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Hao Y, Niu Y, Shi F, Zhang L, Peng C, Yan Z, Chen X, Xu H. A single 24 h maternal separation at PND 9 promotes behavioral resilience of female C57BL/6J mice and the possible role of hippocampal Homer1a. Heliyon 2024; 10:e27037. [PMID: 38455582 PMCID: PMC10918190 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) has been thought to increase vulnerability to developing psychiatric disorders later in life, while some researchers have found that adversity early in life may promote stress resilience. Studies investigating the resilient effect of maternal separation (MS) are still relatively few, and the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In the current study, the effect of a single 24 h MS paradigm at postnatal day 9 (PND 9) in female C57BL/6J mice was investigated by assessing behavioral performance in middle adolescence. We demonstrated that, mice in MS group displayed decreased anxiety-like behavior and increased exploratory behavior than controls in the open field test and elevated plus maze test. Furthermore, MS mice exhibited improved hippocampal-dependent spatial learning in the Morris water maze test. This performance indicated behavioral resilience to early life stress. The protein expression levels of Homer1 isoforms, which are implicated in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, were evaluated using Western blot analysis. A significant increase in hippocampal Homer1a protein expression was observed immediately after MS, which subsequently decreased until adolescence (PND 27-42), when a significant increase was observed again. This distinctive change of hippocampal Homer1a protein expression pattern indicated that hippocampal Homer1a might play a role in behavioral resilience to MS in female C57BL/6J mice. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that exposure to a single 24 h MS at PND 9 promoted behavioral resilience of female C57BL/6J mice in middle adolescence. This behavioral resilience might be related to increased expression of hippocampal Homer1a.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yelu Hao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, The 940 Hospital of PLA Joint Logistic Support Force, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Yujie Niu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Fei Shi
- The Key Laboratory of Aerospace Medicine, Ministry of Education, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Cheng Peng
- Department of Neurosurgery, The 984 Hospital of PLA Joint Logistic Support Force, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiqiang Yan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiaoyan Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Hongyu Xu
- College of Science and Technology, Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Wenzhou Municipal Key Lab of Applied Biomedical and Biopharmaceutical Informatics, Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Bioinformatics International Science and Technology Cooperation Center, Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Dorothy and George Hennings College of Science, Mathematics and Technology, Kean University, 1000 Morris Ave, Union, NJ, 07083, USA
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Bailey N, Ruiz C, Tosi A, Stevison L. Genomic analysis of the rhesus macaque ( Macaca mulatta) and the cynomolgus macaque ( Macaca fascicularis) uncover polygenic signatures of reinforcement speciation. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10571. [PMID: 37849934 PMCID: PMC10577069 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Speciation can involve phases of divergent adaptation in allopatry and ecological/reproductive character displacement in sympatry or parapatry. Reproductive character displacement can result as a means of preventing hybridization, a process known as reinforcement speciation. In this study, we use whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of two closely related primate species that have experienced introgression in their history, the rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and cynomolgus (M. fascicularis) macaques, to identify genes exhibiting reproductive character displacement and other patterns consistent with reinforcement speciation. Using windowed scans of various population genetic statistics to identify signatures of reinforcement, we find 184 candidate genes associated with a variety of functions, including an overrepresentation of multiple neurological functions and several genes involved in sexual development and gametogenesis. These results are consistent with a variety of genes acting in a reinforcement process between these species. We also find signatures of introgression of the Y-chromosome that confirm previous studies suggesting male-driven introgression of M. mulatta into M. fascicularis populations. This study uses WGS to find evidence of the process of reinforcement in primates that have medical and conservation relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Bailey
- Department of Biological SciencesAuburn UniversityAuburnAlabamaUSA
| | - Cody Ruiz
- Department of AnthropologyKent State UniversityKentOhioUSA
| | - Anthony Tosi
- Department of AnthropologyKent State UniversityKentOhioUSA
| | - Laurie Stevison
- Department of Biological SciencesAuburn UniversityAuburnAlabamaUSA
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Reinhardt PR, Theis CDC, Juckel G, Freund N. Rodent models for mood disorders - understanding molecular changes by investigating social behavior. Biol Chem 2023; 404:939-950. [PMID: 37632729 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2023-0190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Mood disorders, including depressive and bipolar disorders, are the group of psychiatric disorders with the highest prevalence and disease burden. However, their pathophysiology remains poorly understood. Animal models are an extremely useful tool for the investigation of molecular mechanisms underlying these disorders. For psychiatric symptom assessment in animals, a meaningful behavioral phenotype is needed. Social behaviors constitute naturally occurring complex behaviors in rodents and can therefore serve as such a phenotype, contributing to insights into disorder related molecular changes. In this narrative review, we give a fundamental overview of social behaviors in laboratory rodents, as well as their underlying neuronal mechanisms and their assessment. Relevant behavioral and molecular changes in models for mood disorders are presented and an outlook on promising future directions is given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick R Reinhardt
- Division of Experimental and Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, D-44791 Bochum, Germany
- International Graduate School of Neuroscience, Ruhr-University Bochum, D-44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Candy D C Theis
- Division of Experimental and Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, D-44791 Bochum, Germany
| | - Georg Juckel
- Division of Experimental and Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, D-44791 Bochum, Germany
| | - Nadja Freund
- Division of Experimental and Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, D-44791 Bochum, Germany
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Skinner M, Brown S, Kumpan LT, Miller N. Snake personality: Differential effects of development and social experience. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03227-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Gartland LA, Firth JA, Laskowski KL, Jeanson R, Ioannou CC. Sociability as a personality trait in animals: methods, causes and consequences. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:802-816. [PMID: 34894041 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Within animal populations there is variation among individuals in their tendency to be social, where more sociable individuals associate more with other individuals. Consistent inter-individual variation in 'sociability' is considered one of the major axes of personality variation in animals along with aggressiveness, activity, exploration and boldness. Not only is variation in sociability important in terms of animal personalities, but it holds particular significance for, and can be informed by, two other topics of major interest: social networks and collective behaviour. Further, knowledge of what generates inter-individual variation in social behaviour also holds applied implications, such as understanding disorders of social behaviour in humans. In turn, research using non-human animals in the genetics, neuroscience and physiology of these disorders can inform our understanding of sociability. For the first time, this review brings together insights across these areas of research, across animal taxa from primates to invertebrates, and across studies from both the laboratory and field. We show there are mixed results in whether and how sociability correlates with other major behavioural traits. Whether and in what direction these correlations are observed may differ with individual traits such as sex and body condition, as well as ecological conditions. A large body of evidence provides the proximate mechanisms for why individuals vary in their social tendency. Evidence exists for the importance of genes and their expression, chemical messengers, social interactions and the environment in determining an individual's social tendency, although the specifics vary with species and other variables such as age, and interactions amongst these proximate factors. Less well understood is how evolution can maintain consistent variation in social tendencies within populations. Shifts in the benefits and costs of social tendencies over time, as well as the social niche hypothesis, are currently the best supported theories for how variation in sociability can evolve and be maintained in populations. Increased exposure to infectious diseases is the best documented cost of a greater social tendency, and benefits include greater access to socially transmitted information. We also highlight that direct evidence for more sociable individuals being safer from predators is lacking. Variation in sociability is likely to have broad ecological consequences, but beyond its importance in the spread of infectious diseases, direct evidence is limited to a few examples related to dispersal and invasive species biology. Overall, our knowledge of inter-individual variation in sociability is highly skewed towards the proximate mechanisms. Our review also demonstrates, however, that considering research from social networks and collective behaviour greatly enriches our understanding of sociability, highlighting the need for greater integration of these approaches into future animal personality research to address the imbalance in our understanding of sociability as a personality trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizzy A Gartland
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, U.K
| | - Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, U.K
| | - Kate L Laskowski
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, U.S.A
| | - Raphael Jeanson
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (UMR5169), Centre de Biologie Intégrative, CNRS, UPS, Université de Toulouse, 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - Christos C Ioannou
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, U.K
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Sex-specific behavioral and structural alterations caused by early-life stress in C57BL/6 and BTBR mice. Behav Brain Res 2021; 414:113489. [PMID: 34303728 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Lately, the development of various mental illnesses, such as depression, personality disorders, and autism spectrum disorders, is often associated with traumatic events in childhood. Nonetheless, the mechanism giving rise to this predisposition is still unknown. Because the development of a disease often depends on a combination of a genetic background and environment, we decided to evaluate the effect of early-life stress on BTBR mice, which have behavioral, neuroanatomical, and physiological features of autism spectrum disorders. As early-life stress, we used prolonged separation of pups from their mothers in the first 2 weeks of life (3 h once a day). We assessed effects of the early-life stress on juvenile (postnatal day 23) and adolescent (postnatal days 37-38) male and female mice of strains C57BL/6 (B6) and BTBR. We found that in both strains, the early-life stress did not lead to changes in the level of social behavior, which is an important characteristic of autism-related behavior. Nonetheless, the early-life stress resulted in increased locomotor activity in juvenile BTBR mice. In adolescent mice, the stress early in life caused a low level of anxiety in B6 males and BTBR females and increased exploratory activity in adolescent BTBR males and females. In addition, adolescent B6 male and female mice with a history of the early-life stress tended to have a thinner motor cortex as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging. As compared to B6 mice, BTBR mice showed reduced levels of social behavior and exploratory activity but their level of locomotor activity was higher. BTBR mice had smaller whole-brain, cortical, and dorsal hippocampal volumes; decreased motor cortex thickness; and increased ventral-hippocampus volume as compared to B6 mice, and these parameters correlated with the level of exploratory behavior of BTBR mice. Overall, the effects of early postnatal stress are sex- and strain-dependent.
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Reshetnikov VV, Bondar NP. The Role of Stress-Induced Changes of Homer1 Expression in Stress Susceptibility. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2021; 86:613-626. [PMID: 34225586 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297921060018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Stress negatively affects processes of synaptic plasticity and is a major risk factor of various psychopathologies such as depression and anxiety. HOMER1 is an important component of the postsynaptic density: constitutively expressed long isoforms HOMER1b and HOMER1c bind to group I metabotropic glutamate receptors MGLUR1 (GRM1) and MGLUR5 and to other effector proteins, thereby forming a postsynaptic protein scaffold. Activation of the GLUR1-HOMER1b,c and/or GLUR5-HOMER1b,c complex regulates activity of the NMDA and AMPA receptors and Ca2+ homeostasis, thus modulating various types of synaptic plasticity. Dominant negative transcript Homer1a is formed as a result of activity-induced alternative termination of transcription. Expression of this truncated isoform in response to neuronal activation impairs interactions of HOMER1b,c with adaptor proteins, triggers ligand-independent signal transduction through MGLUR1 and/or MGLUR5, leads to suppression of the AMPA- and NMDA-mediated signal transmission, and thereby launches remodeling of the postsynaptic protein scaffold and inhibits long-term potentiation. The studies on animal models confirm that the HOMER1a-dependent remodeling most likely plays an important part in the stress susceptibility, whereas HOMER1a itself can be regarded as a neuroprotector. In this review article, we consider the effects of different stressors in various animal models on HOMER1 expression as well as impact of different HOMER1 variants on human behavior as well as structural and functional characteristics of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliy V Reshetnikov
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia. .,Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sochi, 354340, Russia
| | - Natalia P Bondar
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia.,Department of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
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Lopatina OL, Panina YA, Malinovskaya NA, Salmina AB. Early life stress and brain plasticity: from molecular alterations to aberrant memory and behavior. Rev Neurosci 2020; 32:131-142. [PMID: 33550784 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2020-0077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) is one of the most critical factors that could modify brain plasticity, memory and learning abilities, behavioral reactions, and emotional response in adulthood leading to development of different mental disorders. Prenatal and early postnatal periods appear to be the most sensitive periods of brain development in mammals, thereby action of various factors at these stages of brain development might result in neurodegeneration, memory impairment, and mood disorders at later periods of life. Deciphering the processes underlying aberrant neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, and cerebral angiogenesis as well as deeper understanding the effects of ELS on brain development will provide novel approaches to prevent or to cure psychiatric and neurological deficits caused by stressful conditions at the earliest stages of ontogenesis. Neuropeptide oxytocin serves as an amnesic, anti-stress, pro-angiogenic, and neurogenesis-controlling molecule contributing to dramatic changes in brain plasticity in ELS. In the current review, we summarize recent data on molecular mechanisms of ELS-driven changes in brain plasticity with the particular focus on oxytocin-mediated effects on neurogenesis and angiogenesis, memory establishment, and forgetting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga L Lopatina
- Research Institute of Molecular Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University named after Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.,Department of Biochemistry, Medical, Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Chemistry, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University named after Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.,Department of Biophysics, Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Yulia A Panina
- Research Institute of Molecular Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University named after Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.,Department of Biochemistry, Medical, Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Chemistry, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University named after Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Natalia A Malinovskaya
- Research Institute of Molecular Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University named after Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.,Department of Biochemistry, Medical, Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Chemistry, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University named after Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Alla B Salmina
- Research Institute of Molecular Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University named after Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.,Department of Biochemistry, Medical, Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Chemistry, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University named after Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
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Fu J, Guo O, Zhen Z, Zhen J. Essential Functions of the Transcription Factor Npas4 in Neural Circuit Development, Plasticity, and Diseases. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:603373. [PMID: 33335473 PMCID: PMC7736240 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.603373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Signaling from the synapse to nucleus is mediated by the integration and propagation of both membrane potential changes (postsynaptic potentials) and intracellular second messenger cascades. The electrical propagation of postsynaptic potentials allows for rapid neural information processing, while propagating second messenger pathways link synaptic activity to the transcription of genes required for neuronal survival and adaptive changes (plasticity) underlying circuit formation and learning. The propagation of activity-induced calcium signals to the cell nucleus is a major synapse-to-nucleus communication pathway. Neuronal PAS domain protein 4 (Npas4) is a recently discovered calcium-dependent transcription factor that regulates the activation of genes involved in the homeostatic regulation of excitatory–inhibitory balance, which is critical for neural circuit formation, function, and ongoing plasticity, as well as for defense against diseases such as epilepsy. Here, we summarize recent findings on the neuroprotective functions of Npas4 and the potential of Npas4 as a therapeutic target for the treatment of acute and chronic diseases of the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Fu
- Department of Emergency Surgery, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Ouyang Guo
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Zhihang Zhen
- Department of Neurology, Key Laboratory of Neurology of Hebei Province, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Junli Zhen
- Department of Neurology, Key Laboratory of Neurology of Hebei Province, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China
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