media Coverage, and Parent Responsibilities in the Post-Genomic Era. CURRENT GENETIC MEDICINE REPORTS 2016; 4:92-97. [PMID: 27867757 PMCID: PMC5111809 DOI: 10.1007/s40142-016-0092-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Environmental epigenetics is the study of how exposures and experiences can turn genes "on" or "off" without changing DNA sequence. By examining the influence that environmental conditions including diet, stress, trauma, toxins, and care can have on gene expression, this science suggests molecular connections between the environment, genetics, and how acquired characteristics may be inherited across generations. The rapid expansion of research in this area has attracted growing media attention. This coverage has implications for how parents and prospective parents understand health and their perceived responsibilities for children's wellbeing. This review provides insight into epigenetic research, its coverage in the media, and the social and ethical implications of this science for patients and clinicians. As epigenetic findings continue to elucidate the complex relationships between nature and nurture, it becomes critical to examine how representations of this science may influence patient experiences of risk and responsibility. This review describes some of the social and ethical implications of epigenetic research today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martine Lappé
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University Center for Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Psychiatric, Neurologic, and Behavioral Genetics, Unit 122 New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032
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9
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King KE, Kane JB, Scarbrough P, Hoyo C, Murphy SK. Neighborhood and Family Environment of Expectant Mothers May Influence Prenatal Programming of Adult Cancer Risk: Discussion and an Illustrative DNA Methylation Example. BIODEMOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL BIOLOGY 2016; 62:87-104. [PMID: 27050035 PMCID: PMC4851425 DOI: 10.1080/19485565.2015.1126501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Childhood stressors including physical abuse predict adult cancer risk. Prior research portrays this finding as an indirect mechanism that operates through coping behaviors, including adult smoking, or through increased toxic exposures during childhood. Little is known about potential direct causal mechanisms between early-life stressors and adult cancer. Because prenatal conditions can affect gene expression by altering DNA methylation, with implications for adult health, we hypothesize that maternal stress may program methylation of cancer-linked genes during gametogenesis. To illustrate this hypothesis, we related maternal social resources to methylation at the imprinted MEG3 differentially methylated regulatory region, which has been linked to multiple cancer types. Mothers (n = 489) from a diverse birth cohort (Durham, North Carolina) provided newborns' cord blood and completed a questionnaire. Newborns of currently married mothers showed lower (-0.321 SD, p < .05) methylation compared to newborns of never-married mothers, who did not differ from newborns whose mothers were cohabiting and others (adjusted for demographics). MEG3 DNA methylation levels were also lower when maternal grandmothers co-resided before pregnancy (-0.314 SD, p < .05). A 1-SD increase in prenatal neighborhood disadvantage also predicted higher methylation (-0.137 SD, p < .05). In conclusion, we found that maternal social resources may result in differential methylation of MEG3, which demonstrates a potential partial mechanism priming socially disadvantaged newborns for later risk of some cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E King
- a Community and Family Medicine , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina , USA
| | - Jennifer B Kane
- b Carolina Population Center , University of North Carolina , Chapel Hill , North Carolina , USA
| | - Peter Scarbrough
- c Duke Cancer Institute , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina , USA
| | - Cathrine Hoyo
- d Department of Biological Sciences , North Carolina State University , Raleigh , North Carolina , USA
| | - Susan K Murphy
- c Duke Cancer Institute , Duke University , Durham , North Carolina , USA
- e Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , North Carolina , USA
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10
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Cadet JL. Epigenetics of Stress, Addiction, and Resilience: Therapeutic Implications. Mol Neurobiol 2016; 53:545-560. [PMID: 25502297 PMCID: PMC4703633 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-014-9040-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 11/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Substance use disorders (SUDs) are highly prevalent. SUDs involve vicious cycles of binges followed by occasional periods of abstinence with recurrent relapses despite treatment and adverse medical and psychosocial consequences. There is convincing evidence that early and adult stressful life events are risks factors for the development of addiction and serve as cues that trigger relapses. Nevertheless, the fact that not all individuals who face traumatic events develop addiction to licit or illicit drugs suggests the existence of individual and/or familial resilient factors that protect these mentally healthy individuals. Here, I give a brief overview of the epigenetic bases of responses to stressful events and of epigenetic changes associated with the administration of drugs of abuse. I also discuss the psychobiology of resilience and alterations in epigenetic markers that have been observed in models of resilience. Finally, I suggest the possibility that treatment of addiction should involve cognitive and pharmacological approaches that enhance resilience in at risk individuals. Similar approaches should also be used with patients who have already succumbed to the nefarious effects of addictive substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Lud Cadet
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry Research Branch, DHHS/NIH/NIDA Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA.
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11
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Jellyman JK, Valenzuela OA, Fowden AL. HORSE SPECIES SYMPOSIUM: Glucocorticoid programming of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and metabolic function: Animal studies from mouse to horse1,2. J Anim Sci 2015; 93:3245-60. [DOI: 10.2527/jas.2014-8612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- J. K. Jellyman
- Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502
| | - O. A. Valenzuela
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - A. L. Fowden
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
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12
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Progress towards understanding the genetics of posttraumatic stress disorder. J Anxiety Disord 2014; 28:873-83. [PMID: 25445077 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2014] [Accepted: 09/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex syndrome that occurs following exposure to a potentially life threatening traumatic event. This review summarises the literature on the genetics of PTSD including gene-environment interactions (GxE), epigenetics and genetics of treatment response. Numerous genes have been shown to be associated with PTSD using candidate gene approaches. Genome-wide association studies have been limited due to the large sample size required to reach statistical power. Studies have shown that GxE interactions are important for PTSD susceptibility. Epigenetics plays an important role in PTSD susceptibility and some of the most promising studies show stress and child abuse trigger epigenetic changes. Much of the molecular genetics of PTSD remains to be elucidated. However, it is clear that identifying genetic markers and environmental triggers has the potential to advance early PTSD diagnosis and therapeutic interventions and ultimately ease the personal and financial burden of this debilitating disorder.
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13
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Evolutionary perspectives on the role of oxytocin in human social behavior, social cognition and psychopathology. Brain Res 2014; 1580:1-7. [PMID: 25091638 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.07.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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14
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Nieratschker V, Massart R, Gilles M, Luoni A, Suderman MJ, Krumm B, Meier S, Witt SH, Nöthen MM, Suomi SJ, Peus V, Scharnholz B, Dukal H, Hohmeyer C, Wolf IAC, Cirulli F, Gass P, Sütterlin MW, Filsinger B, Laucht M, Riva MA, Rietschel M, Deuschle M, Szyf M. MORC1 exhibits cross-species differential methylation in association with early life stress as well as genome-wide association with MDD. Transl Psychiatry 2014; 4:e429. [PMID: 25158004 PMCID: PMC4150246 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2014.75] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2013] [Revised: 06/12/2014] [Accepted: 07/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) is associated with increased vulnerability for diseases in later life, including psychiatric disorders. Animal models and human studies suggest that this effect is mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. In humans, epigenetic studies to investigate the influence of ELS on psychiatric phenotypes are limited by the inaccessibility of living brain tissue. Due to the tissue-specific nature of epigenetic signatures, it is impossible to determine whether ELS induced epigenetic changes in accessible peripheral cells, for example, blood lymphocytes, reflect epigenetic changes in the brain. To overcome these limitations, we applied a cross-species approach involving: (i) the analysis of CD34+ cells from human cord blood; (ii) the examination of blood-derived CD3+ T cells of newborn and adolescent nonhuman primates (Macaca mulatta); and (iii) the investigation of the prefrontal cortex of adult rats. Several regions in MORC1 (MORC family CW-type zinc finger 1; previously known as: microrchidia (mouse) homolog) were differentially methylated in response to ELS in CD34+ cells and CD3+ T cells derived from the blood of human and monkey neonates, as well as in CD3+ T cells derived from the blood of adolescent monkeys and in the prefrontal cortex of adult rats. MORC1 is thus the first identified epigenetic marker of ELS to be present in blood cell progenitors at birth and in the brain in adulthood. Interestingly, a gene-set-based analysis of data from a genome-wide association study of major depressive disorder (MDD) revealed an association of MORC1 with MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Nieratschker
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany E-mail:
| | - R Massart
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - M Gilles
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - A Luoni
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - M J Suderman
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada,Sackler Program for Epigenetics and Developmental Psychobiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada,McGill Centre for Bioinformatics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - B Krumm
- Department of Biostatistics, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - S Meier
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - S H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - M M Nöthen
- Department of Genomics, Life & Brain Center, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany,Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - S J Suomi
- Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - V Peus
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - B Scharnholz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - H Dukal
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - C Hohmeyer
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - I A-C Wolf
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - F Cirulli
- Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - P Gass
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Research Group Animal Models in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - M W Sütterlin
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Center Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - B Filsinger
- Department of Obstetrics, St. Marien- und St. Annastiftskrankenhaus, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
| | - M Laucht
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - M A Riva
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - M Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - M Deuschle
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, J 5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany. E-mail:
| | - M Szyf
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada,Sackler Program for Epigenetics and Developmental Psychobiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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15
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Börsch-Haubold AG, Montero I, Konrad K, Haubold B. Genome-wide quantitative analysis of histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation in wild house mouse liver: environmental change causes epigenetic plasticity. PLoS One 2014; 9:e97568. [PMID: 24849289 PMCID: PMC4029994 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2014] [Accepted: 04/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In mammals, exposure to toxic or disease-causing environments can change epigenetic marks that are inherited independently of the intrauterine environment. Such inheritance of molecular phenotypes may be adaptive. However, studies demonstrating molecular evidence for epigenetic inheritance have so far relied on extreme treatments, and are confined to inbred animals. We therefore investigated whether epigenomic changes could be detected after a non-drastic change in the environment of an outbred organism. We kept two populations of wild-caught house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) for several generations in semi-natural enclosures on either standard diet and light cycle, or on an energy-enriched diet with longer daylight to simulate summer. As epigenetic marker for active chromatin we quantified genome-wide histone-3 lysine-4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) from liver samples by chromatin immunoprecipitation and high-throughput sequencing as well as by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The treatment caused a significant increase of H3K4me3 at metabolic genes such as lipid and cholesterol regulators, monooxygenases, and a bile acid transporter. In addition, genes involved in immune processes, cell cycle, and transcription and translation processes were also differently marked. When we transferred young mice of both populations to cages and bred them under standard conditions, most of the H3K4me3 differences were lost. The few loci with stable H3K4me3 changes did not cluster in metabolic functional categories. This is, to our knowledge, the first quantitative study of an epigenetic marker in an outbred mammalian organism. We demonstrate genome-wide epigenetic plasticity in response to a realistic environmental stimulus. In contrast to disease models, the bulk of the epigenomic changes we observed were not heritable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelika G. Börsch-Haubold
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Inka Montero
- Institute for Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Kathryn Konrad
- Cologne Center for Genomics, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany
| | - Bernhard Haubold
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
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Abstract
Frailty is the most problematic expression of population ageing. It is a state of vulnerability to poor resolution of homoeostasis after a stressor event and is a consequence of cumulative decline in many physiological systems during a lifetime. This cumulative decline depletes homoeostatic reserves until minor stressor events trigger disproportionate changes in health status. In landmark studies, investigators have developed valid models of frailty and these models have allowed epidemiological investigations that show the association between frailty and adverse health outcomes. We need to develop more efficient methods to detect frailty and measure its severity in routine clinical practice, especially methods that are useful for primary care. Such progress would greatly inform the appropriate selection of elderly people for invasive procedures or drug treatments and would be the basis for a shift in the care of frail elderly people towards more appropriate goal-directed care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Clegg
- Academic Unit of Elderly Care and Rehabilitation, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
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Sasaki A, de Vega WC, McGowan PO. Biological embedding in mental health: an epigenomic perspective. Biochem Cell Biol 2013; 91:14-21. [PMID: 23442137 DOI: 10.1139/bcb-2012-0070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Human epidemiological studies and studies of animal models provide many examples by which early life experiences influence health in a long-term manner, a concept known as biological embedding. Such experiences can have profound impacts during periods of high plasticity in prenatal and early postnatal life. Epigenetic mechanisms influence gene function in the absence of changes in gene sequence. In contrast to the relative stability of gene sequences, epigenetic mechanisms appear, at least to some extent, responsive to environmental signals. To date, a few examples appear to clearly link early social experiences to epigenetic changes in pathways relevant for mental health in adulthood. Our recent work using high-throughput epigenomic techniques points to large-scale changes in gene pathways in addition to candidate genes involved in the response to psychosocial stress and neuroplasticity. Elucidation of which pathways are epigenetically labile under what conditions will enable a more complete understanding of how the epigenome can mediate environmental interactions with the genome that are relevant for mental health. In this mini-review, we provide examples of nascent research into the influence of early life experience on mental health outcomes, discuss evidence of epigenetic mechanisms that may underlie these effects, and describe challenges for research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aya Sasaki
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Canada
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Nelson CJ, Ausió J. 55th Annual Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences Conference on Epigenetics and Genomic Stability. Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, 14–18 March 2012. Epigenomics 2012; 4:255-9. [PMID: 22690661 DOI: 10.2217/epi.12.26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The 55th Annual Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences Conference on Epigenetics and Genomic Stability in Whistler, Canada, 14-18 March 2012, brought together 31 speakers from different nationalities. The organizing committee, led by Jim Davie (Chair) at the University of Manitoba (Manitoba, Canada), consisted of several established researchers in the fields of chromatin and epigenetics from across Canada. The meeting was centered on the contribution of epigenetics to gene expression, DNA damage and repair, and the role of environmental factors. A few interesting talks on replication added some insightful information on the controversial issue of histone post-translational modifications as genuine epigenetic marks that are inherited through cell division.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Nelson
- Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Love OP, McGowan PO, Sheriff MJ. Maternal adversity and ecological stressors in natural populations: the role of stress axis programming in individuals, with implications for populations and communities. Funct Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2012.02040.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver P. Love
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Windsor; 401 Sunset Avenue; Windsor; Ontario; N9B 3P4; Canada
| | - Patrick O. McGowan
- Department of Biological Sciences; University of Toronto Scarborough; 1265 Military Trail; Toronto; Ontario; M1C 1A4; Canada
| | - Michael J. Sheriff
- Institute of Arctic Biology; University of Alaska Fairbanks; 902 N. Koyukuk Dr; Fairbanks; Alaska; 99775; USA
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20
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Abstract
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder influenced by interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Epigenetics conveys specific environmental influences into phenotypic traits through a variety of mechanisms that are often installed in early life, then persist in differentiated tissues with the power to modulate the expression of many genes, although undergoing time-dependent alterations. There is still no evidence that epigenetics contributes significantly to the causes or transmission of T2DM from one generation to another, thus, to the current environment-driven epidemics, but it has become so likely, as pointed out in this paper, that one can expect an efflorescence of epigenetic knowledge about T2DM in times to come.
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Boerjan B, Sas F, Ernst UR, Tobback J, Lemière F, Vandegehuchte MB, Janssen CR, Badisco L, Marchal E, Verlinden H, Schoofs L, De Loof A. Locust phase polyphenism: Does epigenetic precede endocrine regulation? Gen Comp Endocrinol 2011; 173:120-8. [PMID: 21624368 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2011.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2011] [Revised: 05/11/2011] [Accepted: 05/15/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The morphological, physiological and behavioural differences between solitarious and gregarious desert locusts are so pronounced that one could easily mistake the two phases as belonging to different species, if one has no knowledge of the phenomenon of phenotypic plasticity. A number of phase-specific features are hormonally controlled. Juvenile hormone promotes several solitarious features, the green cuticular colour being the most obvious one. The neuropeptide corazonin elicits the dark cuticular colour that is typical for the gregarious phase, as well as particular gregarious behavioural characteristics. However, it had to be concluded, for multiple reasons, that the endocrine system is not the primary phase-determining system. Our observation that longevity gets imprinted in very early life by crowding of the young hatchlings, and that it cannot be changed thereafter, made us consider the possibility that, perhaps, epigenetic control of gene expression might be, if not the missing, a primary phase-determining mechanism. Imprinting is likely to involve DNA methylation and histone modification. Analysis of a Schistocerca EST database of nervous tissue identified the presence of several candidate genes that may be involved in epigenetic control, including two DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts). Dnmt1 and Dnmt2 are phase-specifically expressed in certain tissues. In the metathoracic ganglion, important in the serotonin pathway for sensing mechanostimulation, their expression is clearly affected by crowding. Our data urge for reconsidering the role of the endocrine system as being sandwiched in between genetics and epigenetics, involving complementary modes of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Boerjan
- Research Group of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Biology Department, Leuven, Belgium.
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McVicar A, Clancy J. Glucocorticoids and stress‐related depression: an evaluation of biological mechanisms and the potential for new therapeutics. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH 2011. [DOI: 10.1108/17465721111134529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
PurposePrinciples of epigenesis that provide a foundation for research into chronic medical disorders are increasingly being applied in the context of mental health. The purpose of this paper is to consider recent research evidence for epigenetic influences in the pathogenesis of depression, and the putative links with stress biology during exposure to chronic stress, with the aim of placing this into a context of potential new therapeutics.Design/methodology/approachSubstantive reviews published during the last ten years were identified in a search of the Pubmed database in September 2010 using the terms “epigenetics” or “epigenesis” with “mental health”, “mood disorder”, “depression”, stress', “chronic stress” or “environment”, supplemented by hand‐searching of citations in the reviews.FindingsEpigenetic mechanisms are both heritable and acquired, and their impact on the underlying genome helps explain individual vulnerability and patterns of occurrence of depression.Originality/valueThe paper shows that this relatively new field of research is in its infancy, and the influence of adverse environments (i.e. stressors) on genetic/epigenetic predisposition has promise for the advent of novel therapeutics based on epigenetic manipulation.
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