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Alsaqati M, Davis BA, Wood J, Jones MM, Jones L, Westwood A, Petter O, Isles AR, Linden D, Van den Bree M, Owen M, Hall J, Harwood AJ. NRSF/REST lies at the intersection between epigenetic regulation, miRNA-mediated gene control and neurodevelopmental pathways associated with Intellectual disability (ID) and Schizophrenia. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:438. [PMID: 36216811 PMCID: PMC9551101 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02199-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic evidence indicates disrupted epigenetic regulation as a major risk factor for psychiatric disorders, but the molecular mechanisms that drive this association remain to be determined. EHMT1 is an epigenetic repressor that is causal for Kleefstra Syndrome (KS), a genetic disorder linked with neurodevelopmental disorders and associated with schizophrenia. Here, we show that reduced EHMT1 activity decreases NRSF/REST protein leading to abnormal neuronal gene expression and progression of neurodevelopment in human iPSC. We further show that EHMT1 regulates NRSF/REST indirectly via repression of miRNA and leads to aberrant neuronal gene regulation and neurodevelopment timing. Expression of a NRSF/REST mRNA that lacks the miRNA-binding sites restores neuronal gene regulation to EHMT1 deficient cells. Significantly, the EHMT1-regulated miRNA gene set not only controls NRSF/REST but is enriched for association for Intellectual Disability (ID) and schizophrenia. This reveals a broad molecular interaction between H3K9 demethylation, NSRF/REST regulation and risk for ID and Schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mouhamed Alsaqati
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK.,MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences (DPMCN), School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.,School of Pharmacy, KGVI Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4LF, UK
| | - Brittany A Davis
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK.,Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus & Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jamie Wood
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK.,School of Bioscience, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Ave, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Megan M Jones
- School of Bioscience, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Ave, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Lora Jones
- School of Bioscience, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Ave, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Aishah Westwood
- School of Bioscience, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Ave, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Olena Petter
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Anthony R Isles
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK.,MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences (DPMCN), School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - David Linden
- School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Marianne Van den Bree
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK.,MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences (DPMCN), School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Michael Owen
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK.,MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences (DPMCN), School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Jeremy Hall
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK.,MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences (DPMCN), School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Adrian J Harwood
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK. .,School of Bioscience, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Ave, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK.
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Wilde M, Constantin L, Thorne PR, Montgomery JM, Scott EK, Cheyne JE. Auditory processing in rodent models of autism: a systematic review. J Neurodev Disord 2022; 14:48. [PMID: 36042393 PMCID: PMC9429780 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-022-09458-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism is a complex condition with many traits, including differences in auditory sensitivity. Studies in human autism are plagued by the difficulty of controlling for aetiology, whereas studies in individual rodent models cannot represent the full spectrum of human autism. This systematic review compares results in auditory studies across a wide range of established rodent models of autism to mimic the wide range of aetiologies in the human population. A search was conducted in the PubMed and Web of Science databases to find primary research articles in mouse or rat models of autism which investigate central auditory processing. A total of 88 studies were included. These used non-invasive measures of auditory function, such as auditory brainstem response recordings, cortical event-related potentials, electroencephalography, and behavioural tests, which are translatable to human studies. They also included invasive measures, such as electrophysiology and histology, which shed insight on the origins of the phenotypes found in the non-invasive studies. The most consistent results across these studies were increased latency of the N1 peak of event-related potentials, decreased power and coherence of gamma activity in the auditory cortex, and increased auditory startle responses to high sound levels. Invasive studies indicated loss of subcortical inhibitory neurons, hyperactivity in the lateral superior olive and auditory thalamus, and reduced specificity of responses in the auditory cortex. This review compares the auditory phenotypes across rodent models and highlights those that mimic findings in human studies, providing a framework and avenues for future studies to inform understanding of the auditory system in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Wilde
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Lena Constantin
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Peter R Thorne
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.,Section of Audiology, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Johanna M Montgomery
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ethan K Scott
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.,Department of Anatomy and Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Juliette E Cheyne
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
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Epigenetic genes and epilepsy - emerging mechanisms and clinical applications. Nat Rev Neurol 2022; 18:530-543. [PMID: 35859062 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-022-00693-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
An increasing number of epilepsies are being attributed to variants in genes with epigenetic functions. The products of these genes include factors that regulate the structure and function of chromatin and the placing, reading and removal of epigenetic marks, as well as other epigenetic processes. In this Review, we provide an overview of the various epigenetic processes, structuring our discussion around five function-based categories: DNA methylation, histone modifications, histone-DNA crosstalk, non-coding RNAs and chromatin remodelling. We provide background information on each category, describing the general mechanism by which each process leads to altered gene expression. We also highlight key clinical and mechanistic aspects, providing examples of genes that strongly associate with epilepsy within each class. We consider the practical applications of these findings, including tissue-based and biofluid-based diagnostics and precision medicine-based treatments. We conclude that variants in epigenetic genes are increasingly found to be causally involved in the epilepsies, with implications for disease mechanisms, treatments and diagnostics.
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Wilson KD, Porter EG, Garcia BA. Reprogramming of the epigenome in neurodevelopmental disorders. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2022; 57:73-112. [PMID: 34601997 PMCID: PMC9462920 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2021.1979457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) remains a challenge for researchers. Human brain development is tightly regulated and sensitive to cellular alterations caused by endogenous or exogenous factors. Intriguingly, the surge of clinical sequencing studies has revealed that many of these disorders are monogenic and monoallelic. Notably, chromatin regulation has emerged as highly dysregulated in NDDs, with many syndromes demonstrating phenotypic overlap, such as intellectual disabilities, with one another. Here we discuss epigenetic writers, erasers, readers, remodelers, and even histones mutated in NDD patients, predicted to affect gene regulation. Moreover, this review focuses on disorders associated with mutations in enzymes involved in histone acetylation and methylation, and it highlights syndromes involving chromatin remodeling complexes. Finally, we explore recently discovered histone germline mutations and their pathogenic outcome on neurological function. Epigenetic regulators are mutated at every level of chromatin organization. Throughout this review, we discuss mechanistic investigations, as well as various animal and iPSC models of these disorders and their usefulness in determining pathomechanism and potential therapeutics. Understanding the mechanism of these mutations will illuminate common pathways between disorders. Ultimately, classifying these disorders based on their effects on the epigenome will not only aid in prognosis in patients but will aid in understanding the role of epigenetic machinery throughout neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khadija D. Wilson
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Elizabeth G. Porter
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Benjamin A. Garcia
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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