1
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Koh AP, Smith MI, Dando R. Bitter taste function-related genes are implicated in the behavioral association between taste preference and ethanol preference in male mice. Physiol Behav 2024; 276:114473. [PMID: 38262572 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114473] [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: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder in humans is highly heritable, and as a term is synonymous with alcoholism, alcohol dependence, and alcohol addiction. Defined by the NIAAA as a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences, the genetic basis of alcohol dependence is much studied. However, an intriguing component to alcohol acceptance exists outside of genetics or social factors. In fact, mice of identical genetic backgrounds without any prior experience of tasting ethanol display widely varying preferences to it, far beyond those seen for typical taste solutions. Here, we hypothesized that a preference for ethanol, which tastes both bitter and sweet to humans, would be influenced by taste function. Using a mouse model of taste behavior, we tested preferences for bitter and sweet in mice that, without training or previous experience, either preferred or avoided ethanol solutions in consumption trials. Data showed clear sex differences, in which male mice that preferred ethanol also preferred a bitter quinine solution, whereas female mice that preferred ethanol also preferred a sweet sucralose solution. Male mice preferring ethanol also exhibited lower expression levels of mRNA for genes encoding the bitter taste receptors T2R26 and T2R37, and the bitter transducing G-protein subunit GNAT3, suggesting that the higher ethanol preference observed in the male mice may be due to bitter signaling, including that arising from ethanol, being weaker in this group. Results further support links between ethanol consumption and taste response, and may be relevant to substance abuse issues in human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna P Koh
- Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States
| | - Molly I Smith
- Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States
| | - Robin Dando
- Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States.
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2
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Tousley AR, Yeh PWL, Yeh HH. Precocious emergence of cognitive and synaptic dysfunction in 3xTg-AD mice exposed prenatally to ethanol. Alcohol 2023; 107:56-72. [PMID: 36038084 PMCID: PMC10183974 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2022.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, affecting approximately 50 million people worldwide. Early life risk factors for AD, including prenatal exposures, remain underexplored. Exposure of the fetus to alcohol (ethanol) is not uncommon during pregnancy, and may result in physical, behavioral, and cognitive changes that are first detected during childhood but result in lifelong challenges. Whether or not prenatal ethanol exposure may contribute to Alzheimer's disease risk is not yet known. Here we exposed a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (3xTg-AD), bearing three dementia-associated transgenes, presenilin1 (PS1M146V), human amyloid precursor protein (APPSwe), and human tau (TauP301S), to ethanol on gestational days 13.5-16.5 using an established binge-type maternal ethanol exposure paradigm. We sought to investigate whether prenatal ethanol exposure resulted in a precocious onset or increased severity of AD progression, or both. We found that a brief binge-type gestational exposure to ethanol during a period of peak neuronal migration to the developing cortex resulted in an earlier onset of spatial memory deficits and behavioral inflexibility in the progeny, as assessed by performance on the modified Barnes maze task. The observed cognitive changes coincided with alterations to both GABAergic and glutamatergic synaptic transmission in layer V/VI neurons, diminished GABAergic interneurons, and increased β-amyloid accumulation in the medial prefrontal cortex. These findings provide the first preclinical evidence for prenatal ethanol exposure as a potential factor for modifying the onset of AD-like behavioral dysfunction and set the groundwork for more comprehensive investigations into the underpinnings of AD-like cognitive changes in individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adelaide R Tousley
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States; MD-PhD Program, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth; Integrative Neuroscience at Dartmouth Graduate Program, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Pamela W L Yeh
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States
| | - Hermes H Yeh
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, United States.
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3
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Marshall SA, Robinson SL, Ebert SE, Companion MA, Thiele TE. Chemogenetic inhibition of corticotropin-releasing factor neurons in the central amygdala alters binge-like ethanol consumption in male mice. Behav Neurosci 2022; 136:541-550. [PMID: 35771510 PMCID: PMC9671851 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000522] [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] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Repetitive bouts of binge drinking can lead to neuroplastic events that alter ethanol's pharmacologic effects and perpetuate excessive consumption. The corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system is an example of ethanol-induced neuroadaptations that drive excessive ethanol consumption. Our laboratory has previously shown that CRF antagonist, when infused into the central amygdala (CeA), reduces binge-like ethanol consumption. The present study extends this research by assessing the effects of silencing CRF-producing neurons in CeA on binge-like ethanol drinking stemming from "Drinking in the Dark" (DID) procedures. CRF-ires-Cre mice underwent surgery to infuse Gi/o-coupled Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD) virus or a control virus into either the CeA or basolateral amygdala (BLA). Gi/o-DREADD-induced CRF-neuronal inhibition in the CeA resulted in a 33% decrease in binge-like ethanol consumption. However, no effect on ethanol consumption was seen after DREADD manipulation in the BLA. Moreover, CeA CRF-neuronal inhibition had no effect on sucrose consumption. The effects of silencing CRF neurons in the CeA on ethanol consumption are not secondary to changes in motor function or anxiety-like behaviors as assessed in the open-field test (OFT). Finally, the DREADD construct's functional ability to inhibit CRF-neuronal activity was demonstrated by reduced ethanol-induced c-Fos following DREADD activation. Together, these data suggest that the CRF neurons in the CeA play an important role in binge ethanol consumption and that inhibition of the CRF-signaling pathway remains a viable target for manipulating binge-like ethanol consumption. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Alex Marshall
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Biological & Biomedical Sciences Department, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Stacey L. Robinson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Suzahn E. Ebert
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Michel A. Companion
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Todd E. Thiele
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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4
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Andrade-Gonzalez RD, Perrusquia-Hernández E, Zepeda-Reyes KI, Campos Me H, Perez-Martinez IO. Sensory-motor response elicited by first time intraoral administered ethanol after trigeminal neuropathic injury. Alcohol 2022; 103:9-17. [PMID: 35714863 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2022.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Recent findings have shown a relationship between alcohol use disorders (AUD) and chronic pain. Preclinical models have demonstrated that chronic pain, including trigeminal nerve injury, increases ethanol consumption throughout extended administration periods. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether chronic pain induces a greater susceptibility to developing AUD by altering motor control consumption regardless of the symptomatology of neuropathic pain and if sex influences this susceptibility. We used a former prolonged pain experience model induced by a constriction of the mental nerve (mNC) to answer this question. We analyzed ethanol consumption in a short access protocol to reduce the post-ingestional effects and compared licking microstructure between groups. The constriction of the mental nerve induced evoked and spontaneous pain and reduction in the hedonic value of sucrose. The differences in alcohol consumption were not reflective of the former prolonged pain experience. Female mice showed a more efficient dynamic of consumption of alcohol reflected in a long burst of licking and a less variable licking rate within a cluster.
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Affiliation(s)
- R D Andrade-Gonzalez
- Sección de neurobiología de las sensaciones orales. Laboratorio de Investigación odontológica, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Sección de Neurobiología de las sensaciones orales, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.San Sebastián Xhala, San Sebastián Xhala, 54714 Cuautitlán Izcalli, México; Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina del Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón s/n, Casco de Santo Tomás, Ciudad de México, 11340, México
| | - E Perrusquia-Hernández
- Sección de neurobiología de las sensaciones orales. Laboratorio de Investigación odontológica, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Sección de Neurobiología de las sensaciones orales, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.San Sebastián Xhala, San Sebastián Xhala, 54714 Cuautitlán Izcalli, México; Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina del Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón s/n, Casco de Santo Tomás, Ciudad de México, 11340, México
| | - K I Zepeda-Reyes
- Sección de neurobiología de las sensaciones orales. Laboratorio de Investigación odontológica, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Sección de Neurobiología de las sensaciones orales, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.San Sebastián Xhala, San Sebastián Xhala, 54714 Cuautitlán Izcalli, México; Bioquímica Diagnóstica, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Av. 1ro. De Mayo S/N, Col. Santa María De Las Torres Cuautitlán Izcalli, 54740, Mexico
| | - Hernandez Campos Me
- Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina del Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón s/n, Casco de Santo Tomás, Ciudad de México, 11340, México
| | - I O Perez-Martinez
- Sección de neurobiología de las sensaciones orales. Laboratorio de Investigación odontológica, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Sección de Neurobiología de las sensaciones orales, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.San Sebastián Xhala, San Sebastián Xhala, 54714 Cuautitlán Izcalli, México.
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5
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Hao WZ, Ma QY, Tao G, Huang JQ, Chen JX. Oral coniferyl ferulate attenuated depression symptoms in mice via reshaping gut microbiota and microbial metabolism. Food Funct 2021; 12:12550-12564. [PMID: 34812830 DOI: 10.1039/d1fo02655k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The gut microbiome is known to be involved in depression development. Thus, phytochemicals changing gut microbiota may alleviate depression-like behaviors. Coniferyl ferulate (CF) is a long studied natural product and known to alleviate psychiatric disorders. However, its mechanism of action remains unclear. In this experimental study, oral administration of 50 mg kg-1 CF once daily attenuated weight loss and depression-like and anxiety-like behaviors induced by chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS) in mice. Four weeks of CF administration significantly ameliorated colonic inflammation, lowered the levels of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, and restructured the gut microbiome, and microbial metabolism. Intestinal microbiota can impact the development and function of the brain via the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Therefore, oral administration of CF is a promising nutritional strategy to treat CUMS-induced depression via the regulation of microbiota and microbial metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Zhi Hao
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Formula-Pattern of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
| | - Qing-Yu Ma
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Formula-Pattern of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
| | - Gabriel Tao
- Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, USA
| | - Jun-Qing Huang
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Formula-Pattern of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
| | - Jia-Xu Chen
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Formula-Pattern of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China. .,School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
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6
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Mi T, Mack JO, Lee CM, Zhang YV. Molecular and cellular basis of acid taste sensation in Drosophila. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3730. [PMID: 34140480 PMCID: PMC8211824 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23490-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Acid taste, evoked mainly by protons (H+), is a core taste modality for many organisms. The hedonic valence of acid taste is bidirectional: animals prefer slightly but avoid highly acidic foods. However, how animals discriminate low from high acidity remains poorly understood. To explore the taste perception of acid, we use the fruit fly as a model organism. We find that flies employ two competing taste sensory pathways to detect low and high acidity, and the relative degree of activation of each determines either attractive or aversive responses. Moreover, we establish one member of the fly Otopetrin family, Otopetrin-like a (OtopLa), as a proton channel dedicated to the gustatory detection of acid. OtopLa defines a unique subset of gustatory receptor neurons and is selectively required for attractive rather than aversive taste responses. Loss of otopla causes flies to reject normally attractive low-acid foods. Therefore, the identification of OtopLa as a low-acid sensor firmly supports our competition model of acid taste sensation. Altogether, we have discovered a binary acid-sensing mechanism that may be evolutionarily conserved between insects and mammals. Many animals, including mammals and insects, like slightly acidic yet dislike highly acidic foods, but how animals discriminate low from high acidity is unclear. Here the authors demonstrate that the fruit fly uses an evolutionarily conserved taste receptor to distinguish low from high concentrations of acid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingwei Mi
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - John O Mack
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Christopher M Lee
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yali V Zhang
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,Department of Physiology, The Diabetes Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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7
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Huang T, Ohman LC, Clements AV, Whiddon ZD, Krimm RF. Variable Branching Characteristics of Peripheral Taste Neurons Indicates Differential Convergence. J Neurosci 2021; 41:4850-4866. [PMID: 33875572 PMCID: PMC8260161 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1935-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Taste neurons are functionally and molecularly diverse, but their morphologic diversity remains completely unexplored. Using sparse cell genetic labeling, we provide the first reconstructions of peripheral taste neurons. The branching characteristics across 96 taste neurons show surprising diversity in their complexities. Individual neurons had 1-17 separate arbors entering between one and seven taste buds, 18 of these neurons also innervated non-taste epithelia. Axon branching characteristics are similar in gustatory neurons from male and female mice. Cluster analysis separated the neurons into four groups according to branch complexity. The primary difference between clusters was the amount of the nerve fiber within the taste bud available to contact taste-transducing cells. Consistently, we found that the maximum number of taste-transducing cells capable of providing convergent input onto individual gustatory neurons varied with a range of 1-22 taste-transducing cells. Differences in branching characteristics across neurons indicate that some neurons likely receive input from a larger number of taste-transducing cells than other neurons (differential convergence). By dividing neurons into two groups based on the type of taste-transducing cell most contacted, we found that neurons contacting primarily sour transducing cells were more heavily branched than those contacting primarily sweet/bitter/umami transducing cells. This suggests that neuron morphologies may differ across functional taste quality. However, the considerable remaining variability within each group also suggests differential convergence within each functional taste quality. Each possibility has functional implications for the system.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Taste neurons are considered relay cells, communicating information from taste-transducing cells to the brain, without variation in morphology. By reconstructing peripheral taste neuron morphologies for the first time, we found that some peripheral gustatory neurons are simply branched, and can receive input from only a few taste-transducing cells. Other taste neurons are heavily branched, contacting many more taste-transducing cells than simply branched neurons. Based on the type of taste-transducing cell contacted, branching characteristics are predicted to differ across (and within) quality types (sweet/bitter/umami vs sour). Therefore, functional differences between neurons likely depends on the number of taste-transducing cells providing input and not just the type of cell providing input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Huang
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
| | - Lisa C Ohman
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
| | - Anna V Clements
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
| | - Zachary D Whiddon
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
| | - Robin F Krimm
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
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8
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Lu J, Mao Y, Qi J, Han J, Qin Y. Chronic administration of caffeine alters acesulfame-K intake and features of fungiform taste buds in mice. Int J Food Sci Nutr 2021; 72:1046-1056. [PMID: 33818252 DOI: 10.1080/09637486.2021.1905783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic administration of caffeine on the anatomical characteristics of taste buds, the expression level of taste receptor protein in mice, and preference for a palatable solution. We found that following a 21-day administration of caffeine, mice showed increased behavioural responses to sweet stimuli (acesulfame-K solution). Mirroring this behavioural change, chronic caffeine treatment evidently decreased the maximal cross-sectional area and height of the longitudinal axis of fungiform taste buds, the number of taste cells per fungiform taste bud, and the expression of G protein α-gustducin, while the expression of the sweet taste receptors T1R2 and T1R3 was reversed. Our findings demonstrate that chronic administration of caffeine has an impact on taste sensitivity and changes in taste bud features, which may contribute to the alteration of taste behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiali Lu
- Food Safety Laboratory, School of Food Science and Bioengineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuezhong Mao
- Food Safety Laboratory, School of Food Science and Bioengineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jiaming Qi
- Food Safety Laboratory, School of Food Science and Bioengineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jianzhong Han
- Food Safety Laboratory, School of Food Science and Bioengineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yumei Qin
- Food Safety Laboratory, School of Food Science and Bioengineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China
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9
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Lin C, Inoue M, Li X, Bosak NP, Ishiwatari Y, Tordoff MG, Beauchamp GK, Bachmanov AA, Reed DR. Genetics of mouse behavioral and peripheral neural responses to sucrose. Mamm Genome 2021; 32:51-69. [PMID: 33713179 DOI: 10.1007/s00335-021-09858-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Mice of the C57BL/6ByJ (B6) strain have higher consumption of sucrose, and stronger peripheral neural responses to it, than do mice of the 129P3/J (129) strain. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) responsible for this strain difference and to evaluate the contribution of peripheral taste responsiveness to individual differences in sucrose intake, we produced an intercross (F2) of 627 mice, measured their sucrose consumption in two-bottle choice tests, recorded the electrophysiological activity of the chorda tympani nerve elicited by sucrose in a subset of F2 mice, and genotyped the mice with DNA markers distributed in every mouse chromosome. We confirmed a sucrose consumption QTL (Scon2, or Sac) on mouse chromosome (Chr) 4, harboring the Tas1r3 gene, which encodes the sweet taste receptor subunit TAS1R3 and affects both behavioral and neural responses to sucrose. For sucrose consumption, we also detected five new main-effect QTLs, Scon6 (Chr2), Scon7 (Chr5), Scon8 (Chr8), Scon3 (Chr9), and Scon9 (Chr15), and an epistatically interacting QTL pair Scon4 (Chr1) and Scon3 (Chr9). No additional QTLs for the taste nerve responses to sucrose were detected besides Scon2 (Tas1r3) on Chr4. Identification of the causal genes and variants for these sucrose consumption QTLs may point to novel mechanisms beyond peripheral taste sensitivity that could be harnessed to control obesity and diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cailu Lin
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Masashi Inoue
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology, School of Life Science, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xia Li
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Sonora Quest Laboratories, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | | | - Yutaka Ishiwatari
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Tokyo, Japan
| | | | | | - Alexander A Bachmanov
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA. .,GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, PA, USA.
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10
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Lin C, Tordoff MG, Li X, Bosak NP, Inoue M, Ishiwatari Y, Chen L, Beauchamp GK, Bachmanov AA, Reed DR. Genetic controls of Tas1r3-independent sucrose consumption in mice. Mamm Genome 2021; 32:70-93. [PMID: 33710367 DOI: 10.1007/s00335-021-09860-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
We have previously used crosses between C57BL/6ByJ (B6) and 129P3/J (129) inbred strains to map a quantitative trait locus (QTL) on mouse chromosome (Chr) 4 that affects behavioral and neural responses to sucrose. We have named it the sucrose consumption QTL 2 (Scon2), and shown that it corresponds to the Tas1r3 gene, which encodes a sweet taste receptor subunit TAS1R3. To discover other sucrose consumption QTLs, we have intercrossed B6 inbred and 129.B6-Tas1r3 congenic mice to produce F2 hybrids, in which Scon2 (Tas1r3) does not segregate, and hence does not contribute to phenotypical variation. Chromosome mapping using this F2 intercross identified two main-effect QTLs, Scon3 (Chr9) and Scon10 (Chr14), and an epistatically interacting QTL pair Scon3 (Chr9)-Scon4 (Chr1). Using serial backcrosses, congenic and consomic strains, we conducted high-resolution mapping of Scon3 and Scon4 and analyzed their epistatic interactions. We used mice with different Scon3 or Scon4 genotypes to understand whether these two QTLs influence sucrose intake via gustatory or postoral mechanisms. These studies found no evidence for involvement of the taste mechanisms, but suggested involvement of energy metabolism. Mice with the B6 Scon4 genotype drank less sucrose in two-bottle tests, and also had a higher respiratory exchange ratio and lower energy expenditure under basal conditions (when they had only chow and water available). Our results provide evidence that Scon3 and Scon4 influence mouse-to-mouse variation in sucrose intake and that both likely act through a common postoral mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cailu Lin
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Xia Li
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Sonora Quest Laboratories, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | | | - Masashi Inoue
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology, School of Life Science, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yutaka Ishiwatari
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Ajinomoto Co. Inc, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Longhui Chen
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Tannbach Capital, Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Alexander A Bachmanov
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, PA, USA
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11
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Wolstenholme JT, Younis RM, Toma W, Damaj MI. Adolescent low-dose ethanol drinking in the dark increases ethanol intake later in life in C57BL/6J, but not DBA/2J mice. Alcohol 2020; 89:85-91. [PMID: 32860857 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2020.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol is the most widely used and abused drug among youth in the United States. Youths aged 12-20 years old drink almost 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States, and typically these young people are consuming alcohol in the form of binge drinking. Particularly concerning is that the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder over their lifetime increases the younger one begins to drink. Here we investigated the impact of ethanol drinking in early adolescence on adult ethanol intake using C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. We modeled low-dose drinking in adolescent mice using a modified Drinking in the Dark (DID) model where the total ethanol intake during adolescence was similar between the strains to specifically ask whether low-dose ethanol exposure in the high-alcohol preferring C57BL/6J strain will also lead to increased ethanol intake in adulthood. Our results show that low-dose ethanol drinking in early adolescence dramatically increases adult intake, but only in the alcohol-preferring C57BL/6J strain. Early adolescent ethanol exposure had no effect on ethanol intake in the alcohol-nonpreferring DBA/2J mice. These data add to the growing evidence that low-dose ethanol exposures, below the pharmacologically relevant dose, can also contribute to increased drinking in adulthood, but the effect may be influenced by genetic background.
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12
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Effects of naltrexone on alcohol, sucrose, and saccharin binge-like drinking in C57BL/6J mice: a study with a multiple bottle choice procedure. Behav Pharmacol 2020; 31:256-271. [PMID: 32101989 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Chronic alcohol (ethyl alcohol, EtOH) binging has been associated with long-term neural adaptations that lead to the development of addiction. Many of the neurobiological features of EtOH abuse are shared with other forms of binging, like pathological feeding. The drinking-in-the-dark (DID) paradigm has been used extensively to study the neurobiology of EtOH binge-like drinking due to its ability to promote high intakes relevant to human behavior. DID can also generate high consumption of other tastants, but this procedure has not been fully adapted to study forms of binging behavior that are not alcohol-driven. In the present study, we used a modified version of DID that uses multiple bottle availability to promote even higher levels of EtOH drinking in male C57BL/6J mice and allows a thorough investigation of tastant preferences. We assessed whether administration of systemic naltrexone could reduce binging on EtOH, sucrose, and saccharin separately as well as in combination. Our multiple bottle DID procedure resulted in heightened levels of consumption compared with previously reported data using this task. We found that administration of the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone reduced intakes of preferred, highly concentrated EtOH, sucrose, and saccharin. We also report that naltrexone was able to reduce overall intakes when animals were allowed to self-administer EtOH, sucrose, or saccharin in combination. Our modified DID procedure provides a novel approach to study binging behavior that extends beyond EtOH to other tastants (i.e. sucrose and artificial sweeteners), and has implications for the study of the neuropharmacology of binge drinking.
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Ardinger CE, Grahame NJ, Lapish CC, Linsenbardt DN. High Alcohol-Preferring Mice Show Reaction to Loss of Ethanol Reward Following Repeated Binge Drinking. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 44:1717-1727. [PMID: 32865852 PMCID: PMC8384089 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Beyond yielding high blood ethanol (EtOH) concentrations (BECs), binge-drinking models allow examination of drinking patterns which may be associated with EtOH's rewarding effects, including front-loading and consummatory successive negative contrast (cSNC), a decrease in intake when only water is available to subjects expecting EtOH. The goals of the current study were to broaden our understanding of these reward-related behaviors during binge EtOH access in high alcohol-preferring (HAP) replicate lines (HAP2 and HAP3) of mice selectively bred to prefer alcohol. We hypothesized that both lines would show evidence of front-loading during binge EtOH access and that we would find a cSNC effect in groups where EtOH was replaced with water, as these results have been shown previously in HAP1 mice. METHODS HAP replicate 2 and replicate 3 female and male mice were given 2 hours of EtOH or water access in the home cage for 15 consecutive days using "drinking in the dark" (DID) procedures. Mice received the same fluid (either 20% unsweetened EtOH or water) for the first 14 days. However, on the 15th day, half of the mice from these 2 groups were provided with the opposite assigned fluid (EtOH groups received water and vice versa). Intake was measured in 1-minute bins using specialized sipper tubes, which allowed within-session analyses of binge-drinking patterns. RESULTS EtOH front-loading was observed in both replicates. HAP3 mice displayed front-loading on the first day of EtOH access, whereas front-loading developed following alcohol experience in HAP2 mice, which may suggest differences in initial sensitivity to EtOH reward. Consummatory SNC, which manifests as lower water intake in mice expecting EtOH as compared to mice expecting water, was observed in both replicates. CONCLUSIONS These findings increase confidence that defined changes in home cage consummatory behavior are driven by the incentive value of EtOH. The presence of cSNC across HAP replicates indicates that this reaction to loss of reward is genetically mediated, which suggests that there is a biological mechanism that might be targeted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cherish E Ardinger
- From the, Addiction Neuroscience (CEA, NJG, CCL), Department of Psychology, Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Nicholas J Grahame
- From the, Addiction Neuroscience (CEA, NJG, CCL), Department of Psychology, Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Christopher C Lapish
- From the, Addiction Neuroscience (CEA, NJG, CCL), Department of Psychology, Indiana Alcohol Research Center, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
- Stark Neuroscience Institute (CCL), Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - David N Linsenbardt
- Department of Neurosciences (DNL), School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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14
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Sensing Senses: Optical Biosensors to Study Gustation. SENSORS 2020; 20:s20071811. [PMID: 32218129 PMCID: PMC7180777 DOI: 10.3390/s20071811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The five basic taste modalities, sweet, bitter, umami, salty and sour induce changes of Ca2+ levels, pH and/or membrane potential in taste cells of the tongue and/or in neurons that convey and decode gustatory signals to the brain. Optical biosensors, which can be either synthetic dyes or genetically encoded proteins whose fluorescence spectra depend on levels of Ca2+, pH or membrane potential, have been used in primary cells/tissues or in recombinant systems to study taste-related intra- and intercellular signaling mechanisms or to discover new ligands. Taste-evoked responses were measured by microscopy achieving high spatial and temporal resolution, while plate readers were employed for higher throughput screening. Here, these approaches making use of fluorescent optical biosensors to investigate specific taste-related questions or to screen new agonists/antagonists for the different taste modalities were reviewed systematically. Furthermore, in the context of recent developments in genetically encoded sensors, 3D cultures and imaging technologies, we propose new feasible approaches for studying taste physiology and for compound screening.
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15
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Robinson SL, Thiele TE. A role for the neuropeptide somatostatin in the neurobiology of behaviors associated with substances abuse and affective disorders. Neuropharmacology 2020; 167:107983. [PMID: 32027909 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.107983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, neuropeptides which display potent regulatory control of stress-related behaviors have been extensively demonstrated to play a critical role in regulating behaviors associated with substance abuse and affective disorders. Somatostatin (SST) is one neuropeptide known to significantly contribute to emotionality and stress behaviors. However, the role of SST in regulating behavior has received relatively little attention relative to other stress-involved peptides, such as neuropeptide Y or corticotrophin releasing factor. This review characterizes our current understanding of the role of SST and SST-expressing cells in general in modulating several behaviors intrinsically linked to substance abuse and affective disorders, specifically: anxiety and fear; stress and depression; feeding and drinking; and circadian rhythms. We further summarize evidence of a direct role for the SST system, and specifically somatostatin receptors 2 and 4, in substance abuse disorders. This article is part of the special issue on 'Neuropeptides'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey L Robinson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Todd E Thiele
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA; Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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Cellular and Neural Responses to Sour Stimuli Require the Proton Channel Otop1. Curr Biol 2019; 29:3647-3656.e5. [PMID: 31543453 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The sense of taste allows animals to sample chemicals in the environment prior to ingestion. Of the five basic tastes, sour, the taste of acids, had remained among the most mysterious. Acids are detected by type III taste receptor cells (TRCs), located in taste buds across the tongue and palate epithelium. The first step in sour taste transduction is believed to be entry of protons into the cell cytosol, which leads to cytosolic acidification and the generation of action potentials. The proton-selective ion channel Otop1 is expressed in type III TRCs and is a candidate sour receptor. Here, we tested the contribution of Otop1 to taste cell and gustatory nerve responses to acids in mice in which Otop1 was genetically inactivated (Otop1-KO mice). We first show that Otop1 is required for the inward proton current in type III TRCs from different parts of the tongue that are otherwise molecularly heterogeneous. We next show that in type III TRCs from Otop1-KO mice, intracellular pH does not track with extracellular pH and that moderately acidic stimuli do not elicit trains of action potentials, as they do in type III TRCs from wild-type mice. Moreover, gustatory nerve responses in Otop1-KO mice were severely and selectively attenuated for acidic stimuli, including citric acid and HCl. These results establish that the Otop1 proton channel plays a critical role in acid detection in the mouse gustatory system, evidence that it is a bona fide sour taste receptor.
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17
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Haag M, Wells K, Lamberson W. Genetic basis of voluntary water consumption in two divergently selected strains of inbred mice. Vet Med Sci 2019; 5:569-573. [PMID: 31373779 PMCID: PMC6868448 DOI: 10.1002/vms3.192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Inbred mouse strains with normal renal function show a substantial difference in daily water consumption across strains. This study uses two strains of inbred mice C57BR/CDJ (BR), which are high consumers, and C57BL/10J (BL), which are low consumers, their reciprocal F1 crosses, inter se bred F2s and backcrosses produced by breeding high consuming F2 animals to the low consumer parent strain and low consuming F2 animals to the high consuming parent strain. Consumption was corrected for body weight prior to analysis. Methods The effective number of genes controlling water consumption was estimated using the Castle–Wright estimator. Additive and dominance genotypic values as well as the degree of dominance were calculated using estimated strain means. Results According to Castle–Wright, a minimum of 10 factors were estimated to affect the difference in consumption across the two strains. Between seven and eight are expected to be high effect factors. Using the Zeng adjustment, it was determined that 30–40 factors potentially affect the difference in consumption. Conclusions These numbers were surprising but may be related to several sources of variation present in the BR strain. A negative degree of dominance indicated the BL strain has more dominant factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Haag
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Kevin Wells
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - William Lamberson
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
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18
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Jewkes BC, Gomella MG, Lowry ET, Benner JA, Delay ER. Cyclophosphamide-Induced Disruptions to Appetitive Qualities and Detection Thresholds of NaCl: Comparison of Single-Dose and Dose Fractionation Effects. Chem Senses 2019; 43:399-410. [PMID: 29788185 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjy026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemotherapy is one of the most common treatments for cancer; however, a side effect is often altered taste. This study examined how cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapy drug, affects salt taste in mice. On the basis of previous findings, it was predicted that cyclophosphamide-induced disruptions in salt taste would be observed near days 2-4, 8-12, and 22-24 posttreatment, and that multiple, smaller doses would cause more severe disruptions to taste. To test these predictions, two experiments were performed, one using brief access testing to measure appetitive qualities, and another using operant conditioning to measure detection thresholds. After a single 100 mg/kg cyclophosphamide injection, peak alterations in brief access lick rates were seen near days 5-8 and 15 posttreatment, whereas peak alterations in detection thresholds were seen days 6, 14, and 20 posttreatment. After five 20 mg/kg injections of cyclophosphamide, brief access lick rates revealed disruptions only on postinjection day 8 whereas thresholds appeared to cycle, gradually increased to and decreased from peak elevations on posttreatment days 4, 10, 15, 20, and 23. Although salt taste functions were disrupted by cyclophosphamide, the patterns of these disruptions were less severe and shorter than expected from cell morphology studies, suggesting a functional adjustment to maintain behavioral accuracy. Fractionation of cyclophosphamide dosing had minimum effect on brief access responses but caused longer, cyclic-like disruptions of detection thresholds compared to single-dose administration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Evan T Lowry
- Biology Department, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Joy A Benner
- Biology Department, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Eugene R Delay
- Biology Department, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
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19
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Repeated diazepam administration reversed working memory impairments and glucocorticoid alterations in the prefrontal cortex after short but not long alcohol-withdrawal periods. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2019; 18:665-679. [PMID: 29713956 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-0595-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The study was designed to assess whether repeated administration of diazepam (Valium®, Roche)-a benzodiazepine exerting an agonist action on GABAA receptors-may alleviate both the short (1 week, 1W) and long-term (6 weeks, 6W) deleterious effects of alcohol withdrawal occurring after chronic alcohol consumption (6 months; 12% v/v) in C57/BL6 male mice. More pointedly, we first evidenced that 1W and 6W alcohol-withdrawn mice exhibited working memory deficits in a sequential alternation task, associated with sustained exaggerated corticosterone rise and decreased pCREB levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). In a subsequent experiment, diazepam was administered i.p. for 9 consecutive days (1 injection/day) during the alcohol withdrawal period at decreasing doses ranging from 1.0 mg/kg to 0.25 mg/kg. Diazepam was not detected in the blood of withdrawn mice at the time of memory testing, occurring 24 hours after the last diazepam injection. Repeated diazepam administration significantly improved alternation rates and normalized levels of glucocorticoids and pCREB activity in the PFC in 1W but not in 6W withdrawn mice. Thus, repeated diazepam administration during the alcohol-withdrawal period only transitorily canceled out the working memory impairments and glucocorticoid alterations in the PFC of alcohol-withdrawn animals.
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20
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Yu W, Hwa LS, Makhijani VH, Besheer J, Kash TL. Chronic inflammatory pain drives alcohol drinking in a sex-dependent manner for C57BL/6J mice. Alcohol 2019; 77:135-145. [PMID: 30300665 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences in chronic pain and alcohol abuse are not well understood. The development of rodent models is imperative for investigating the underlying changes behind these pathological states. In the present study, we investigated whether hind paw treatment with the inflammatory agent Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA) could generate hyperalgesia and alter alcohol consumption in male and female C57BL/6J mice. CFA treatment led to greater nociceptive sensitivity for both sexes in the Hargreaves test, and increased alcohol drinking for males in a continuous-access two-bottle choice (CA2BC) paradigm. Regardless of treatment, female mice exhibited greater alcohol drinking than males. Following a 2-h terminal drinking session, CFA treatment failed to produce changes in alcohol drinking, blood ethanol concentration (BEC), and plasma corticosterone (CORT) for both sexes. Two-hour alcohol consumption and CORT was higher in females than males, regardless of CFA treatment. Taken together, these findings have established that male mice are more susceptible to escalations in alcohol drinking when undergoing pain, despite higher levels of total alcohol drinking and CORT in females. Furthermore, the exposure of CFA-treated C57BL/6J mice to the CA2BC drinking paradigm has proven to be a useful model for studying the relationship between chronic pain and alcohol abuse. Future applications of the CFA/CA2BC model should incorporate manipulations of stress signaling and other related biological systems to improve our mechanistic understanding of pain and alcohol interactions.
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21
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No effect of sex on ethanol intake and preference after dopamine transporter (DAT) knockdown in adult mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:1349-1365. [PMID: 30539268 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5144-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Dopamine levels are controlled in part by transport across the cell membrane by the dopamine transporter (DAT), and recent evidence showed that a polymorphism in the gene encoding DAT is associated with alcoholism. However, research in animal models using DAT knockout mice has yielded conflicting results. OBJECTIVES The present study was planned to evaluate the effects of DAT knockdown in the nucleus accumbens (Nacc) on voluntary ethanol consumption and preference in male and female C57BL/6J mice. METHODS For this purpose, animals were stereotaxically injected with DAT siRNA-expressing lentiviral vectors in the Nacc, and using a voluntary, continuous access two-bottle choice model of alcohol, we investigated the importance of accumbal DAT expression in voluntary alcohol intake and preference. We also investigated the effects of DAT knockdown on saccharin and quinine consumption and ethanol metabolism. RESULTS We show that females consumed more alcohol than males. Interestingly, DAT knockdown in the Nacc significantly decreased alcohol intake and preference in both groups, but no significant sex by group interaction was observed. Also, DAT knockdown did not alter total fluid consumption, saccharin or quinine consumption, or blood ethanol concentrations. Using Pearson correlation, results indicated a strong positive relationship between DAT mRNA expression and ethanol consumption and preference. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these data provide further evidence that DAT plays an important role in controlling ethanol intake and that accumbal DAT contributes in the modulation of the reinforcing effects of ethanol. Overall, the results suggest that DAT inhibitors may be valuable in the pharmacotherapy of alcoholism.
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22
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Ranger M, Tremblay S, Chau CMY, Holsti L, Grunau RE, Goldowitz D. Adverse Behavioral Changes in Adult Mice Following Neonatal Repeated Exposure to Pain and Sucrose. Front Psychol 2019; 9:2394. [PMID: 30719013 PMCID: PMC6348336 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Sucrose is recommended for the treatment of pain during minor procedures in preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and is currently used worldwide as the standard of care. We recently reported that adult mice repetitively exposed to sucrose compared to water during the first week of life, irrespective of exposure to an intervention, had significantly smaller brain volumes in large white matter, cortical and subcortical structures (e.g., hippocampus, striatum, fimbria). These structures are important for stress regulation and memory formation. Here, we report the effects of repeated neonatal exposure to pain and sucrose on adult behavior in mice. Neonatal C57BL/6J mice (N = 160, 47% male) were randomly assigned to one of two treatments (sucrose, water) and one of three interventions (needle-prick, tactile, handling). Pups received 10 interventions daily from postnatal day 1 (P1) to P6. A single dose of 24% sucrose or water was given orally 2 min before each intervention. At adulthood (P60-85) mice underwent behavioral testing to assess spatial memory, anxiety, motor function, pain sensitivity, and sugar preference. We found that mice that had received sucrose and handling only, had poorer short-term memory in adulthood compared to water/handling controls (p < 0.05). When exposed to pain, mice treated with repetitive sucrose or water did not differ on memory performance (p = 0.1). A sugar preference test showed that adult mice that received sucrose before an intervention as pups consumed less sugar solution compared to controls or those that received water before pain (p < 0.05). There were no significant group differences in anxiety, motor, or pain sensitivity. In a mouse model that closely mimics NICU care, we show for the first time that memory in adulthood was poorer for mice exposed to pain during the first week of life, irrespective of sucrose treatment, suggesting that sucrose does not protect memory performance when administered for pain. In the absence of pain, early repetitive sucrose exposure induced poorer short-term memory, highlighting the importance of accurate pain assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon Ranger
- School of Nursing, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Sophie Tremblay
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,CHU Ste-Justine Research Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Cecil M Y Chau
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Liisa Holsti
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Ruth E Grunau
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Daniel Goldowitz
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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van der Vaart A, Meng X, Bowers MS, Batman AM, Aliev F, Farris SP, Hill JS, Green TA, Dick D, Wolstenholme JT, Miles MF. Glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta regulates ethanol consumption and is a risk factor for alcohol dependence. Neuropsychopharmacology 2018; 43:2521-2531. [PMID: 30188517 PMCID: PMC6224501 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0202-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how ethanol actions on brain signal transduction and gene expression lead to excessive consumption and addiction could identify new treatments for alcohol dependence. We previously identified glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta (Gsk3b) as a member of a highly ethanol-responsive gene network in mouse medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Gsk3b has been implicated in dendritic function, synaptic plasticity and behavioral responses to other drugs of abuse. Here, we investigate Gsk3b in rodent models of ethanol consumption and as a risk factor for human alcohol dependence. Stereotactic viral vector gene delivery overexpression of Gsk3b in mouse mPFC increased 2-bottle choice ethanol consumption, which was blocked by lithium, a known GSK3B inhibitor. Further, Gsk3b overexpression increased anxiety-like behavior following abstinence from ethanol. Protein or mRNA expression studies following Gsk3b over-expression identified synaptojanin 2, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and the neuropeptide Y Y5 receptor as potential downstream factors altering ethanol behaviors. Rat operant studies showed that selective pharmacologic inhibition of GSK3B with TDZD-8 dose-dependently decreased motivation to self-administer ethanol and sucrose and selectively blocked ethanol relapse-like behavior. In set-based and gene-wise genetic association analysis, a GSK3b-centric gene expression network had significant genetic associations, at a gene and network level, with risk for alcohol dependence in humans. These mutually reinforcing cross-species findings implicate GSK3B in neurobiological mechanisms controlling ethanol consumption, and as both a potential risk factor and therapeutic target for alcohol dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew van der Vaart
- Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Xianfang Meng
- Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - M Scott Bowers
- Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
- Departments of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
- VCU Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Angela M Batman
- Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Fazil Aliev
- VCU Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
- Departments of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
- College Behavioral and Emotional Health Institute, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Sean P Farris
- Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Jennifer S Hill
- Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Thomas A Green
- Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | | | - Jennifer T Wolstenholme
- Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
- VCU Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Michael F Miles
- Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA.
- VCU Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA.
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Grim TW, Jinhong Park S, Schmid CL, Laprairie RB, Cameron M, Bohn LM. The effect of quinine in two bottle choice procedures in C57BL6 mice: Opioid preference, somatic withdrawal, and pharmacokinetic outcomes. Drug Alcohol Depend 2018; 191:195-202. [PMID: 30138791 PMCID: PMC6317844 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.05.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Revised: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Previous reports assessing morphine effects in two bottle choice (TBC) paradigms often use taste adulterants such as sweeteners (e.g., saccharin) and/or bitterants (e.g., quinine) to demonstrate morphine preference with C57BL6 mice. The effect of these additional components on the morphine preference of C57BL6 remains poorly understood. Thus, we sought to elucidate the interrelationship of morphine and quinine in the TBC paradigm. As expected, when morphine was included in the opposite bottle from quinine, a preference for the morphine solution was observed. Conversely, when quinine was included in each bottle, or when fentanyl without quinine was used, no preference was observed. All opioid-drinking mice displayed withdrawal signs, and morphine was detectable in plasma and brain. When these results were compared to previous results via conversion to quinine preference scores, quinine was revealed to determine largely the measured morphine preference. Thus, quinine is effective to drive morphine consumption and engender dependence but may confound the ability to measure oral abuse liability of morphine. Together, these results suggest future TBC procedures should consider the effect of quinine upon measured preference for compounds in the opposite bottle, and that excessively high quinine concentrations appear to influence preference more so than the opposite solute when using C57BL6 mice. Alternative conditions to assess oral abuse liability may be necessary to complement and confirm results from TBC experiments utilizing morphine or other opioids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis W Grim
- The Scripps Research Institute, 110 Scripps Way, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA.
| | | | - Cullen L. Schmid
- The Scripps Research Institute, 110 Scripps Way, Jupiter, FL 33458 USA
| | | | - Michael Cameron
- The Scripps Research Institute, 110 Scripps Way, Jupiter, FL, 33458, USA.
| | - Laura M. Bohn
- The Scripps Research Institute, 110 Scripps Way, Jupiter, FL 33458 USA
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25
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Haag MT, Wells KD, Lamberson WR. Genetic, maternal, and heterosis effects on voluntary water consumption in mice. J Anim Sci 2018; 96:3055-3063. [PMID: 29860467 DOI: 10.1093/jas/sky218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In standard laboratory conditions, inbred mouse strains with normal kidney function show a 4-fold range of daily water consumption. This study uses two strains of inbred mice identified as high and low consumers, their reciprocal F1 crosses, and inter se bred F2s. Daily consumption data were collected on 607 animals for 4 d during the 4th, 5th, and 6th wk using custom water bottles. Animals were weighed at the beginning of the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th wk. Consumption data were corrected for metabolic BW (Bwt0.67) prior to analysis, so units of water consumption are expressed in mL consumed per gram of Bwt0.67 per day. Variables BW and water consumption were fitted to a mixed model including the effects of sex, strain, and their interaction with sire within strain fitted as a random effect. Contrasts were designed to test the direct genetic, maternal genetic, individual heterosis, and maternal heterosis effects. An interaction (P < 0.0001) was observed between sex and strain so all analyses were conducted separately for each sex. C57Brown/CDJ animals (Brown) consumed more water than C57Black/10J animals (Black) (P < 0.0001). A maternal effect (P = 0.036, P = 0.029) was observed in males at the 4th and 5th wk as F1 animals with a Black dam (F1Black) consumed less than F1 animals with a Brown dam (F1Brown) males. No significant heterosis effect was observed for water consumption. For weight analysis, Black animals were significantly larger than Brown animals at 28 d (males P = 0.004, females P = 0.026), but no difference was observed the remainder of the trial. Further, F1Brown females were significantly smaller than F1Black females at 28 d (P < 0.0001) and F1Brown males tended to be smaller than F1Black males (P = 0.078). Animals from the reciprocal F1 crosses showed an increase in birth weight (P < 0.0001) over pure strains. These strains form the foundation stock of an experiment designed to isolate genes influencing water consumption by reciprocal backcrossing and selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria T Haag
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO
| | - Kevin D Wells
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO
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Kermanizadeh A, Jacobsen NR, Roursgaard M, Loft S, Møller P. Hepatic Hazard Assessment of Silver Nanoparticle Exposure in Healthy and Chronically Alcohol Fed Mice. Toxicol Sci 2018; 158:176-187. [PMID: 28453772 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfx080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) are currently among one of the most widely used nanomaterials. This in turn, implies an increased risk of human and environmental exposure. Alcohol abuse is a global issue with millions of people in the general population affected by the associated adverse effects. The excessive consumption of alcohol is a prominent cause of chronic liver disease which manifest in multiple disorders. In this study, the adverse health effects of Ag NP exposure were investigated in models of alcoholic hepatic disease in vitro and in vivo. The data showed that Ag NP induced hepatic health effects were aggravated in the alcohol pretreated mice in comparison to controls with regards to an organ specific inflammatory response, changes in blood biochemistry, acute phase response and hepatic pathology. In addition, alcoholic disease influenced the organ's ability for recovery post-NP challenge. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the in vivo data correlated well with in vitro findings where ethanol pretreatment of hepatocytes resulted in significantly increased inflammatory response post-Ag NP exposure. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study of its kind to investigate nano-sized material-induced hepatic pathology in models representative of susceptible individuals (those with pre-existing alcohol liver disease) within the population. This is an area of research in the field of nanotoxicology, and in particular with regard to NP risk assessment that is almost entirely overlooked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Kermanizadeh
- Department of Public Health, Section of Environmental Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nicklas R Jacobsen
- National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Martin Roursgaard
- Department of Public Health, Section of Environmental Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Steffen Loft
- Department of Public Health, Section of Environmental Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peter Møller
- Department of Public Health, Section of Environmental Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Olney JJ, Marshall SA, Thiele TE. Assessment of depression-like behavior and anhedonia after repeated cycles of binge-like ethanol drinking in male C57BL/6J mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2018; 168:1-7. [PMID: 29550387 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2018.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Psychological depression is frequently linked to alcohol abuse and even serves as key indicators of an alcohol use disorder (AUD). This relationship is supported by preclinical findings in which depression-like phenotypes develop in animals exposed to chronic intermittent ethanol vapor, a common preclinical model of alcohol dependence. However, the emergence of these maladaptive phenotypes following repeated binge-like ethanol drinking remains relatively unexplored. The purpose of this study was to evaluate depression-like behaviors associated with binge-like consumption in mice. Using the drinking-in-the-dark (DID) paradigm, we examined the impact of multiple binge-like cycles (1, 3, or 6) on depression-like behaviors in the forced swim test (FST) and sucrose preference as a test for anhedonia. We also assessed the effect of repeated binge cycles on the consumption of bitter and sweet tastants over a range of concentrations. Results indicated that binge-like ethanol drinking did not lead to depression-like behavior as repeated cycles of DID did not alter sucrose consumption or preference nor did it impact time spent immobile during the FST. Animals that experienced six cycles of DID showed increased quinine consumption and increased quinine preference, which may be indicative of an escalated preference for tastants that resemble the gustatory aspects of ethanol. Interestingly, an unexpected ~20% increase in hypermobility was observed after three cycles of binge-like ethanol drinking. Although the FST is most frequently used to model depression-like behavior, emerging evidence suggests that increased hypermobility during the FST could be indicative of an inability to cope in a stressful situation, suggesting that repeated ethanol exposure in the present experiment transiently enhances stress reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey J Olney
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - S Alex Marshall
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Fred P. Wilson School of Pharmacy, High Point University, High Point, NC, USA
| | - Todd E Thiele
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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Abstract
Chronic pain conditions are often comorbid with alcohol abuse. "Self-medication" with alcohol introduces a host of problems associated with the abuse of alcohol which over time has the potential of exacerbating the painful condition. Despite the prevalence of chronic pain being associated with alcohol abuse, rodent models which mimic the comorbid conditions are lacking. In this study, we model osteoarthritis (OA) in C57BL/6J mice by surgically destabilizing the medial meniscus (DMM). Sham-operated mice served as controls. Thirteen weeks after surgery, DMM but not sham-operated mice exhibited pronounced incapacitance of the surgically manipulated hind limb compared with the nonsurgically manipulated hind limb. At this time, the mice were exposed to the 2-bottle ethanol choice, beginning with 2.5% with a gradual increasing to 20%. Compared with sham controls, DMM mice consumed more EtOH and preferred EtOH over water at the 20% EtOH concentration. Histological analysis verified that the DMM mice exhibited significant damage to the articular cartilage and osteophyte growth compared with sham controls and these measures of the severity of OA correlated with the amount of ethanol intake. Thus, the combination of the DMM model of OA with the enhanced two-bottle ethanol choice is a potential preclinical approach in mice by which the basis of the comorbid association of alcohol abuse and chronic pain conditions can be explored.
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Abstract
Both physiological and imaging approaches have led to often-disparate conclusions about the organization of taste information in gustatory cortex (GC). In this study, we used neuroanatomical and imaging approaches to delineate the likely area of insular cortex given to gustatory function and to characterize taste responses within this delineated area in female and male C57BL/6J mice. Anterograde tracers were injected into the taste thalamus (the medial parvicellular portion of the ventral posterior medial division, VPMpc) of mice and the thalamic terminal field was investigated across the cortex. Working within the delineated area, we used two-photon imaging to measure basic taste responses in >780 neurons in layer 2/3 located just posterior to the middle cerebral artery. A nonbiased, hierarchical cluster analysis revealed multiple clusters of cells responding best to either individual or combinations of taste stimuli. Taste quality was represented in the activity of taste-responsive cells; however, there was no apparent spatial organization of primary taste qualities in this region.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Recent studies investigating taste coding within the gustatory cortex have reported highly segregated, taste-specific regions containing only narrowly tuned cells responding to a single taste separated by large non-taste-coding areas. However, focusing on the center of this area, we found a large number of taste responsive cells ranging from narrowly to broadly responsive with no apparent local spatial organization. Further, population analysis reveals that activity in the neuronal population in this area appears to be related to measures of taste quality or hedonics.
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30
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Overlapping Representation of Primary Tastes in a Defined Region of the Gustatory Cortex. J Neurosci 2017; 37:7595-7605. [PMID: 28674169 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0649-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Revised: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Both physiological and imaging approaches have led to often-disparate conclusions about the organization of taste information in gustatory cortex (GC). In this study, we used neuroanatomical and imaging approaches to delineate the likely area of insular cortex given to gustatory function and to characterize taste responses within this delineated area in female and male C57BL/6J mice. Anterograde tracers were injected into the taste thalamus (the medial parvicellular portion of the ventral posterior medial division, VPMpc) of mice and the thalamic terminal field was investigated across the cortex. Working within the delineated area, we used two-photon imaging to measure basic taste responses in >780 neurons in layer 2/3 located just posterior to the middle cerebral artery. A nonbiased, hierarchical cluster analysis revealed multiple clusters of cells responding best to either individual or combinations of taste stimuli. Taste quality was represented in the activity of taste-responsive cells; however, there was no apparent spatial organization of primary taste qualities in this region.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Recent studies investigating taste coding within the gustatory cortex have reported highly segregated, taste-specific regions containing only narrowly tuned cells responding to a single taste separated by large non-taste-coding areas. However, focusing on the center of this area, we found a large number of taste responsive cells ranging from narrowly to broadly responsive with no apparent local spatial organization. Further, population analysis reveals that activity in the neuronal population in this area appears to be related to measures of taste quality or hedonics.
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31
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Dominguez G, Belzung C, Pierard C, David V, Henkous N, Decorte L, Mons N, Beracochea D. Alcohol withdrawal induces long-lasting spatial working memory impairments: relationship with changes in corticosterone response in the prefrontal cortex. Addict Biol 2017; 22:898-910. [PMID: 26860616 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Revised: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
This study intends to determine whether long-lasting glucocorticoids (GCs) dysregulation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) or the dorsal hippocampus (dHPC) play a causal role in the maintenance of working memory (WM) deficits observed after alcohol withdrawal. Here, we report that C57/BL6 male mice submitted to 6 months alcohol consumption (12 percent v/v) followed by 1 (1W) or 6 weeks (6W) withdrawal periods exhibit WM deficits in a spatial alternation task and an exaggerated corticosterone rise during and after memory testing in the PFC but not the dHPC. In contrast, emotional reactivity evaluated in a plus-maze is altered only in the 1W group. No behavioral alterations are observed in mice still drinking alcohol. To determine the causal role of corticosterone in the withdrawal-associated long-lasting WM deficits, we further show that a single intraperitoneal injection injection of metyrapone (an inhibitor of corticosterone synthesis) 30 minutes before testing, prevents withdrawal-associated WM deficits and reestablishes PFC activity, as assessed by increased phosphorylated C-AMP Response Element-binding protein (CREB) immunoreactivity in withdrawn mice. Finally, we show that intra-PFC blockade of mineralocorticoid receptors by infusion of spironolactone and, to a lesser extent, of GCs receptors by injection of mifepristone reverses the WM deficits induced by withdrawal whereas the same injections into the dHPC do not. Overall, our study evidences that long-lasting GCs dysfunction selectively in the PFC is responsible for the emergence and maintenance of WM impairments after withdrawal and that blocking prefrontal mineralocorticoid receptors receptors restores WM in withdrawn animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaelle Dominguez
- Université de Bordeaux, INCIA CNRS UMR 5287; France
- Université François Rabelais, Inserm U930; France
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Nicole Mons
- Université de Bordeaux, INCIA CNRS UMR 5287; France
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Rompala GR, Finegersh A, Slater M, Homanics GE. Paternal preconception alcohol exposure imparts intergenerational alcohol-related behaviors to male offspring on a pure C57BL/6J background. Alcohol 2017; 60:169-177. [PMID: 27876231 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2016.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Revised: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
While alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a highly heritable condition, the basis of AUD in families with a history of alcoholism is difficult to explain by genetic variation alone. Emerging evidence suggests that parental experience prior to conception can affect inheritance of complex behaviors in offspring via non-genomic (epigenetic) mechanisms. For instance, male C57BL/6J (B6) mice exposed to chronic intermittent vapor ethanol (CIE) prior to mating with Strain 129S1/SvImJ ethanol-naïve females produce male offspring with reduced ethanol-drinking preference, increased ethanol sensitivity, and increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that these intergenerational effects of paternal CIE are reproducible in male offspring on an inbred B6 background. To this end, B6 males were exposed to 6 weeks of CIE (or room air as a control) before mating with ethanol-naïve B6 females to produce ethanol (E)-sired and control (C)-sired male and female offspring. We observed a sex-specific effect, as E-sired males exhibited decreased two-bottle free-choice ethanol-drinking preference, increased sensitivity to the anxiolytic effects of ethanol, and increased VTA BDNF expression; no differences were observed in female offspring. These findings confirm and extend our previous results by demonstrating that the effects of paternal preconception ethanol are reproducible using genetically identical, inbred B6 animals.
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33
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Gaillard D, Stratford JM. Measurement of Behavioral Taste Responses in Mice: Two-Bottle Preference, Lickometer, and Conditioned Taste-Aversion Tests. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 6:380-407. [PMID: 27906463 DOI: 10.1002/cpmo.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The natural like and dislike of foods based on taste is one of the most easily observed behaviors in animals. Animals eat palatable foods and reject aversive foods, which makes measurement of taste perception possible using various behavioral techniques. Three different methods to accurately measure taste behavior are described here. First, two-bottle preference tests evaluate whether a taste compound (tastant) is preferred over water. Second, lickometer tests quantify the like and dislike for multiple concentrations of the same tastant or multiple tastants at the same time. Finally, conditioned taste aversion tests accurately determine the perceived taste threshold for palatable tastants. Together, these diverse methods enable researchers to observe and measure behavioral taste responses in mice to any tastant. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dany Gaillard
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and the Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Jennifer M Stratford
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and the Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
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34
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Baumann A, Moreira CG, Morawska MM, Masneuf S, Baumann CR, Noain D. Preliminary Evidence of Apathetic-Like Behavior in Aged Vesicular Monoamine Transporter 2 Deficient Mice. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:587. [PMID: 27917116 PMCID: PMC5114272 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Apathy is considered to be a core feature of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and has been associated with a variety of states and symptoms of the disease, such as increased severity of motor symptoms, impaired cognition, executive dysfunction and dementia. Apart from the high prevalence of apathy in PD, which is estimated to be about 40%, the underlying pathophysiology remains poorly understood and current treatment approaches are unspecific and proved to be only partially effective. In animal models, apathy has been sub-optimally modeled, mostly by means of pharmacological and stress-induced methods, whereby concomitant depressive-like symptoms could not be ruled out. In the context of PD only a few studies on toxin-based models (i.e., 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) or 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)) claimed to have determined apathetic symptoms in animals. The assessment of apathetic symptoms in more elaborated and multifaceted genetic animal models of PD could help to understand the pathophysiological development of apathy in PD and eventually advance specific treatments for afflicted patients. Here we report the presence of behavioral signs of apathy in 12 months old mice that express only ~5% of the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2). Apathetic-like behavior in VMAT2 deficient (LO) mice was evidenced by impaired burrowing and nest building skills, and a reduced preference for sweet solution in the saccharin preference test, while the performance in the forced swimming test was normal. Our preliminary results suggest that VMAT2 deficient mice show an apathetic-like phenotype that might be independent of depressive-like symptoms. Therefore VMAT2 LO mice could be a useful tool to study the pathophysiological substrates of apathy and to test novel treatment strategies for apathy in the context of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aron Baumann
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Carlos G Moreira
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marta M Morawska
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sophie Masneuf
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Daniela Noain
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
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Lei K, Wegner SA, Yu JH, Simms JA, Hopf FW. A single alcohol drinking session is sufficient to enable subsequent aversion-resistant consumption in mice. Alcohol 2016; 55:9-16. [PMID: 27788780 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2016.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2016] [Revised: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 07/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Addiction is mediated in large part by pathological motivation for rewarding, addictive substances, and alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) continue to extract a very high physical and economic toll on society. Compulsive alcohol drinking, where intake continues despite negative consequences, is considered a particular obstacle during treatment of AUDs. Aversion-resistant drives for alcohol have been modeled in rodents, where animals continue to consume even when alcohol is adulterated with the bitter tastant quinine, or is paired with another aversive consequence. Here, we describe a two-bottle choice paradigm where C57BL/6 mice first had 24-h access to 15% alcohol or water. Afterward, they drank quinine-free alcohol (alcohol-only) or alcohol with quinine (100 μM), in a limited daily access (LDA) two-bottle-choice paradigm (2 h/day, 5 days/week, starting 3 h into the dark cycle), and achieved nearly binge-level blood alcohol concentrations. Interestingly, a single, initial 24-h experience with alcohol-only enhanced subsequent quinine-resistant drinking. In contrast, mice that drank alcohol-quinine in the 24-h session showed significantly reduced alcohol-quinine intake and preference during the subsequent LDA sessions, relative to mice that drank alcohol-only in the initial 24-h session and alcohol-quinine in LDA sessions. Thus, mice could find the concentration of quinine we used aversive, but were able to disregard the quinine after a single alcohol-only drinking session. Finally, mice had low intake and preference for quinine in water, both before and after weeks of alcohol-drinking sessions, suggesting that quinine resistance was not a consequence of increased quinine preference after weeks of drinking of alcohol-quinine. Together, we demonstrate that a single alcohol-only session was sufficient to enable subsequent aversion-resistant consumption in C57BL/6 mice, which did not reflect changes in quinine taste palatability. Given the rapid development of quinine-resistant alcohol drinking patterns, this model provides a simple, quick, and robust method for uncovering the mechanisms that promote aversion-resistant consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Lei
- Alcohol and Addiction Research Group, Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Scott A Wegner
- Alcohol and Addiction Research Group, Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ji-Hwan Yu
- Alcohol and Addiction Research Group, Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Simms
- Alcohol and Addiction Research Group, Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - F Woodward Hopf
- Alcohol and Addiction Research Group, Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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36
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Bachmanov AA, Bosak NP, Glendinning JI, Inoue M, Li X, Manita S, McCaughey SA, Murata Y, Reed DR, Tordoff MG, Beauchamp GK. Genetics of Amino Acid Taste and Appetite. Adv Nutr 2016; 7:806S-22S. [PMID: 27422518 PMCID: PMC4942865 DOI: 10.3945/an.115.011270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The consumption of amino acids by animals is controlled by both oral and postoral mechanisms. We used a genetic approach to investigate these mechanisms. Our studies have shown that inbred mouse strains differ in voluntary amino acid consumption, and these differences depend on sensory and nutritive properties of amino acids. Like humans, mice perceive some amino acids as having a sweet (sucrose-like) taste and others as having an umami (glutamate-like) taste. Mouse strain differences in the consumption of some sweet-tasting amino acids (d-phenylalanine, d-tryptophan, and l-proline) are associated with polymorphisms of a taste receptor, type 1, member 3 gene (Tas1r3), and involve differential peripheral taste responsiveness. Strain differences in the consumption of some other sweet-tasting amino acids (glycine, l-alanine, l-glutamine, and l-threonine) do not depend on Tas1r3 polymorphisms and so must be due to allelic variation in other, as yet unknown, genes involved in sweet taste. Strain differences in the consumption of l-glutamate may depend on postingestive rather than taste mechanisms. Thus, genes and physiologic mechanisms responsible for strain differences in the consumption of each amino acid depend on the nature of its taste and postingestive properties. Overall, mouse strain differences in amino acid taste and appetite have a complex genetic architecture. In addition to the Tas1r3 gene, these differences depend on other genes likely involved in determining the taste and postingestive effects of amino acids. The identification of these genes may lead to the discovery of novel mechanisms that regulate amino acid taste and appetite.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - John I Glendinning
- Department of Biology, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Masashi Inoue
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA; Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology, School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xia Li
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Satoshi Manita
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA; Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology, School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Yuko Murata
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA; National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Yokohama, Japan; and
| | | | | | - Gary K Beauchamp
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Psychology and School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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37
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Marshall SA, Rinker JA, Harrison LK, Fletcher CA, Herfel TM, Thiele TE. Assessment of the Effects of 6 Standard Rodent Diets on Binge-Like and Voluntary Ethanol Consumption in Male C57BL/6J Mice. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2015; 39:1406-16. [PMID: 26110576 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2014] [Accepted: 05/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In recent years, much attention has been given to the lack of reproducibility in biomedical research, particularly in preclinical animal studies. This is a problem that also plagues the alcohol research field, particularly in consistent consumption in animal models of alcohol use disorders. One often overlooked factor that could affect reproducibility is the maintenance diet used in preclinical studies. METHODS Herein, 2 well-established models of alcohol consumption, the "drinking in the dark" (DID) procedure and the continuous 2-bottle choice (C2BC) paradigm, were employed to determine the effects of diet on ethanol (EtOH) consumption. Male C57BL/6J mice were given 1 of 6 standard rodent chow diets obtained from Purina LabDiet(®) , Inc. (Prolab(®) RMH 3000) or Harlan(®) Laboratories, Inc. (Teklad Diets T.2916, T.2918, T.2920X, T.7912, or T.8940). A separate group of animals were used to test dietary effects on EtOH pharmacokinetics and behavioral measures following intraperitoneal (IP) injections of various doses of EtOH. RESULTS Mice eating Harlan diets T.2916 (H2916) and T.2920X (H2920) consumed significantly less EtOH and exhibited lower blood EtOH concentrations (BECs) during DID; however, during C2BC, animals maintained on Harlan T.7912 (H7912) consumed more EtOH and had a higher EtOH preference than the other diet groups. EtOH consumption levels did not stem from changes in alcohol pharmacokinetics, as a separate group of animals administered EtOH IP showed no difference in BECs. However, animals on Harlan diet T.2920X (H2920) were more sensitive to alcohol-induced locomotor activity in an open-field task. No diet-dependent differences were seen in alcohol-induced sedation as measured with loss of righting reflex. CONCLUSIONS Although these data do not identify a specific mechanism, together, they clearly show that the maintenance diet impacts EtOH consumption. It is incumbent upon the research community to consider the importance of describing nutritional information in methods, which may help decrease interlaboratory reproducibility issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Alex Marshall
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.,Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Jennifer A Rinker
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.,Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Langston K Harrison
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Craig A Fletcher
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Tina M Herfel
- Teklad Diets Technical Services, Harlan Laboratories, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Todd E Thiele
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.,Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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38
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Ford MM, Nickel JD, Kaufman MN, Finn DA. Null mutation of 5α-reductase type I gene alters ethanol consumption patterns in a sex-dependent manner. Behav Genet 2015; 45:341-53. [PMID: 25416204 PMCID: PMC4425631 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-014-9694-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The neuroactive steroid allopregnanolone (ALLO) is a positive modulator of GABAA receptors, and manipulation of neuroactive steroid levels via injection of ALLO or the 5α-reductase inhibitor finasteride alters ethanol self-administration patterns in male, but not female, mice. The Srd5a1 gene encodes the enzyme 5α-reductase-1, which is required for the synthesis of ALLO. The current studies investigated the influence of Srd5a1 deletion on voluntary ethanol consumption in male and female wildtype (WT) and knockout (KO) mice. Under a continuous access condition, 6 and 10 % ethanol intake was significantly greater in KO versus WT females, but significantly lower in KO versus WT males. In 2-h limited access sessions, Srd5a1 deletion retarded acquisition of 10 % ethanol intake in female mice, but facilitated it in males, versus respective WT mice. The present findings demonstrate that the Srd5a1 gene modulates ethanol consumption in a sex-dependent manner that is also contingent upon ethanol access condition and concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew M Ford
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR, 97239, USA,
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A modified R-type bacteriocin specifically targeting Clostridium difficile prevents colonization of mice without affecting gut microbiota diversity. mBio 2015; 6:mBio.02368-14. [PMID: 25805733 PMCID: PMC4453579 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02368-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is a leading cause of nosocomial infections worldwide and has become an urgent public health threat requiring immediate attention. Epidemic lineages of the BI/NAP1/027 strain type have emerged and spread through health care systems across the globe over the past decade. Limiting person-to-person transmission and eradicating C. difficile, especially the BI/NAP1/027 strain type, from health care facilities are difficult due to the abundant shedding of spores that are impervious to most interventions. Effective prophylaxis for C. difficile infection (CDI) is lacking. We have genetically modified a contractile R-type bacteriocin (“diffocin”) from C. difficile strain CD4 to kill BI/NAP1/027-type strains for this purpose. The natural receptor binding protein (RBP) responsible for diffocin targeting was replaced with a newly discovered RBP identified within a prophage of a BI/NAP1/027-type target strain by genome mining. The resulting modified diffocins (a.k.a. Avidocin-CDs), Av-CD291.1 and Av-CD291.2, were stable and killed all 16 tested BI/NAP1/027-type strains. Av-CD291.2 administered in drinking water survived passage through the mouse gastrointestinal (GI) tract, did not detectably alter the mouse gut microbiota or disrupt natural colonization resistance to C. difficile or the vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF), and prevented antibiotic-induced colonization of mice inoculated with BI/NAP1/027-type spores. Given the high incidence and virulence of the pathogen, preventing colonization by BI/NAP1/027-type strains and limiting their transmission could significantly reduce the occurrence of the most severe CDIs. This modified diffocin represents a prototype of an Avidocin-CD platform capable of producing targetable, precision anti-C. difficile agents that can prevent and potentially treat CDIs without disrupting protective indigenous microbiota. Treatment and prevention strategies for bacterial diseases rely heavily on traditional antibiotics, which impose strong selection for resistance and disrupt protective microbiota. One consequence has been an upsurge of opportunistic pathogens, such as Clostridium difficile, that exploit antibiotic-induced disruptions in gut microbiota to proliferate and cause life-threatening diseases. We have developed alternative agents that utilize contractile bactericidal protein complexes (R-type bacteriocins) to kill specific C. difficile pathogens. Efficacy in a preclinical animal study indicates these molecules warrant further development as potential prophylactic agents to prevent C. difficile infections in humans. Since these agents do not detectably alter the indigenous gut microbiota or colonization resistance in mice, we believe they will be safe to administer as a prophylactic to block transmission in high-risk environments without rendering patients susceptible to enteric infection after cessation of treatment.
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Savarese A, Zou ME, Kharazia V, Maiya R, Lasek AW. Increased behavioral responses to ethanol in Lmo3 knockout mice. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2014; 13:777-83. [PMID: 25176312 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2014] [Revised: 08/20/2014] [Accepted: 08/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
LIM-domain-only 3 (LMO3) is a transcriptional regulator involved in central nervous system development and neuroblastoma. Our previous studies implicated a potential role for LMO3 in regulating ethanol sensitivity and consumption. Here, we examined behavioral responses to ethanol in a line of Lmo3 null (Lmo3(Z) ) mice, utilizing the ethanol-induced loss-of-righting-reflex (LORR) test, two-bottle choice ethanol consumption and the drinking in the dark (DID) test, which models binge-like ethanol consumption. We found that Lmo3(Z) mice exhibited increased sedation time in response to ethanol in the LORR test and drank significantly more ethanol in the DID test compared with their wild-type counterparts, but showed no differences in two-bottle choice ethanol consumption. To explore where LMO3 may be acting in the brain to produce an ethanol phenotype, we also examined reporter gene (β-galactosidase) expression in heterozygous Lmo3(Z) mice and found strong expression in subcortical areas, particularly in those areas implicated in drug abuse, including the nucleus accumbens (Acb), cortex, hippocampus and amygdala. We also examined Lmo3 expression in the brains of wild-type mice who had undergone the DID test and found a negative correlation between Lmo3 expression in the Acb and the amount of ethanol consumed, consistent with the increased binge-like drinking observed in Lmo3(Z) mice. These results support a role for LMO3 in regulating behavioral responses to ethanol, potentially through its actions in the Acb.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Savarese
- Department of Psychiatry and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
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Identification of a QTL in Mus musculus for alcohol preference, withdrawal, and Ap3m2 expression using integrative functional genomics and precision genetics. Genetics 2014; 197:1377-93. [PMID: 24923803 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.114.166165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Extensive genetic and genomic studies of the relationship between alcohol drinking preference and withdrawal severity have been performed using animal models. Data from multiple such publications and public data resources have been incorporated in the GeneWeaver database with >60,000 gene sets including 285 alcohol withdrawal and preference-related gene sets. Among these are evidence for positional candidates regulating these behaviors in overlapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapped in distinct mouse populations. Combinatorial integration of functional genomics experimental results revealed a single QTL positional candidate gene in one of the loci common to both preference and withdrawal. Functional validation studies in Ap3m2 knockout mice confirmed these relationships. Genetic validation involves confirming the existence of segregating polymorphisms that could account for the phenotypic effect. By exploiting recent advances in mouse genotyping, sequence, epigenetics, and phylogeny resources, we confirmed that Ap3m2 resides in an appropriately segregating genomic region. We have demonstrated genetic and alcohol-induced regulation of Ap3m2 expression. Although sequence analysis revealed no polymorphisms in the Ap3m2-coding region that could account for all phenotypic differences, there are several upstream SNPs that could. We have identified one of these to be an H3K4me3 site that exhibits strain differences in methylation. Thus, by making cross-species functional genomics readily computable we identified a common QTL candidate for two related bio-behavioral processes via functional evidence and demonstrate sufficiency of the genetic locus as a source of variation underlying two traits.
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Dyr W, Wyszogrodzka E, Mierzejewski P, Bieńkowski P. Drinking of flavored solutions by high preferring (WHP) and low preferring (WLP) alcohol-drinking rats. Pharmacol Rep 2014; 66:28-33. [PMID: 24905303 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharep.2013.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2013] [Revised: 06/17/2013] [Accepted: 06/25/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Selective breeding alcohol-preferring (P) and alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats showed a strong preference for the sucrose solutions, whereas P rats intake greater amounts than NP rats. The aim of this study was the estimation of selectively bred ethanol-preferring (WHP - Warsaw High Preferring) and ethanol-nonpreferring (WLP - Warsaw Low Preferring) rats for their preference for various tastes. METHODS The oral drinking of the following substances was studied at a range of concentrations: sucrose (0.5-64.0 g/100 ml), NaCl (0.025-3.2 g/100 ml), citric acid (0.008-2.048 g/l), and sucrose octaacetate (0.002-0.512 g/l) solutions. Separate groups of 7-8 rats from each line were investigated of each of the four tastes. The investigated solutions were presented continuously keeping water and food always available. Concentrations of the various flavors were doubled every 48 h. RESULTS Rats from WHP and WLP lines clearly revealed the preference for the sucrose solution and the highest preference was at the 4.0 and 8.0 g/100ml sucrose concentration. Similar to sucrose, both lines exposed strong preference for the NaCl solution and this preference enhanced together with the increase of the NaCl concentration. Nevertheless their preference for the NaCl solutions decreased when the concentration of NaCl reached 1.600 g/100 ml. Both lines of rats did not differ in citric acid or sucrose octaacetate intake at any of the concentrations studied. CONCLUSION Selective breeding of rats (WHP) for high and rats (WLP) for low ethanol drinking is favorably correlated with the drinking of sweet and salty solutions and negatively correlated with the consumption of sour and bitter tastes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanda Dyr
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology of the Nervous System, Institute Psychiatry and Neurology, Warszawa, Poland.
| | - Edyta Wyszogrodzka
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology of the Nervous System, Institute Psychiatry and Neurology, Warszawa, Poland
| | - Paweł Mierzejewski
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology of the Nervous System, Institute Psychiatry and Neurology, Warszawa, Poland
| | - Przemysław Bieńkowski
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology of the Nervous System, Institute Psychiatry and Neurology, Warszawa, Poland
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Ackroff K, Sclafani A. Flavor Preferences Conditioned by Oral Monosodium Glutamate in Mice. Chem Senses 2013; 38:745-58. [DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjt049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Rudenga KJ, Small DM. Ventromedial prefrontal cortex response to concentrated sucrose reflects liking rather than sweet quality coding. Chem Senses 2013; 38:585-94. [PMID: 23828907 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjt029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The perception of the pleasantness of sweet tastes varies widely across individuals. Here, we exploit these differences to isolate brain response to sweet-taste pleasantness while controlling for intensity, quality, and physiological significance. Thirty subjects participated in functional MRI scanning while consuming individually calibrated weak and strong sucrose solutions. All subjects found the weak sweet taste to be neutral in pleasantness, but half of the subjects found strong sweet taste pleasant (likers), whereas half found strong sweet taste unpleasant (dislikers). Greater response was observed in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) to the sucrose when it was rated pleasant versus neutral compared with unpleasant versus neutral. This suggests that response in the vmPFC underlies sweet-taste preference, this region is preferentially sensitive to affectively positive tastes, and it is the positive value rather than physiological significance, quality, or intensity that drives responses here. Likers versus dislikers did not differ in their diet, alcohol use, body weight, gender, or taq1A allele status, but likers were more likely to report emotional eating. None of these factors influenced response in the vmPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin J Rudenga
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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Chen ML, Liu SS, Zhang GH, Quan Y, Zhan YH, Gu TY, Qin YM, Deng SP. Effects of early intraoral acesulfame-K stimulation to mice on the adult's sweet preference and the expression of α-gustducin in fungiform papilla. Chem Senses 2013; 38:447-55. [PMID: 23537561 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjt001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Exposure to artificial sweetener acesulfame-K (AK) at early development stages may influence the adult sweet preference and the periphery gustatory system. We observed that the intraoral AK stimulation to mice from postnatal day 4 (P4) to weaning decreased the preference thresholds for AK and sucrose solutions in adulthood, with the preference pattern unchanged. The preference scores were increased in the exposure group significantly when compared with the control group at a range of concentrations for AK or sucrose solution. Meanwhile, more α-Gustducin-labeled fungiform taste buds and cells in a single taste bud were induced from week 7 by the early intraoral AK stimulation. However, the growth in the number of α-Gustducin-positive taste bud or positive cell number per taste bud occurred only in the anterior region, the rostral 1-mm part, but not in the intermediate region, the caudal 4-mm part, of the anterior two-third of the tongue containing fungiform papillae. This work extends our previous observations and provides new information about the developmental and regional expression pattern of α-Gustducin in mouse fungiform taste bud under early AK-stimulated conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Ling Chen
- Sensory Science Laboratory, School of Bioscience and Food Engineering, Changshu Institute of Technology, Changshu 215500, PR China.
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Lim JP, Zou ME, Janak PH, Messing RO. Responses to ethanol in C57BL/6 versus C57BL/6 × 129 hybrid mice. Brain Behav 2012; 2:22-31. [PMID: 22574271 PMCID: PMC3343296 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2011] [Revised: 11/08/2011] [Accepted: 11/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Although genetic background alters responses to ethanol, there has not yet been a methodical quantification of differences in ethanol-related behaviors between inbred and hybrid mice commonly used in gene-targeting studies. Here, we compared C57BL/6NTac × 129S6/SvEvTac F1 hybrid mice (B6129S6) with C57BL/6NTac inbred mice (B6NT), and C57BL/6J × 129X1/SvJ (B6129X1) and C57BL/6J × 129S4/SvJae F1 hybrids (B6129S4) with C57BL/6J mice (B6J), in five commonly used tests: continuous access two-bottle choice drinking, intermittent limited-access binge drinking, ethanol clearance, ethanol-induced loss of the righting reflex, and conditioned place preference (CPP) for ethanol. We found that inbred B6J and B6NT mice showed greater ethanol preference and consumption than their respective hybrids when ethanol was continuously available. Within the intermittent limited-access drinking procedure, though all lines showed similar intake over eight drinking sessions, the average of all sessions showed that B6NT mice drank significantly more ethanol than B6129S6 mice. In addition, B6J mice consumed more ethanol than B6129X1 mice, although they drank less than B6129S4 mice. No differences in ethanol LORR duration were observed between inbred and hybrid mice. Although ethanol clearance was similar among B6J mice and their respective hybrids, B6NT mice cleared ethanol more rapidly than B6129S6 mice. All lines developed CPP for ethanol. Our findings indicate that it may not be necessary to backcross hybrids to an inbred B6 background to study many ethanol-related behaviors in gene-targeted mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana P Lim
- Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco Emeryville, California 94608
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Bachmanov AA, Bosak NP, Floriano WB, Inoue M, Li X, Lin C, Murovets VO, Reed DR, Zolotarev VA, Beauchamp GK. Genetics of sweet taste preferences. FLAVOUR FRAG J 2011; 26:286-294. [PMID: 21743773 PMCID: PMC3130742 DOI: 10.1002/ffj.2074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Sweet taste is a powerful factor influencing food acceptance. There is considerable variation in sweet taste perception and preferences within and among species. Although learning and homeostatic mechanisms contribute to this variation in sweet taste, much of it is genetically determined. Recent studies have shown that variation in the T1R genes contributes to within- and between-species differences in sweet taste. In addition, our ongoing studies using the mouse model demonstrate that a significant portion of variation in sweetener preferences depends on genes that are not involved in peripheral taste processing. These genes are likely involved in central mechanisms of sweet taste processing, reward and/or motivation. Genetic variation in sweet taste not only influences food choice and intake, but is also associated with proclivity to drink alcohol. Both peripheral and central mechanisms of sweet taste underlie correlation between sweet-liking and alcohol consumption in animal models and humans. All these data illustrate complex genetics of sweet taste preferences and its impact on human nutrition and health. Identification of genes responsible for within- and between-species variation in sweet taste can provide tools to better control food acceptance in humans and other animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Wely B Floriano
- Department of Chemistry, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada
| | - Masashi Inoue
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology, School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xia Li
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Cailu Lin
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Zhang GH, Chen ML, Liu SS, Zhan YH, Quan Y, Qin YM, Deng SP. Effects of Mother's Dietary Exposure to Acesulfame-K in Pregnancy or Lactation on the Adult Offspring's Sweet Preference. Chem Senses 2011; 36:763-70. [DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjr050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Treesukosol Y, Mathes CM, Spector AC. Citric acid and quinine share perceived chemosensory features making oral discrimination difficult in C57BL/6J mice. Chem Senses 2011; 36:477-89. [PMID: 21421543 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjr010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence in the literature shows that in rodents, some taste-responsive neurons respond to both quinine and acid stimuli. Also, under certain circumstances, rodents display some degree of difficulty in discriminating quinine and acid stimuli. Here, C57BL/6J mice were trained and tested in a 2-response operant discrimination task. Mice had severe difficulty discriminating citric acid from quinine and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) with performance slightly, but significantly, above chance. In contrast, mice were able to competently discriminate sucrose from citric acid, NaCl, quinine, and PROP. In another experiment, mice that were conditioned to avoid quinine by pairings with LiCl injections subsequently suppressed licking responses to quinine and citric acid but not to NaCl or sucrose in a brief-access test, relative to NaCl-injected control animals. However, mice that were conditioned to avoid citric acid did not display cross-generalization to quinine. These mice significantly suppressed licking only to citric acid, and to a much lesser extent NaCl, compared with controls. Collectively, the findings from these experiments suggest that in mice, citric acid and quinine share chemosensory features making discrimination difficult but are not perceptually identical.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yada Treesukosol
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4301, USA
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Brasser SM, Norman MB, Lemon CH. T1r3 taste receptor involvement in gustatory neural responses to ethanol and oral ethanol preference. Physiol Genomics 2010; 41:232-43. [PMID: 20145204 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00113.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Elevated alcohol consumption is associated with enhanced preference for sweet substances across species and may be mediated by oral alcohol-induced activation of neurobiological substrates for sweet taste. Here, we directly examined the contribution of the T1r3 receptor protein, important for sweet taste detection in mammals, to ethanol intake and preference and the neural processing of ethanol taste by measuring behavioral and central neurophysiological responses to oral alcohol in T1r3 receptor-deficient mice and their C57BL/6J background strain. T1r3 knockout and wild-type mice were tested in behavioral preference assays for long-term voluntary intake of a broad concentration range of ethanol, sucrose, and quinine. For neurophysiological experiments, separate groups of mice of each genotype were anesthetized, and taste responses to ethanol and stimuli of different taste qualities were electrophysiologically recorded from gustatory neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract. Mice lacking the T1r3 receptor were behaviorally indifferent to alcohol (i.e., ∼50% preference values) at concentrations typically preferred by wild-type mice (5-15%). Central neural taste responses to ethanol in T1r3-deficient mice were significantly lower compared with C57BL/6J controls, a strain for which oral ethanol stimulation produced a concentration-dependent activation of sweet-responsive NTS gustatory neurons. An attenuated difference in ethanol preference between knockouts and controls at concentrations >15% indicated that other sensory and/or postingestive effects of ethanol compete with sweet taste input at high concentrations. As expected, T1r3 knockouts exhibited strongly suppressed behavioral and neural taste responses to sweeteners but did not differ from wild-type mice in responses to prototypic salt, acid, or bitter stimuli. These data implicate the T1r3 receptor in the sensory detection and transduction of ethanol taste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan M Brasser
- Center for Behavioral Teratology, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
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