1
|
Zhou H, Gelernter J. Human genetics and epigenetics of alcohol use disorder. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e172885. [PMID: 39145449 PMCID: PMC11324314 DOI: 10.1172/jci172885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a prominent contributor to global morbidity and mortality. Its complex etiology involves genetics, epigenetics, and environmental factors. We review progress in understanding the genetics and epigenetics of AUD, summarizing the key findings. Advancements in technology over the decades have elevated research from early candidate gene studies to present-day genome-wide scans, unveiling numerous genetic and epigenetic risk factors for AUD. The latest GWAS on more than one million participants identified more than 100 genetic variants, and the largest epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) in blood and brain samples have revealed tissue-specific epigenetic changes. Downstream analyses revealed enriched pathways, genetic correlations with other traits, transcriptome-wide association in brain tissues, and drug-gene interactions for AUD. We also discuss limitations and future directions, including increasing the power of GWAS and EWAS studies as well as expanding the diversity of populations included in these analyses. Larger samples, novel technologies, and analytic approaches are essential; these include whole-genome sequencing, multiomics, single-cell sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, deep-learning prediction of variant function, and integrated methods for disease risk prediction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hang Zhou
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science
- Center for Brain and Mind Health
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Genetics, and
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Carvalho L, Lasek AW. It is not just about transcription: involvement of brain RNA splicing in substance use disorders. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2024; 131:495-503. [PMID: 38396082 PMCID: PMC11055753 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-024-02740-y] [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: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Alternative splicing is a co-transcriptional process that significantly contributes to the molecular landscape of the cell. It plays a multifaceted role in shaping gene transcription, protein diversity, and functional adaptability in response to environmental cues. Recent studies demonstrate that drugs of abuse have a profound impact on alternative splicing patterns within different brain regions. Drugs like alcohol and cocaine modify the expression of genes responsible for encoding splicing factors, thereby influencing alternative splicing of crucial genes involved in neurotransmission, neurogenesis, and neuroinflammation. Notable examples of these alterations include alcohol-induced changes in splicing factors such as HSPA6 and PCBP1, as well as cocaine's impact on PTBP1 and SRSF11. Beyond the immediate effects of drug exposure, recent research has shed light on the role of alternative splicing in contributing to the risk of substance use disorders (SUDs). This is exemplified by exon skipping events in key genes like ELOVL7, which can elevate the risk of alcohol use disorder. Lastly, drugs of abuse can induce splicing alterations through epigenetic modifications. For example, cocaine exposure leads to alterations in levels of trimethylated lysine 36 of histone H3, which exhibits a robust association with alternative splicing and serves as a reliable predictor for exon exclusion. In summary, alternative splicing has emerged as a critical player in the complex interplay between drugs of abuse and the brain, offering insights into the molecular underpinnings of SUDs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luana Carvalho
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1220 E. Broad ST, Box 980613, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA.
| | - Amy W Lasek
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1220 E. Broad ST, Box 980613, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hilal FF, Jeanblanc J, Deschamps C, Naassila M, Pierrefiche O, Ben Hamida S. Epigenetic drugs and psychedelics as emerging therapies for alcohol use disorder: insights from preclinical studies. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2024; 131:525-561. [PMID: 38554193 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-024-02757-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a public health issue that affects millions of people worldwide leading to physical, mental and socio-economic consequences. While current treatments for AUD have provided relief to individuals, their effectiveness on the long term is often limited, leaving a number of affected individuals without sustainable solutions. In this review, we aim to explore two emerging approaches for AUD: psychedelics and epigenetic drugs (i.e., epidrugs). By examining preclinical studies, different animal species and procedures, we delve into the potential benefits of each of these treatments in terms of addictive behaviors (alcohol drinking and seeking, motivation to drink alcohol and prevention of relapse). Because psychedelics and epidrugs may share common and complementary mechanisms of action, there is an exciting opportunity for exploring synergies between these approaches and their parallel effectiveness in treating AUD and the diverse associated psychiatric conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fahd François Hilal
- INSERM UMR 1247-Research Group on Alcohol and Pharmacodependences (GRAP), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Chemin du Thil - Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, 80025, Amiens, France
| | - Jerome Jeanblanc
- INSERM UMR 1247-Research Group on Alcohol and Pharmacodependences (GRAP), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Chemin du Thil - Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, 80025, Amiens, France
| | - Chloé Deschamps
- INSERM UMR 1247-Research Group on Alcohol and Pharmacodependences (GRAP), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Chemin du Thil - Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, 80025, Amiens, France
| | - Mickael Naassila
- INSERM UMR 1247-Research Group on Alcohol and Pharmacodependences (GRAP), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Chemin du Thil - Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, 80025, Amiens, France.
| | - Olivier Pierrefiche
- INSERM UMR 1247-Research Group on Alcohol and Pharmacodependences (GRAP), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Chemin du Thil - Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, 80025, Amiens, France
| | - Sami Ben Hamida
- INSERM UMR 1247-Research Group on Alcohol and Pharmacodependences (GRAP), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Chemin du Thil - Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, 80025, Amiens, France.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Uusi-Oukari M, Korpi ER. GABAergic mechanisms in alcohol dependence. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2024; 175:75-123. [PMID: 38555121 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2024.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
The target of alcohol's effect on the central nervous system has been sought for more than 50 years in the brain's GABA system. The behavioral and emotional effects of alcohol in humans and rodents are very similar to those of barbiturates and benzodiazepines, and GABAA receptors have been shown to be one of the sites of alcohol action. The mechanisms of GABAergic inhibition have been a hotspot of research but have turned out to be complex and controversial. Genetics support the involvement of some GABAA receptor subunits in the development of alcohol dependence and in alcohol use disorders (AUD). Since the effect of alcohol on the GABAA system resembles that of a GABAergic positive modulator, it may be possible to develop GABAergic drug treatments that could substitute for alcohol. The adaptation mechanisms of the GABA system and the plasticity of the brain are a big challenge for drug development: the drugs that act on GABAA receptors developed so far also may cause adaptation and development of additional addiction. Human polymorphisms should be studied further to get insight about how they affect receptor function, expression or other factors to make reasonable predictions/hypotheses about what non-addictive interventions would help in alcohol dependence and AUD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mikko Uusi-Oukari
- Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Esa R Korpi
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Liu L, Wen Y, Ni Q, Chen L, Wang H. Prenatal ethanol exposure and changes in fetal neuroendocrine metabolic programming. Biol Res 2023; 56:61. [PMID: 37978540 PMCID: PMC10656939 DOI: 10.1186/s40659-023-00473-y] [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: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Prenatal ethanol exposure (PEE) (mainly through maternal alcohol consumption) has become widespread. However, studies suggest that it can cause intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and multi-organ developmental toxicity in offspring, and susceptibility to various chronic diseases (such as neuropsychiatric diseases, metabolic syndrome, and related diseases) in adults. Through ethanol's direct effects and its indirect effects mediated by maternal-derived glucocorticoids, PEE alters epigenetic modifications and organ developmental programming during fetal development, which damages the offspring health and increases susceptibility to various chronic diseases after birth. Ethanol directly leads to the developmental toxicity of multiple tissues and organs in many ways. Regarding maternal-derived glucocorticoid-mediated IUGR, developmental programming, and susceptibility to multiple conditions after birth, ethanol induces programmed changes in the neuroendocrine axes of offspring, such as the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and glucocorticoid-insulin-like growth factor 1 (GC-IGF1) axes. In addition, the differences in ethanol metabolic enzymes, placental glucocorticoid barrier function, and the sensitivity to glucocorticoids in various tissues and organs mediate the severity and sex differences in the developmental toxicity of ethanol exposure during pregnancy. Offspring exposed to ethanol during pregnancy have a "thrifty phenotype" in the fetal period, and show "catch-up growth" in the case of abundant nutrition after birth; when encountering adverse environments, these offspring are more likely to develop diseases. Here, we review the developmental toxicity, functional alterations in multiple organs, and neuroendocrine metabolic programming mechanisms induced by PEE based on our research and that of other investigators. This should provide new perspectives for the effective prevention and treatment of ethanol developmental toxicity and the early prevention of related fetal-originated diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liang Liu
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Joint Disease Research Center of Wuhan University, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Yinxian Wen
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Joint Disease Research Center of Wuhan University, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Qubo Ni
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Joint Disease Research Center of Wuhan University, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Liaobin Chen
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Joint Disease Research Center of Wuhan University, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China.
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, Wuhan, 430071, China.
| | - Hui Wang
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, Wuhan, 430071, China.
- Department of Pharmacology, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Kouter K, Šalamon Arčan I, Videtič Paska A. Epigenetics in psychiatry: Beyond DNA methylation. World J Psychiatry 2023; 13:319-330. [PMID: 37383287 PMCID: PMC10294132 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v13.i6.319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The global burden of psychopathologies appears to be underestimated, since the global psychiatric disorder burden is exceeding other medical burdens. To be able to address this problem more effectively, we need to better understand the etiology of psychiatric disorders. One of the hallmarks of psychiatric disorders appears to be epigenetic dysregulation. While some epigenetic modifications (such as DNA methylation) are well known and studied, the roles of others have been investigated much less. DNA hydroxymethylation is a rarely studied epigenetic modification, which as well as being an intermediate stage in the DNA demethylation cycle is also an independent steady cell state involved in neurodevelopment and plasticity. In contrast to DNA methylation, DNA hydroxymethylation appears to be related to an increase in gene expression and subsequent protein expression. Although no particular gene or genetic locus can be at this point linked to changes in DNA hydroxymethylation in psychiatric disorders, the epigenetic marks present good potential for biomarker identification because the epigenetic landscape is a result of the interplay between genes and environment, which both influence the development of psychiatric disorders, and because hydoxymethylation changes are particularly enriched in the brain and in synapse-related genes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katarina Kouter
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
| | - Iris Šalamon Arčan
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
| | - Alja Videtič Paska
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sun F, Yang J, Liu X, Huang G, Kong Z, Liu Y, Zhu Y, Peng Y, Yang M, Jia X. Characteristics of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging of alcohol-dependent patients with depression. Cereb Cortex 2023:7169130. [PMID: 37197790 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The high comorbidity of alcohol use disorder and depressive disorder is associated with poor patient prognosis. The mechanisms underlying this comorbidity, however, are largely unknown. By applying the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations parameter in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, this study investigated changes in the brain functioning of alcohol-dependent patients with and without depression. Alcohol-dependent patients (n = 48) and healthy controls (n = 31) were recruited. The alcohol-dependent patients were divided into those with and without depression, according to Patients Health Questionnaire-9 scores. Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in resting-state brain images were compared among the alcohol-dependent patients with depression, alcohol-dependent patients without depression, and healthy controls groups. We further examined associations between amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations alterations, alcohol-dependence severity, and depressive levels (assessed with scales). Compared with the healthy controls group, both alcohol groups showed amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations enhancement in the right cerebellum and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations abatement in the posterior central gyrus. The alcohol-dependent patients with depression group had higher amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in the right cerebellum than the alcohol-dependent patients without depression group. Additionally, we observed a positive correlation between amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations value and Patients Health Questionnaire-9 score in the right superior temporal gyrus in the alcohol-dependent patients with depression group. Alcohol-dependent subjects showed abnormally increased spontaneous neural activity in the right cerebellum, which was more significant in alcohol-dependent patients with depression. These findings may support a targeted intervention in this brain location for alcohol and depressive disorder comorbidity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fengwei Sun
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Jihui Yang
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Xiaoying Liu
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Gengdi Huang
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Zhi Kong
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Yingmei Zhu
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Ying Peng
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Mei Yang
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen 518020, China
| | - Xiaojian Jia
- Department of Addiction Medicine, Shenzhen Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen 518020, China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Cruise TM, Kotlo K, Malovic E, Pandey SC. Advances in DNA, histone, and RNA methylation mechanisms in the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorder. ADVANCES IN DRUG AND ALCOHOL RESEARCH 2023; 3:10871. [PMID: 38389820 PMCID: PMC10880780 DOI: 10.3389/adar.2023.10871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) has a complex, multifactorial etiology involving dysregulation across several brain regions and peripheral organs. Acute and chronic alcohol consumption cause epigenetic modifications in these systems, which underlie changes in gene expression and subsequently, the emergence of pathophysiological phenotypes associated with AUD. One such epigenetic mechanism is methylation, which can occur on DNA, histones, and RNA. Methylation relies on one carbon metabolism to generate methyl groups, which can then be transferred to acceptor substrates. While DNA methylation of particular genes generally represses transcription, methylation of histones and RNA can have bidirectional effects on gene expression. This review summarizes one carbon metabolism and the mechanisms behind methylation of DNA, histones, and RNA. We discuss the field's findings regarding alcohol's global and gene-specific effects on methylation in the brain and liver and the resulting phenotypes characteristic of AUD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tara M Cruise
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Kumar Kotlo
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Emir Malovic
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Jarczak J, Miszczak M, Radwanska K. Is DNA methylation in the brain a mechanism of alcohol use disorder? Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:957203. [PMID: 36778133 PMCID: PMC9908583 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.957203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a worldwide problem. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms of alcohol misuse are still poorly understood, therefore successful therapeutic approaches are limited. Accumulating data indicate that the tendency for compulsive alcohol use is inherited, suggesting a genetic background as an important factor. However, the probability to develop AUD is also affected by life experience and environmental factors. Therefore, the epigenetic modifications that are altered over lifetime likely contribute to increased risk of alcohol misuse. Here, we review the literature looking for the link between DNA methylation in the brain, a common epigenetic modification, and AUD-related behaviors in humans, mice and rats. We sum up the main findings, identify the existing gaps in our knowledge and indicate future directions of the research.
Collapse
|
10
|
Splice-Site Variants in the Gene Encoding GABA-A Receptor Delta Subunit Are Associated with Amphetamine Use in Patients under Methadone Maintenance Treatment. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010721. [PMID: 36614162 PMCID: PMC9820820 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic opioid use disorder patients often also use other substances such as amphetamines. The gene-based analysis method was applied in the genomic database obtained from our previous study with 343 methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) patients. We found that the gene encoding gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABA-A receptor) delta subunit isoforms (GABRD) was associated with amphetamine use in heroin dependent patients under MMT in Taiwan. A total of 15% of the 343 MMT patients tested positive for amphetamine in the urine toxicology test. Two genetic variants in the GABRD, rs2889475 and rs2376805, were found to be associated with the positive urine amphetamine test. They are located in the exon 1 of the splice variant and altered amino acid compositions (T126I, C/T, for rs2889475, and R252Q, G/A, for rs2376805). The CC genotype carriers of rs2889475 showed a four times higher risk of amphetamine use than those with TT genotype. The GG genotype carriers of rs2376805 showed a three times higher risk of amphetamine use than the AA genotype carriers. To our knowledge, this is the first report that demonstrated an association of the delta splice variant isoform in the GABA-A receptor with an increased risk of amphetamine use in MMT patients. Our results suggest that rs2889475 and rs2376805 may be indicators for the functional role and risk of amphetamine use in MMT patients.
Collapse
|
11
|
Gatta E, Camussi D, Auta J, Guidotti A, Pandey SC. Neurosteroids (allopregnanolone) and alcohol use disorder: From mechanisms to potential pharmacotherapy. Pharmacol Ther 2022; 240:108299. [PMID: 36323379 PMCID: PMC9810076 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2022.108299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a multifaceted relapsing disorder that is commonly comorbid with psychiatric disorders, including anxiety. Alcohol exposure produces a plethora of effects on neurobiology. Currently, therapeutic strategies are limited, and only a few treatments - disulfiram, acamprosate, and naltrexone - are available. Given the complexity of this disorder, there is a great need for the identification of novel targets to develop new pharmacotherapy. The GABAergic system, the primary inhibitory system in the brain, is one of the well-known targets for alcohol and is responsible for the anxiolytic effects of alcohol. Interestingly, GABAergic neurotransmission is fine-tuned by neuroactive steroids that exert a regulatory role on several endocrine systems involved in neuropsychiatric disorders including AUD. Mounting evidence indicates that alcohol alters the biosynthesis of neurosteroids, whereas acute alcohol increases and chronic alcohol decreases allopregnanolone levels. Our recent work highlighted that chronic alcohol-induced changes in neurosteroid levels are mediated by epigenetic modifications, e.g., DNA methylation, affecting key enzymes involved in neurosteroid biosynthesis. These changes were associated with changes in GABAA receptor subunit expression, suggesting an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory signaling in AUD. This review will recapitulate the role of neurosteroids in the regulation of the neuroendocrine system, highlight their role in the observed allostatic load in AUD, and develop a framework from mechanisms to potential pharmacotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Gatta
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
| | - Diletta Camussi
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
| | - James Auta
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
| | - Alessandro Guidotti
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Kim HB, Lu Y, Oh SC, Morris J, Miyashiro K, Kim J, Eberwine J, Sul JY. Astrocyte ethanol exposure reveals persistent and defined calcium response subtypes and associated gene signatures. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102147. [PMID: 35716779 PMCID: PMC9293641 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes play a critical role in brain function, but their contribution during ethanol (EtOH) consumption remains largely understudied. In light of recent findings on the heterogeneity of astrocyte physiology and gene expression, an approach with the ability to identify subtypes and capture this heterogeneity is necessary. Here, we combined measurements of calcium signaling and gene expression to define EtOH-induced astrocyte subtypes. In the absence of a demonstrated EtOH receptor, EtOH is believed to have effects on the function of many receptors and downstream biological cascades that underlie calcium responsiveness. This mechanism of EtOH-induced calcium signaling is unknown and this study provides the first step in understanding the characteristics of cells displaying these observed responses. To characterize underlying astrocyte subtypes, we assessed the correlation between calcium signaling and astrocyte gene expression signature in response to EtOH. We found that various EtOH doses increased intracellular calcium levels in a subset of astrocytes, distinguishing three cellular response types and one nonresponsive subtype as categorized by response waveform properties. Furthermore, single-cell RNA-seq analysis of astrocytes from the different response types identified type-enriched discriminatory gene expression signatures. Combining single-cell calcium responses and gene expression analysis identified specific astrocyte subgroups among astrocyte populations defined by their response to EtOH. This result provides a basis for identifying the relationship between astrocyte susceptibility to EtOH and corresponding measurable markers of calcium signaling and gene expression, which will be useful to investigate potential subgroup-specific influences of astrocytes on the physiology and pathology of EtOH exposure in the brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyun-Bum Kim
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Youtao Lu
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Seonkyung C Oh
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jacqueline Morris
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kevin Miyashiro
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Junhyong Kim
- Department of Biology, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; PENN Program in Single Cell Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - James Eberwine
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; PENN Program in Single Cell Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jai-Yoon Sul
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; PENN Program in Single Cell Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Moderate Folic Acid Supplementation in Pregnant Mice Results in Altered Sex-Specific Gene Expression in Brain of Young Mice and Embryos. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14051051. [PMID: 35268026 PMCID: PMC8912750 DOI: 10.3390/nu14051051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Food fortification and increased vitamin intake have led to higher folic acid (FA) consumption by many pregnant women. We showed that FA-supplemented diet in pregnant mice (fivefold higher FA than the recommended level (5xFASD)) led to hyperactivity-like behavior and memory impairment in pups. Disturbed choline/methyl metabolism and altered placental gene expression were identified. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of 5xFASD on the brain at two developmental stages, postnatal day (P) 30 and embryonic day (E) 17.5. Female C57BL/6 mice were fed a control diet or 5xFASD for 1 month before mating. Diets were maintained throughout the pregnancy and lactation until P30 or during pregnancy until E17.5. The 5xFASD led to sex-specific transcription changes in P30 cerebral cortex and E17.5 cerebrum, with microarrays showing a total of 1003 and 623 changes, respectively. Enhanced mRNA degradation was observed in E17.5 cerebrum. Expression changes of genes involved in neurotransmission, neuronal growth and development, and angiogenesis were verified by qRT-PCR; 12 and 15 genes were verified at P30 and E17.5, respectively. Hippocampal collagen staining suggested decreased vessel density in FASD male embryos. This study provides insight into the mechanisms of neurobehavioral alterations and highlights potential deleterious consequences of moderate folate oversupplementation during pregnancy.
Collapse
|
14
|
Clark SL, Chan RF, Zhao M, Xie LY, Copeland WE, Penninx BW, Aberg KA, van den Oord EJ. Dual methylation and hydroxymethylation study of alcohol use disorder. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13114. [PMID: 34791764 PMCID: PMC8891051 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Using an integrative, multi-tissue design, we sought to characterize methylation and hydroxymethylation changes in blood and brain associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD). First, we used epigenomic deconvolution to perform cell-type-specific methylome-wide association studies within subpopulations of granulocytes/T-cells/B-cells/monocytes in 1132 blood samples. Blood findings were then examined for overlap with AUD-related associations with methylation and hydroxymethylation in 50 human post-mortem brain samples. Follow-up analyses investigated if overlapping findings mediated AUD-associated transcription changes in the same brain samples. Lastly, we replicated our blood findings in an independent sample of 412 individuals and aimed to replicate published alcohol methylation findings using our results. Cell-type-specific analyses in blood identified methylome-wide significant associations in monocytes and T-cells. The monocyte findings were significantly enriched for AUD-related methylation and hydroxymethylation in brain. Hydroxymethylation in specific sites mediated AUD-associated transcription in the same brain samples. As part of the most comprehensive methylation study of AUD to date, this work involved the first cell-type-specific methylation study of AUD conducted in blood, identifying and replicating a finding in DLGAP1 that may be a blood-based biomarker of AUD. In this first study to consider the role of hydroxymethylation in AUD, we found evidence for a novel mechanism for cognitive deficits associated with AUD. Our results suggest promising new avenues for AUD research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Robin F. Chan
- Center for Biomarker Research and Precision Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - Min Zhao
- Center for Biomarker Research and Precision Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - Lin Y. Xie
- Center for Biomarker Research and Precision Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | | | - Brenda W.J.H. Penninx
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont,Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Karolina A. Aberg
- Center for Biomarker Research and Precision Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Deng R, Yang X, Meng YJ, Tao YJ, Wang HY, Li XJ, Wei W, Yu H, Wang Q, Deng W, Zhao LS, Ma XH, Li ML, Xu JJ, Li J, Liu YS, Tang Z, Du XD, Coid JW, Greenshaw AJ, Li T, Guo WJ. Data-driven study on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging during early abstinence of alcohol dependence in male patients and its predictive value for relapse. BMC Psychiatry 2022; 22:143. [PMID: 35193538 PMCID: PMC8862392 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-022-03782-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol dependence is a mental disorder with a high relapse rate. However, specific neuroimaging biomarkers have not been determined for alcohol dependence and its relapse. We conducted data-driven research to investigate resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) during early abstinence from alcohol dependence and its potential ability to predict relapse. METHODS Participants included 68 alcohol-dependent patients and 68 healthy controls (HCs). The regional homogeneity (ReHo) and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) were compared between the alcohol dependence group and the HCs and between the relapse group and the nonrelapse group. The brain regions that presented significantly different ReHo and/or fALFF between the alcohol-dependent patients and HCs and/or between the relapsed and nonrelapsed patients were selected as the seeds to calculate the functional connectivities (FCs). RESULTS During a 6-month follow-up period, 52.24% of alcohol-dependent patients relapsed. A regression model for differentiating alcohol-dependent patients and HCs showed that reductions in ReHo in the left postcentral region, fALFF in the right fusiform region, and FC in the right fusiform region to the right middle cingulum were independently associated with alcohol dependence, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.841. The baseline FC of the left precentral to the left cerebellum of the relapse group was significantly lower than that of the nonrelapse group. The AUC of this FC to predict relapse was 0.774. CONCLUSIONS Our findings contribute to advancing research on the neurobiological etiology and predictive biomarkers for relapse associated with alcohol dependence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Renhao Deng
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Xia Yang
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Ya-jing Meng
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Yu-jie Tao
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Hui-yao Wang
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Xiao-jing Li
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Wei Wei
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Hua Yu
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Qiang Wang
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Wei Deng
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Lian-sheng Zhao
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Xiao-hong Ma
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Ming-li Li
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Jia-jun Xu
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Jing Li
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Yan-song Liu
- grid.263761.70000 0001 0198 0694Department of Clinical Psychology, Suzhou Psychiatric Hospital, The Affiliated Guangji Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu China
| | - Zhen Tang
- grid.263761.70000 0001 0198 0694Department of Clinical Psychology, Suzhou Psychiatric Hospital, The Affiliated Guangji Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu China
| | - Xiang-dong Du
- grid.263761.70000 0001 0198 0694Department of Clinical Psychology, Suzhou Psychiatric Hospital, The Affiliated Guangji Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu China
| | - Jeremy W. Coid
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| | - Andrew J. Greenshaw
- grid.17089.370000 0001 2190 316XDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Tao Li
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China ,grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Center for Educational and Health Psychology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wan-jun Guo
- grid.412901.f0000 0004 1770 1022Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 28 Dianxin South Street, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Engin E. GABA A receptor subtypes and benzodiazepine use, misuse, and abuse. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1060949. [PMID: 36713896 PMCID: PMC9879605 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1060949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Benzodiazepines have been in use for over half a century. While they remain highly prescribed, their unfavorable side-effect profile and abuse liability motivated a search for alternatives. Most of these efforts focused on the development of benzodiazepine-like drugs that are selective for specific GABAA receptor subtypes. While there is ample evidence that subtype-selective GABAA receptor ligands have great potential for providing symptom relief without typical benzodiazepine side-effects, it is less clear whether subtype-selective targeting strategies can also reduce misuse and abuse potential. This review focuses on the three benzodiazepine properties that are relevant to the DSM-5-TR criteria for Sedative, Hypnotic, or Anxiolytic Use Disorder, namely, reinforcing properties of benzodiazepines, maladaptive behaviors related to benzodiazepine use, and benzodiazepine tolerance and dependence. We review existing evidence regarding the involvement of different GABAA receptor subtypes in each of these areas. The reviewed studies suggest that α1-containing GABAA receptors play an integral role in benzodiazepine-induced plasticity in reward-related brain areas and might be involved in the development of tolerance and dependence to benzodiazepines. However, a systematic comparison of the contributions of all benzodiazepine-sensitive GABAA receptors to these processes, a mechanistic understanding of how the positive modulation of each receptor subtype might contribute to the brain mechanisms underlying each of these processes, and a definitive answer to the question of whether specific chronic modulation of any given subtype would result in some or all of the benzodiazepine effects are currently lacking from the literature. Moreover, how non-selective benzodiazepines might lead to the maladaptive behaviors listed in DSM and how different GABAA receptor subtypes might be involved in the development of these behaviors remains unexplored. Considering the increasing burden of benzodiazepine abuse, the common practice of benzodiazepine misuse that leads to severe dependence, and the current efforts to generate side-effect free benzodiazepine alternatives, there is an urgent need for systematic, mechanistic research that provides a better understanding of the brain mechanisms of benzodiazepine misuse and abuse, including the involvement of specific GABAA receptor subtypes in these processes, to establish an informed foundation for preclinical and clinical efforts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elif Engin
- Stress Neurobiology Laboratory, Division of Basic Neuroscience, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Sieghart W, Chiou LC, Ernst M, Fabjan J, M Savić M, Lee MT. α6-Containing GABA A Receptors: Functional Roles and Therapeutic Potentials. Pharmacol Rev 2022; 74:238-270. [PMID: 35017178 DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.121.000293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
GABAA receptors containing the α6 subunit are highly expressed in cerebellar granule cells and less abundantly in many other neuronal and peripheral tissues. Here, we for the first time summarize their importance for the functions of the cerebellum and the nervous system. The cerebellum is not only involved in motor control but also in cognitive, emotional, and social behaviors. α6βγ2 GABAA receptors located at cerebellar Golgi cell/granule cell synapses enhance the precision of inputs required for cerebellar timing of motor activity and are thus involved in cognitive processing and adequate responses to our environment. Extrasynaptic α6βδ GABAA receptors regulate the amount of information entering the cerebellum by their tonic inhibition of granule cells, and their optimal functioning enhances input filtering or contrast. The complex roles of the cerebellum in multiple brain functions can be compromised by genetic or neurodevelopmental causes that lead to a hypofunction of cerebellar α6-containing GABAA receptors. Animal models mimicking neuropsychiatric phenotypes suggest that compounds selectively activating or positively modulating cerebellar α6-containing GABAA receptors can alleviate essential tremor and motor disturbances in Angelman and Down syndrome as well as impaired prepulse inhibition in neuropsychiatric disorders and reduce migraine and trigeminal-related pain via α6-containing GABAA receptors in trigeminal ganglia. Genetic studies in humans suggest an association of the human GABAA receptor α6 subunit gene with stress-associated disorders. Animal studies support this conclusion. Neuroimaging and post-mortem studies in humans further support an involvement of α6-containing GABAA receptors in various neuropsychiatric disorders, pointing to a broad therapeutic potential of drugs modulating α6-containing GABAA receptors. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: α6-Containing GABAA receptors are abundantly expressed in cerebellar granule cells, but their pathophysiological roles are widely unknown, and they are thus out of the mainstream of GABAA receptor research. Anatomical and electrophysiological evidence indicates that these receptors have a crucial function in neuronal circuits of the cerebellum and the nervous system, and experimental, genetic, post-mortem, and pharmacological studies indicate that selective modulation of these receptors offers therapeutic prospects for a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders and for stress and its consequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Werner Sieghart
- Center for Brain Research, Department of Molecular Neurosciences (W.S.), and Center for Brain Research, Department of Pathobiology of the Nervous System (M.E., J.F.), Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Graduate Institute of Pharmacology (L.-C.C., M.T.L.), and Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (L.-C.C., M.T.L.); Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia (M.M.S.); Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (M.T.L.); and Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (L.-C.C.)
| | - Lih-Chu Chiou
- Center for Brain Research, Department of Molecular Neurosciences (W.S.), and Center for Brain Research, Department of Pathobiology of the Nervous System (M.E., J.F.), Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Graduate Institute of Pharmacology (L.-C.C., M.T.L.), and Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (L.-C.C., M.T.L.); Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia (M.M.S.); Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (M.T.L.); and Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (L.-C.C.)
| | - Margot Ernst
- Center for Brain Research, Department of Molecular Neurosciences (W.S.), and Center for Brain Research, Department of Pathobiology of the Nervous System (M.E., J.F.), Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Graduate Institute of Pharmacology (L.-C.C., M.T.L.), and Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (L.-C.C., M.T.L.); Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia (M.M.S.); Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (M.T.L.); and Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (L.-C.C.)
| | - Jure Fabjan
- Center for Brain Research, Department of Molecular Neurosciences (W.S.), and Center for Brain Research, Department of Pathobiology of the Nervous System (M.E., J.F.), Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Graduate Institute of Pharmacology (L.-C.C., M.T.L.), and Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (L.-C.C., M.T.L.); Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia (M.M.S.); Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (M.T.L.); and Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (L.-C.C.)
| | - Miroslav M Savić
- Center for Brain Research, Department of Molecular Neurosciences (W.S.), and Center for Brain Research, Department of Pathobiology of the Nervous System (M.E., J.F.), Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Graduate Institute of Pharmacology (L.-C.C., M.T.L.), and Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (L.-C.C., M.T.L.); Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia (M.M.S.); Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (M.T.L.); and Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (L.-C.C.)
| | - Ming Tatt Lee
- Center for Brain Research, Department of Molecular Neurosciences (W.S.), and Center for Brain Research, Department of Pathobiology of the Nervous System (M.E., J.F.), Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Graduate Institute of Pharmacology (L.-C.C., M.T.L.), and Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (L.-C.C., M.T.L.); Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia (M.M.S.); Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (M.T.L.); and Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (L.-C.C.)
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Rodriguez FD. Targeting Epigenetic Mechanisms to Treat Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD). Curr Pharm Des 2021; 27:3252-3272. [PMID: 33535943 PMCID: PMC8778698 DOI: 10.2174/1381612827666210203142539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The impact of abusive alcohol consumption on human health is remarkable. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 3.3 million people die annually because of harmful alcohol consumption (the figure represents around 5.9% of global deaths). Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic disease where individuals exhibit compulsive alcohol drinking and present negative emotional states when they do not drink. In the most severe manifestations of AUD, the individuals lose control over intake despite a decided will to stop drinking. Given the multiple faces and the specific forms of this disease, the term AUD often appears in the plural (AUDs). Since only a few approved pharmacological treatments are available to treat AUD and they do not apply to all individuals or AUD forms, the search for compounds that may help to eliminate the burden of the disease and complement other therapeutical approaches is necessary. METHODS This work reviews recent research focused on the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in the pathophysiology of AUD. Excessive drinking leads to chronic and compulsive consumption that eventually damages the organism. The central nervous system is a key target and is the focus of this study. The search for the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms behind the intricated dysregulation induced by ethanol will aid researchers in establishing new therapy approaches. CONCLUSION Recent findings in the field of epigenetics are essential and offer new windows for observation and research. The study of small molecules that inhibit key epienzymes involved in nucleosome architecture dynamics is necessary in order to prove their action and specificity in the laboratory and to test their effectivity and safety in clinical trials with selected patients bearing defined alterations caused by ethanol.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F. David Rodriguez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Salamanca and Group GIR BMD (Bases Moleculares del Desarrollo), University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Chung DD, Pinson MR, Bhenderu LS, Lai MS, Patel RA, Miranda RC. Toxic and Teratogenic Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Fetal Development, Adolescence, and Adulthood. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22168785. [PMID: 34445488 PMCID: PMC8395909 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [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: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can have immediate and long-lasting toxic and teratogenic effects on an individual’s development and health. As a toxicant, alcohol can lead to a variety of physical and neurological anomalies in the fetus that can lead to behavioral and other impairments which may last a lifetime. Recent studies have focused on identifying mechanisms that mediate the immediate teratogenic effects of alcohol on fetal development and mechanisms that facilitate the persistent toxic effects of alcohol on health and predisposition to disease later in life. This review focuses on the contribution of epigenetic modifications and intercellular transporters like extracellular vesicles to the toxicity of PAE and to immediate and long-term consequences on an individual’s health and risk of disease.
Collapse
|
20
|
Hong Q, Xu W, Lin Z, Liu J, Chen W, Zhu H, Lai M, Zhuang D, Xu Z, Fu D, Zhou W, Liu H. Role of GABRD Gene Methylation in the Nucleus Accumbens in Heroin-Seeking Behavior in Rats. Front Pharmacol 2021; 11:612200. [PMID: 33551813 PMCID: PMC7859445 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.612200] [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: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation play important roles in regulating gene expression and may mediate neuroplasticity and lead to drug-induced aberrant behaviors. Although several brain regions and neurobiological mechanisms have been suggested to be involved in these processes, there is remarkably little known about the effects of DNA methylation on heroin-seeking behavior. Using a Sprague-Dawley rat model, we show that heroin self-administration resulted in gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor subunit delta (GABRD) gene hypomethylation, which was associated with transcriptional upregulation of GABRD in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Systemic l-methionine (MET) administration significantly strengthened the reinstatement of heroin-seeking behavior induced by heroin priming, whereas intra-NAc injections of the DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-dC) had the opposite effect on heroin-seeking. Meanwhile, 5-Aza-dC treatment decreased DNA methylation and upregulated the expression of GABRD in the NAc, whereas MET had the opposite effect. Our results also reveal that 5-Aza-dC might alter the methylation landscape of the GABRD gene by directly repressing DNMT1 and DNMT3A expression. Furthermore, reinstatement of heroin-seeking behavior was significantly inhibited by directly overexpressing GABRD and remarkably reinforced by GABRD gene silencing in the NAc. Collectively, these results suggest that targeting the GABRD gene and its methylation might represent a novel pharmacological strategy for treating heroin addiction and relapse.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qingxiao Hong
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo Institute of Microcirculation and Henbane, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Key Laboratory of Addiction Research of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, China
| | - Wenjin Xu
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo Institute of Microcirculation and Henbane, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Key Laboratory of Addiction Research of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, China
| | - Zi Lin
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo Institute of Microcirculation and Henbane, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo Institute of Microcirculation and Henbane, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Weisheng Chen
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo Institute of Microcirculation and Henbane, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Key Laboratory of Addiction Research of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, China
| | - Huaqiang Zhu
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo Institute of Microcirculation and Henbane, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Key Laboratory of Addiction Research of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, China
| | - Miaojun Lai
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo Institute of Microcirculation and Henbane, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Key Laboratory of Addiction Research of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, China
| | - Dingding Zhuang
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo Institute of Microcirculation and Henbane, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Key Laboratory of Addiction Research of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, China
| | - Zemin Xu
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo Institute of Microcirculation and Henbane, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Key Laboratory of Addiction Research of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, China
| | - Dan Fu
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo Institute of Microcirculation and Henbane, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Key Laboratory of Addiction Research of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, China
| | - Wenhua Zhou
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo Institute of Microcirculation and Henbane, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Key Laboratory of Addiction Research of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, China
| | - Huifen Liu
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo Institute of Microcirculation and Henbane, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Key Laboratory of Addiction Research of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo, China
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Gatta E, Grayson DR, Auta J, Saudagar V, Dong E, Chen Y, Krishnan HR, Drnevich J, Pandey SC, Guidotti A. Genome-wide methylation in alcohol use disorder subjects: implications for an epigenetic regulation of the cortico-limbic glucocorticoid receptors (NR3C1). Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:1029-1041. [PMID: 31239533 PMCID: PMC6930366 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0449-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Revised: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Environmental factors, including substance abuse and stress, cause long-lasting changes in the regulation of gene expression in the brain via epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation. We examined genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in the prefrontal cortex (PFC, BA10) of 25 pairs of control and individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD), using the Infinium® MethylationEPIC BeadChip. We identified 5254 differentially methylated CpGs (pnominal < 0.005). Bioinformatic analyses highlighted biological processes containing genes related to stress adaptation, including the glucocorticoid receptor (encoded by NR3C1). Considering that alcohol is a stressor, we focused our attention on differentially methylated regions of the NR3C1 gene and validated the differential methylation of several genes in the NR3C1 network. Chronic alcohol drinking results in a significant increased methylation of the NR3C1 exon variant 1H, with a particular increase in the levels of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine over 5-methylcytosine. These changes in DNA methylation were associated with reduced NR3C1 mRNA and protein expression levels in PFC, as well as other cortico-limbic regions of AUD subjects when compared with controls. Furthermore, we show that the expression of several stress-responsive genes (e.g., CRF, POMC, and FKBP5) is altered in the PFC of AUD subjects. These stress-response genes were also changed in the hippocampus, a region that is highly susceptible to stress. These data suggest that alcohol-dependent aberrant DNA methylation of NR3C1 and consequent changes in other stress-related genes might be fundamental in the pathophysiology of AUD and lay the groundwork for treatments targeting the epigenetic mechanisms regulating NR3C1 in AUD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Gatta
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Dennis R. Grayson
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - James Auta
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Vikram Saudagar
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Erbo Dong
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Ying Chen
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Harish R. Krishnan
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Jenny Drnevich
- grid.35403.310000 0004 1936 9991High-Performance Biological Computing, Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL USA
| | - Subhash C. Pandey
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL USA ,grid.280892.9Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Alessandro Guidotti
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Thaulow J, Song Y, Lindeman LC, Kamstra JH, Lee Y, Xie L, Aleström P, Salbu B, Tollefsen KE. Epigenetic, transcriptional and phenotypic responses in Daphnia magna exposed to low-level ionizing radiation. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 190:109930. [PMID: 32738623 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Ionizing radiation is known to induce oxidative stress and DNA damage as well as epigenetic effects in aquatic organisms. Epigenetic changes can be part of the adaptive responses to protect organisms from radiation-induced damage, or act as drivers of toxicity pathways leading to adverse effects. To investigate the potential roles of epigenetic mechanisms in low-dose ionizing radiation-induced stress responses, an ecologically relevant crustacean, adult Daphnia magna were chronically exposed to low and medium level external 60Co gamma radiation ranging from 0.4, 1, 4, 10, and 40 mGy/h for seven days. Biological effects at the molecular (global DNA methylation, histone modification, gene expression), cellular (reactive oxygen species formation), tissue/organ (ovary, gut and epidermal histology) and organismal (fecundity) levels were investigated using a suite of effect assessment tools. The results showed an increase in global DNA methylation associated with loci-specific alterations of histone H3K9 methylation and acetylation, and downregulation of genes involved in DNA methylation, one-carbon metabolism, antioxidant defense, DNA repair, apoptosis, calcium signaling and endocrine regulation of development and reproduction. Temporal changes of reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation were also observed with an apparent transition from ROS suppression to induction from 2 to 7 days after gamma exposure. The cumulative fecundity, however, was not significantly changed by the gamma exposure. On the basis of the new experimental evidence and existing knowledge, a hypothetical model was proposed to provide in-depth mechanistic understanding of the roles of epigenetic mechanisms in low dose ionizing radiation induced stress responses in D. magna.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jens Thaulow
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, N-0349, Oslo, Norway; Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - You Song
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, N-0349, Oslo, Norway; Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway.
| | - Leif C Lindeman
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Jorke H Kamstra
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, PO Box 80177, NL-3508 TD, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - YeonKyeong Lee
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway; Faculty of BioSciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Li Xie
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, N-0349, Oslo, Norway; Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway; Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Peter Aleström
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Brit Salbu
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway; Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Knut Erik Tollefsen
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, N-0349, Oslo, Norway; Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway; Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Bohnsack JP, Pandey SC. Histone modifications, DNA methylation, and the epigenetic code of alcohol use disorder. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2020; 156:1-62. [PMID: 33461661 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite AUD's substantial contributions to lost economic productivity and quality of life, there are only a limited number of approved drugs for treatment of AUD in the United States. This chapter will update progress made on the epigenetic basis of AUD, with particular focus on histone post-translational modifications and DNA methylation and how these two epigenetic mechanisms interact to contribute to neuroadaptive processes leading to initiation, maintenance and progression of AUD pathophysiology. We will also evaluate epigenetic therapeutic strategies that have arisen from preclinical models of AUD and epigenetic biomarkers that have been discovered in human populations with AUD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John Peyton Bohnsack
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Gatta E, Saudagar V, Auta J, Grayson DR, Guidotti A. Epigenetic landscape of stress surfeit disorders: Key role for DNA methylation dynamics. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2020; 156:127-183. [PMID: 33461662 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Chronic exposure to stress throughout lifespan alters brain structure and function, inducing a maladaptive response to environmental stimuli, that can contribute to the development of a pathological phenotype. Studies have shown that hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction is associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders, including major depressive, alcohol use and post-traumatic stress disorders. Downstream actors of the HPA axis, glucocorticoids are critical mediators of the stress response and exert their function through specific receptors, i.e., the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), highly expressed in stress/reward-integrative pathways. GRs are ligand-activated transcription factors that recruit epigenetic actors to regulate gene expression via DNA methylation, altering chromatin structure and thus shaping the response to stress. The dynamic interplay between stress response and epigenetic modifiers suggest DNA methylation plays a key role in the development of stress surfeit disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Gatta
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Vikram Saudagar
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - James Auta
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Dennis R Grayson
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Alessandro Guidotti
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Gatta E, Guidotti A, Saudagar V, Grayson DR, Aspesi D, Pandey SC, Pinna G. Epigenetic Regulation of GABAergic Neurotransmission and Neurosteroid Biosynthesis in Alcohol Use Disorder. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2020; 24:130-141. [PMID: 32968808 PMCID: PMC7883893 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyaa073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing brain disorder. GABAA receptor (GABAAR) subunits are a target for the pharmacological effects of alcohol. Neurosteroids play an important role in the fine-tuning of GABAAR function in the brain. Recently, we have shown that AUD is associated with changes in DNA methylation mechanisms. However, the role of DNA methylation in the regulation of neurosteroid biosynthesis and GABAergic neurotransmission in AUD patients remains under-investigated. METHODS In a cohort of postmortem brains from 20 male controls and AUD patients, we investigated the expression of GABAAR subunits and neurosteroid biosynthetic enzymes and their regulation by DNA methylation mechanisms. Neurosteroid levels were quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS The α 2 subunit expression was reduced due to increased DNA methylation at the gene promoter region in the cerebellum of AUD patients, a brain area particularly sensitive to the effects of alcohol. Alcohol-induced alteration in GABAAR subunits was also observed in the prefrontal cortex. Neurosteroid biosynthesis was also affected with reduced cerebellar expression of the 18kDa translocator protein and 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase mRNAs. Notably, increased DNA methylation levels were observed at the promoter region of 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. These changes were associated with markedly reduced levels of allopregnanolone and pregnanolone in the cerebellum. CONCLUSION Given the key role of neurosteroids in modulating the strength of GABAAR-mediated inhibition, our data suggest that alcohol-induced impairments in GABAergic neurotransmission might be profoundly impacted by reduced neurosteroid biosynthesis most likely via DNA hypermethylation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Gatta
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Alessandro Guidotti
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois,Correspondence: Dr Alessandro Guidotti, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute - Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1601 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612 ()
| | - Vikram Saudagar
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Dennis R Grayson
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Dario Aspesi
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois,Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Graziano Pinna
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Dulman RS, Wandling GM, Pandey SC. Epigenetic mechanisms underlying pathobiology of alcohol use disorder. CURRENT PATHOBIOLOGY REPORTS 2020; 8:61-73. [PMID: 33747641 DOI: 10.1007/s40139-020-00210-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of review Chronic alcohol use is a worldwide problem with multifaceted consequences including multiplying medical costs and sequelae, societal effects like drunk driving and assault, and lost economic productivity. These large-scale outcomes are driven by the consumption of ethanol, a small permeable molecule that has myriad effects in the human body, particularly in the liver and brain. In this review, we have summarized effects of acute and chronic alcohol consumption on epigenetic mechanisms that may drive pathobiology of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) while identifying areas of need for future research. Recent findings Epigenetics has emerged as an interesting field of biology at the intersection of genetics and the environment, and ethanol in particular has been identified as a potent modulator of the epigenome with various effects on DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs. These changes alter chromatin dynamics and regulate gene expression that contribute to behavioral and physiological changes leading to the development of AUD psychopathology and cancer pathology. Summary Evidence and discussion presented here from preclinical results and available translational studies have increased our knowledge of the epigenetic effects of alcohol consumption. These studies have identified targets that can be used to develop better therapies to reduce chronic alcohol abuse and mitigate its societal burden and pathophysiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Russell S Dulman
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Gabriela M Wandling
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.,Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Zhu T, Brown AP, Ji H. The Emerging Role of Ten-Eleven Translocation 1 in Epigenetic Responses to Environmental Exposures. Epigenet Insights 2020; 13:2516865720910155. [PMID: 32166220 PMCID: PMC7054729 DOI: 10.1177/2516865720910155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Mounting evidence from epidemiological studies and animal models has linked exposures to environmental factors to changes in epigenetic markers, especially in DNA methylation. These epigenetic changes may lead to dysregulation of molecular processes and functions and mediate the impact of environmental exposures in complex diseases. However, detailed molecular events that result in epigenetic changes following exposures remain unclear. Here, we review the emerging evidence supporting a critical role of ten-eleven translocation 1 (TET1) in mediating these processes. Targeting TET1 and its associated pathways may have therapeutic potential in alleviating negative impacts of environmental exposures, preventing and treating exposure-related diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tao Zhu
- California National Primate Research
Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Anthony P Brown
- California National Primate Research
Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Hong Ji
- California National Primate Research
Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology &
Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA,
USA
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Navik U, Sheth VG, Kabeer SW, Tikoo K. Dietary Supplementation of Methyl Donor l-Methionine Alters Epigenetic Modification in Type 2 Diabetes. Mol Nutr Food Res 2019; 63:e1801401. [PMID: 31532875 DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.201801401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 08/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
SCOPE The aim of the current study is to evaluate whether l-methionine supplementation (l-Met-S) improves type 2 diabetes-induced alterations in glucose and lipid metabolism by modulating one-carbon metabolism and methylation status. METHODS AND RESULTS Diabetes is induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats using high-fat diet and low dose streptozotocin. At the end of study, various biochemical parameters, immunoblotting, qRT-PCR and ChIP-qPCR are performed. The first evidence that l-Met-S activates p-AMPK and SIRT1, very similar to "metformin," is provided. l-Met-S improves the altered key one-carbon metabolites in diabetic rats by modulating methionine adenosyl transferase 1A and cystathione β synthase expression. qRT-PCR shows that l-Met-S alleviates diabetes-induced increase in Forkhead transcription factor 1 expression and thereby regulating genes involved in glucose (G6pc, Pdk4, Pklr) and lipid metabolism (Fasn). Interestingly, l-Met-S inhibits the increased expression of DNMT1 and also prevents methylation of histone H3K36me2 under diabetic condition. ChIP assay shows that persistent increase in abundance of histone H3K36me2 on the promoter region of FOXO1 in diabetic rats and it is recovered by l-Met-S. CONCLUSION The first evidence that dietary supplementation of l-Met prevents diabetes-induced epigenetic alterations and regulating methionine levels can be therapeutically exploited for the treatment of metabolic diseases is provided.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Umashanker Navik
- Laboratory of Epigenetics and Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, S.A.S. Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, 160062, India
| | - Vaibhav G Sheth
- Laboratory of Epigenetics and Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, S.A.S. Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, 160062, India
| | - Shaheen Wasil Kabeer
- Laboratory of Epigenetics and Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, S.A.S. Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, 160062, India
| | - Kulbhushan Tikoo
- Laboratory of Epigenetics and Diseases, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, S.A.S. Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, 160062, India
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Sakharkar AJ, Kyzar EJ, Gavin DP, Zhang H, Chen Y, Krishnan HR, Grayson DR, Pandey SC. Altered amygdala DNA methylation mechanisms after adolescent alcohol exposure contribute to adult anxiety and alcohol drinking. Neuropharmacology 2019; 157:107679. [PMID: 31229451 PMCID: PMC6681823 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Revised: 06/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Binge drinking during adolescence increases the risk for neuropsychiatric disorders including alcoholism in adulthood. DNA methylation in post-mitotic neurons is an important epigenetic modification that plays a crucial role in neurodevelopment. We examined the effects of intermittent ethanol exposure during adolescence on adult behavior and whether DNA methylation changes provide a plausible explanation for the lasting effects of this developmental insult. One hour after last adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE), growth arrest and DNA damage inducible protein 45 (Gadd45a, Gadd45b, and Gadd45g) mRNA expression was increased and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) activity and Dnmt3b expression was decreased in the amygdala as compared to adolescent intermittent saline (AIS) rats. However, AIE rats 24 h after last exposure displayed increased DNMT activity but normalized Gadd45 and Dnmt3b mRNA expression compared to AIS rats. In adulthood, rats exposed to AIE show increased Dnmt3b mRNA expression and DNMT activity, along with decreased Gadd45g mRNA expression in the amygdala. DNA methylation of neuropeptide Y (Npy) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) exon IV is increased in the AIE adult amygdala compared to AIS adult rats. Treatment with the DNMT inhibitor 5-azacytidine (5-azaC) at adulthood normalizes the AIE-induced DNA hypermethylation of Npy and Bdnf exon IV with concomitant reversal of AIE-induced anxiety-like and alcohol-drinking behaviors. These results suggest that binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence leads to dysregulation in DNA methylation mechanisms in the amygdala which may contribute to behavioral phenotypes of anxiety and alcohol use in adulthood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amul J Sakharkar
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Evan J Kyzar
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - David P Gavin
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Huaibo Zhang
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Ying Chen
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Harish R Krishnan
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Dennis R Grayson
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Zhang H, Zhang L, Tang Y, Wang C, Chen Y, Shu J, Zhang K. Systemic screening identifies GABRD, a subunit gene of GABAA receptor as a prognostic marker in adult IDH wild-type diffuse low-grade glioma. Biomed Pharmacother 2019; 118:109215. [PMID: 31545245 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently, no reliable prognostic biomarkers have been identified for adult IDH wild-type (WT) diffuse low grade glioma (LGG). With data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-LGG, we examined the prognostic value of GABAA receptor subunits in adult IDH WT LGG. Using 2016 WHO CNS tumor classification, we re-classified the TCGA-LGG and identified 95 IDH WT patients. Among 16 GABAA receptor subunit genes with RNA-seq data, eight genes showed significantly different expression in IDH WT LGG compared with IDH mutant (MT) cases. Among these genes, only GABRD expression was related to overall survival (OS) status. Preserved GABRD expression was independently associated with longer OS (HR: 0.799, 95%CI: 0.691-0.925, p = 0.003) in IDH WT LGG. GABRD expression showed a moderately negative correlation with tumor infiltration macrophage (TIM) and CSF1 expression. The methylation status of 34 CpG sites across GABRD gene was checked and only cg13916816 showed a moderately negative correlation with GABRD expression. In conclusion, GABRD expression might serve as a potential independent prognostic marker in patients with IDH WT LGG. Meanwhile, its expression was negatively correlated with the extent of TIM, which might help to explain the favorable survival outcome. Cg13916816 might be a critical CpG site influencing GABRD expression in IDH WT LGG.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hongwei Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Lixia Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Yumin Tang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Chaoji Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Yiding Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Jinjun Shu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China
| | - Kexian Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China.
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Lindeman LC, Thaulow J, Song Y, Kamstra JH, Xie L, Asselman J, Aleström P, Tollefsen KE. Epigenetic, transcriptional and phenotypic responses in two generations of Daphnia magna exposed to the DNA methylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine. ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS 2019; 5:dvz016. [PMID: 31528364 PMCID: PMC6736351 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvz016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 07/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The water flea Daphnia magna is a keystone species in freshwater ecosystems and has been widely used as a model organism in environmental ecotoxicology. This aquatic crustacean is sensitive to environmental stressors and displays considerable plasticity in adapting to changing environmental conditions. Part of this plasticity may be due to epigenetic regulation of gene expression, including changes to DNA methylation and histone modifications. Because of the generally hypomethylated genome of this species, we hypothesized that the histone code may have an essential role in the epigenetic control and that histone modifications might be an early marker for stress. This study aims to characterize the epigenetic, transcriptional and phenotypic responses and their causal linkages in directly exposed adult (F0) Daphnia and peritoneal exposed neonates (F1) after a chronic (7-day) exposure to a sublethal concentration (10 mg/l) of 5-azacytidine, a well-studied vertebrate DNA methylation inhibitor. Exposure of the F0 generation significantly reduced the cumulative fecundity, accompanied with differential expression of genes in the one-carbon-cycle metabolic pathway. In the epigenome of the F0 generation, a decrease in global DNA methylation, but no significant changes on H3K4me3 or H3K27me3, were observed. In the F1 offspring generation, changes in gene expression, a significant reduction in global DNA methylation and changes in histone modifications were identified. The results indicate that exposure during adulthood may result in more pronounced effects on early development in the offspring generation, though interpretation of the data should be carefully done since both the exposure regime and developmental period is different in the two generations examined. The obtained results improve our understanding of crustacean epigenetics and the tools developed may promote use of epigenetic markers in hazard assessment of environmental stressors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leif Christopher Lindeman
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 1432 Ås, Norway
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
- Correspondence address. Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 1432 Ås, Norway. Tel: +47 67232039; Fax: +47 67230691; E-mail:
| | - Jens Thaulow
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research, N-0349 Oslo, Norway
| | - You Song
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research, N-0349 Oslo, Norway
| | - Jorke H Kamstra
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 369 Sentrum, N-0454 Oslo, Norway
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Li Xie
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research, N-0349 Oslo, Norway
| | - Jana Asselman
- Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology and Aquatic Ecology (GhEnToxLab), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Peter Aleström
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 369 Sentrum, N-0454 Oslo, Norway
| | - Knut Erik Tollefsen
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 1432 Ås, Norway
- Centre for Environmental Radioactivity, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research, N-0349 Oslo, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
He Y, de Witte LD, Houtepen LC, Nispeling DM, Xu Z, Yu Q, Yu Y, Hol EM, Kahn RS, Boks MP. DNA methylation changes related to nutritional deprivation: a genome-wide analysis of population and in vitro data. Clin Epigenetics 2019; 11:80. [PMID: 31097004 PMCID: PMC6524251 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-019-0680-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND DNA methylation has recently been identified as a mediator between in utero famine exposure and a range of metabolic and psychiatric traits. However, genome-wide analyses are scarce and cross-sectional analyses are hampered by many potential confounding factors. Moreover, causal relations are hard to identify due to the lack of controlled experimental designs. In the current study, we therefore combined a comprehensive assessment of genome-wide DNA methylation differences in people exposed to the great Chinese famine in utero with an in vitro study in which we deprived fibroblasts of nutrition. METHODS We compared whole blood DNA methylation differences between 25 individuals in utero exposed to famine and 54 healthy control individuals using the HumanMethylation450 platform. In vitro, we analyzed DNA methylation changes in 10 fibroblast cultures that were nutritionally deprived for 72 h by withholding fetal bovine serum. RESULTS We identified three differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in four genes (ENO2, ZNF226, CCDC51, and TMA7) that were related to famine exposure in both analyses. Pathway analysis with data from both Chinese famine samples and fibroblasts highlighted the nervous system and neurogenesis pathways as the most affected by nutritional deprivation. CONCLUSIONS The combination of cross-sectional and experimental data provides indications that biological adaptation to famine leads to DNA methylation changes in genes involved in the central nervous system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yujie He
- Brain Center University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Psychiatry, Utrecht University, A01.468, PO Box 85500, 3508, GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Brain Center University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Translational Neuroscience, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Lot D de Witte
- Brain Center University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Psychiatry, Utrecht University, A01.468, PO Box 85500, 3508, GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, USA
| | - Lotte C Houtepen
- Brain Center University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Psychiatry, Utrecht University, A01.468, PO Box 85500, 3508, GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Danny M Nispeling
- Brain Center University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Psychiatry, Utrecht University, A01.468, PO Box 85500, 3508, GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Zhida Xu
- Brain Center University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Psychiatry, Utrecht University, A01.468, PO Box 85500, 3508, GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Qiong Yu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yaqin Yu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Elly M Hol
- Brain Center University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Translational Neuroscience, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Neuroimmunology, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an Institute of the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1105 BA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - René S Kahn
- Brain Center University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Psychiatry, Utrecht University, A01.468, PO Box 85500, 3508, GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, USA
| | - Marco P Boks
- Brain Center University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Psychiatry, Utrecht University, A01.468, PO Box 85500, 3508, GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Dulman RS, Auta J, Teppen T, Pandey SC. Acute Ethanol Produces Ataxia and Induces Fmr1 Expression via Histone Modifications in the Rat Cerebellum. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019; 43:1191-1198. [PMID: 30969437 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The cerebellum is fundamental for motor coordination and therefore crucial in ethanol (EtOH)-induced ataxia. EtOH contributes to cerebellar pathophysiology. Fragile-X mental retardation protein (FMRP) is a complex regulator of RNA and synaptic plasticity implicated in fragile-X tremor and ataxia syndrome, a phenotype featuring increased Fmr1 mRNA expression. Recent studies have implicated glutamatergic targets of FMRP in hereditary cerebellar ataxias including the main cerebellar excitatory amino acid (Eaa1) transporter and a subtype of metabotropic glutamate receptor (Grm5). However, EtOH-induced changes in cerebellar Fmr1 expression and its epigenetic regulation have not been investigated. Here, we examined the effects of acute EtOH exposure on ataxic behavior, gene expression, and epigenetic regulation of the Fmr1 gene and its glutamatergic targets in the rat cerebellum. METHODS Male adult Sprague Dawley rats received acute EtOH (2 g/kg) intraperitoneally 1 hour prior to ataxic behavioral testing on the accelerating rotarod and were sacrificed immediately thereafter. Cerebellar tissues were analyzed for gene expression and epigenetic regulation of the Fmr1 gene and its glutamatergic targets in the rat cerebellum using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and chromatin immunoprecipitation. RESULTS Acute EtOH exposure caused marked ataxia on the accelerating rotarod test compared with saline-treated controls. This ataxic response was associated with increases in mRNA levels of Fmr1, postsynaptic density 95 (Psd95), Eaa1, and Grm5 in the cerebellum. In addition, we found increased H3K27 acetylation both at the promoter region of Fmr1 and at a proposed cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response-element binding (CREB) site downstream of the Fmr1 transcription start site. Furthermore, acute EtOH exposure significantly increased Creb1 and the histone acetyltransferases (HAT) CREB binding protein (Cbp), and p300 mRNA transcripts. CONCLUSIONS Overall, EtOH regulates cerebellar Fmr1 expression most likely via HAT-mediated increase in histone acetylation. We propose that FMRP regulation of glutamatergic transcripts plays an important role in disrupting the excitatory-inhibitory balance in the cerebellum underlying EtOH-induced ataxia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Russell S Dulman
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - James Auta
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Tara Teppen
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.,Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.,Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Bohnsack JP, Teppen T, Kyzar EJ, Dzitoyeva S, Pandey SC. The lncRNA BDNF-AS is an epigenetic regulator in the human amygdala in early onset alcohol use disorders. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:34. [PMID: 30728347 PMCID: PMC6365546 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0367-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol drinking is known to contribute to the development and severity of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) later in adulthood. Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are critical for brain development and synaptic plasticity. One such lncRNA is natural occurring brain-derived neurotrophic factor antisense (BDNF-AS) that has been shown to regulate BDNF expression. The role of BDNF-AS lncRNA in the molecular mechanisms of AUD is unknown. Here, we evaluated the expression and functional role of BDNF-AS in postmortem amygdala of either early onset or late onset alcoholics (individuals who began drinking before or after 21 years of age, respectively) and age-matched control subjects. BDNF-AS expression is increased in early onset but not in late onset AUD amygdala and appears to be regulated epitranscriptomically via decreased N6-methyladenosine on BDNF-AS. Upregulation of BDNF-AS is associated with a significant decrease in BDNF expression and increased recruitment of EZH2, which deposits repressive H3K27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) at regulatory regions in the BDNF gene in the early onset AUD group. Drinking during adolescence also contributed to significant decreases in activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (ARC) expression which also appeared to be mediated by increased EZH2 deposition of repressive H3K27me3 at the ARC synaptic activity response element. These results suggest an important role for BDNF-AS in the regulation of synaptic plasticity via epigenetic reprogramming in the amygdala of AUD subjects who began drinking during adolescence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John Peyton Bohnsack
- 0000 0001 2175 0319grid.185648.6Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Tara Teppen
- 0000 0001 2175 0319grid.185648.6Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA ,grid.280892.9Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Evan J. Kyzar
- 0000 0001 2175 0319grid.185648.6Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA ,grid.280892.9Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Svetlana Dzitoyeva
- 0000 0001 2175 0319grid.185648.6Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Subhash C. Pandey
- 0000 0001 2175 0319grid.185648.6Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA ,grid.280892.9Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612 USA ,0000 0001 2175 0319grid.185648.6Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Melón LC, Nasman JT, John AS, Mbonu K, Maguire JL. Interneuronal δ-GABA A receptors regulate binge drinking and are necessary for the behavioral effects of early withdrawal. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:425-434. [PMID: 30089884 PMCID: PMC6300562 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0164-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Extensive evidence points to a role for GABAergic signaling in the amygdala in mediating the effects of alcohol, including presynaptic changes in GABA release, suggesting effects on GABAergic neurons. However, the majority of studies focus solely on the effects of alcohol on principal neurons. Here we demonstrate that δ-GABAARs, which have been suggested to confer ethanol sensitivity, are expressed at a high density on parvalbumin (PV) interneurons in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Thus, we hypothesized that δ-GABAARs on PV interneurons may represent both an initial pharmacological target for alcohol and a site for plasticity associated with the expression of various behavioral maladaptations during withdrawal from binge drinking. To investigate this, we used a mouse model of voluntary alcohol intake (Drinking-in-the-Dark-Multiple Scheduled Access) to induce escalating heavy binge drinking and anxiety-like behavior in mice. This pattern of intake was associated with increased δ protein expression on parvalbumin positive interneurons in both the BLA and hippocampus. Loss of δ-GABAARs specifically in PV interneurons (PV:δ-/-) increased binge drinking behavior, reduced sensitivity to alcohol-induced motor incoordination, enhanced sensitivity to alcohol-induced hyperlocomotion and blocked the expression of withdrawal from binge drinking. This study is the first to demonstrate a role for δGABAARs specifically in PV-expressing interneurons in modulating binge alcohol intake and withdrawal-induced anxiety.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laverne C. Melón
- 0000 0000 8934 4045grid.67033.31Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111 USA
| | - James T. Nasman
- 0000 0000 8934 4045grid.67033.31Building Diversity in Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111 USA
| | - Ashley St. John
- 0000 0000 8934 4045grid.67033.31Building Diversity in Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111 USA
| | - Kenechukwu Mbonu
- 0000 0000 8934 4045grid.67033.31Building Diversity in Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111 USA
| | - Jamie L. Maguire
- 0000 0000 8934 4045grid.67033.31Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111 USA
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Dong E, Locci V, Gatta E, Grayson DR, Guidotti A. N-Phthalyl-l-Tryptophan (RG108), like Clozapine (CLO), Induces Chromatin Remodeling in Brains of Prenatally Stressed Mice. Mol Pharmacol 2018; 95:62-69. [PMID: 30397000 PMCID: PMC6277925 DOI: 10.1124/mol.118.113415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SZ), schizoaffective (SZA), and bipolar (BP) disorder are neurodevelopmental psychopathological conditions related, in part, to genetic load and, in part, to environmentally induced epigenetic dysregulation of chromatin structure and function in neocortical GABAergic, glutamatergic, and monoaminergic neurons. To test the above hypothesis, we targeted our scientific efforts on identifying whether the molecular epigenetic signature of postmortem brains of patients with SZ, SZA, and BP disorder are also present in the brains of adult mice born from dams prenatally restraint stressed (PRS) during gestation. The brains of PRS mice, which are similar to the brains of patients with SZ and BP disorder, show an ∼2-fold increased binding of DNMT1 to psychiatric candidate promoters (glutamic acid decarboxylase 67, Reelin, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor), leading to their hypermethylation, reduced expression, as well as the behavioral endophenotypes reminiscent of those observed in the above psychiatric disorders. To establish whether clozapine (CLO) produces its behavioral and molecular action through a causal involvement of DNA methylation/demethylation processes, we compared the epigenetic action of CLO with that of the DNMT1 competitive inhibitor N-phthalyl-l-tryptophan (RG108). The intracerebroventricular injection of RG108 (20 nmol/day per 5 days), similar to the systemic administration of CLO, corrects the altered behavioral and molecular endophenotypes that are typical of PRS mice. These results are consistent with an epigenetic etiology underlying the behavioral endophenotypic profile in PRS mice. Further, it suggests that PRS mice may be useful in the preclinical screening of antipsychotic drugs acting to correct altered epigenetic mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erbo Dong
- The Psychiatric Institute, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Valentina Locci
- The Psychiatric Institute, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Eleonora Gatta
- The Psychiatric Institute, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Dennis R Grayson
- The Psychiatric Institute, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Alessandro Guidotti
- The Psychiatric Institute, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Savarese AM, Lasek AW. Transcriptional Regulators as Targets for Alcohol Pharmacotherapies. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2018; 248:505-533. [PMID: 29594350 PMCID: PMC6242703 DOI: 10.1007/164_2018_101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing brain disease that currently afflicts over 15 million adults in the United States. Despite its prevalence, there are only three FDA-approved medications for AUD treatment, all of which show limited efficacy. Because of their ability to alter expression of a large number of genes, often with great cell-type and brain-region specificity, transcription factors and epigenetic modifiers serve as promising new targets for the development of AUD treatments aimed at the neural circuitry that underlies chronic alcohol abuse. In this chapter, we will discuss transcriptional regulators that can be targeted pharmacologically and have shown some efficacy in attenuating alcohol consumption when targeted. Specifically, the transcription factors cyclic AMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), and glucocorticoid receptor (GR), as well as the epigenetic enzymes, the DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs), will be discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy W. Lasek
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago,Corresponding author: 1601 West Taylor Street, MC 912, Chicago, IL 60612, Tel: (312) 355-1593,
| |
Collapse
|