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Daskalakis NP, Iatrou A, Chatzinakos C, Jajoo A, Snijders C, Wylie D, DiPietro CP, Tsatsani I, Chen CY, Pernia CD, Soliva-Estruch M, Arasappan D, Bharadwaj RA, Collado-Torres L, Wuchty S, Alvarez VE, Dammer EB, Deep-Soboslay A, Duong DM, Eagles N, Huber BR, Huuki L, Holstein VL, Logue ΜW, Lugenbühl JF, Maihofer AX, Miller MW, Nievergelt CM, Pertea G, Ross D, Sendi MSE, Sun BB, Tao R, Tooke J, Wolf EJ, Zeier Z, Berretta S, Champagne FA, Hyde T, Seyfried NT, Shin JH, Weinberger DR, Nemeroff CB, Kleinman JE, Ressler KJ. Systems biology dissection of PTSD and MDD across brain regions, cell types, and blood. Science 2024; 384:eadh3707. [PMID: 38781393 PMCID: PMC11203158 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh3707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The molecular pathology of stress-related disorders remains elusive. Our brain multiregion, multiomic study of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) included the central nucleus of the amygdala, hippocampal dentate gyrus, and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Genes and exons within the mPFC carried most disease signals replicated across two independent cohorts. Pathways pointed to immune function, neuronal and synaptic regulation, and stress hormones. Multiomic factor and gene network analyses provided the underlying genomic structure. Single nucleus RNA sequencing in dorsolateral PFC revealed dysregulated (stress-related) signals in neuronal and non-neuronal cell types. Analyses of brain-blood intersections in >50,000 UK Biobank participants were conducted along with fine-mapping of the results of PTSD and MDD genome-wide association studies to distinguish risk from disease processes. Our data suggest shared and distinct molecular pathology in both disorders and propose potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos P. Daskalakis
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Artemis Iatrou
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Chris Chatzinakos
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, 11203, USA
- VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, Brooklyn, NY, 11209, USA
| | - Aarti Jajoo
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Clara Snijders
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Dennis Wylie
- Center for Biomedical Research Support, The University of Texas at Austin; Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Christopher P. DiPietro
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Ioulia Tsatsani
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health, and Neuroscience (MHeNs), Maastricht University, Maastricht, 6229 ER, The Netherlands
| | | | - Cameron D. Pernia
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Marina Soliva-Estruch
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health, and Neuroscience (MHeNs), Maastricht University, Maastricht, 6229 ER, The Netherlands
| | - Dhivya Arasappan
- Center for Biomedical Research Support, The University of Texas at Austin; Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Rahul A. Bharadwaj
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development; Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Leonardo Collado-Torres
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development; Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Stefan Wuchty
- Departments of Computer Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33146, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33146, USA
| | - Victor E. Alvarez
- Department of Neurology, Boston University, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
- VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA, 01730, USA
- National Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Brain Bank, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
| | - Eric B Dammer
- Department of Biochemistry, Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, Emory School of Medicine; Atlanta GA, 30329, USA
| | - Amy Deep-Soboslay
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development; Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Duc M. Duong
- Department of Biochemistry, Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, Emory School of Medicine; Atlanta GA, 30329, USA
| | - Nick Eagles
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development; Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Bertrand R. Huber
- Department of Neurology, Boston University, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
- National Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Brain Bank, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
| | - Louise Huuki
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development; Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Vincent L Holstein
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Μark W. Logue
- National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Justina F. Lugenbühl
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health, and Neuroscience (MHeNs), Maastricht University, Maastricht, 6229 ER, The Netherlands
| | - Adam X. Maihofer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego; La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Center for Excellence in Stress and Mental Health, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System; San Diego, CA, 92161, USA
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System; San Diego, CA, 92161, USA
| | - Mark W. Miller
- National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Caroline M Nievergelt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego; La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Center for Excellence in Stress and Mental Health, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System; San Diego, CA, 92161, USA
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System; San Diego, CA, 92161, USA
| | - Geo Pertea
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development; Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Deanna Ross
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin; Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Mohammad S. E Sendi
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | | | - Ran Tao
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development; Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - James Tooke
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development; Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Erika J. Wolf
- National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, 02130, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Zane Zeier
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | | | - Sabina Berretta
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | | | - Thomas Hyde
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development; Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Nicholas T. Seyfried
- Department of Biochemistry, Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, Emory School of Medicine; Atlanta GA, 30329, USA
| | - Joo Heon Shin
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development; Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Daniel R. Weinberger
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development; Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Charles B. Nemeroff
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin; Austin, TX, 78712, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin; Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Joel E. Kleinman
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development; Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Kerry J. Ressler
- McLean Hospital; Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, 02115, USA
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Xie G, Qin Y, Wu N, Han X, Li J. Single-Nucleus Transcriptome Profiling from the Hippocampus of a PTSD Mouse Model and CBD-Treated Cohorts. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:519. [PMID: 38674453 PMCID: PMC11050643 DOI: 10.3390/genes15040519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common psychiatric disorder after a catastrophic event; however, the efficacious treatment options remain insufficient. Increasing evidence suggests that cannabidiol (CBD) exhibits optimal therapeutic effects for treating PTSD. To elucidate the cell-type-specific transcriptomic pathology of PTSD and the mechanisms of CBD against this disease, we conducted single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) in the hippocampus of PTSD-modeled mice and CBD-treated cohorts. We constructed a mouse model by adding electric foot shocks following exposure to single prolonged stress (SPS+S) and tested the freezing time, anxiety-like behavior, and cognitive behavior. CBD was administrated before every behavioral test. The PTSD-modeled mice displayed behaviors resembling those of PTSD in all behavioral tests, and CBD treatment alleviated all of these PTSD-like behaviors (n = 8/group). Three mice with representative behavioral phenotypes were selected from each group for snRNA-seq 15 days after the SPS+S. We primarily focused on the excitatory neurons (ExNs) and inhibitory neurons (InNs), which accounted for 68.4% of the total cell annotations. A total of 88 differentially upregulated genes and 305 differentially downregulated genes were found in the PTSD mice, which were found to exhibit significant alterations in pathways and biological processes associated with fear response, synaptic communication, protein synthesis, oxidative phosphorylation, and oxidative stress response. A total of 63 overlapping genes in InNs were identified as key genes for CBD in the treatment of PTSD. Subsequent Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses revealed that the anti-PTSD effect of CBD was related to the regulation of protein synthesis, oxidative phosphorylation, oxidative stress response, and fear response. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that CBD also enhanced retrograde endocannabinoid signaling in ExNs, which was found to be suppressed in the PTSD group. Our research may provide a potential explanation for the pathogenesis of PTSD and facilitate the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for drug development. Moreover, it may shed light on the therapeutic mechanisms of CBD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Xiao Han
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China; (G.X.); (Y.Q.); (N.W.); (J.L.)
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Lushchak O, Orru M, Strilbytska O, Berezovskyi V, Cherkas A, Storey KB, Bayliak M. Metabolic and immune dysfunctions in post-traumatic stress disorder: what can we learn from animal models? EXCLI JOURNAL 2023; 22:928-945. [PMID: 38023568 PMCID: PMC10630527 DOI: 10.17179/excli2023-6391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Highly stressful experiences such as terrorist attacks, domestic and sexual violence may lead to persistent pathological symptoms such as those seen in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There is growing evidence of multiple metabolic and immune disorders underlying the etiology and maintenance of PTSD. However, changes in the functioning of various systems and organs associated with PTSD are not well understood. Studies of reliable animal models is one of the effective scientific tools that can be used to gain insight into the role of metabolism and immunity in the comorbidity associated with PTSD. Since much progress has been made using animal models to understand mechanisms of PTSD, we summarized metabolic and immune dysfunction in mice and humans to compare certain outcomes associated with PTSD. The systemic effects of PTSD include chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system (psycho-emotional stress), that leads to impairment of the function of the immune system, increased release of stress hormones, and metabolic changes. We discuss PTSD as a multisystem disease with its neurological, immunological, and metabolic components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleh Lushchak
- Precarpathian National University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
- Research and Development University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
| | - Marco Orru
- Precarpathian National University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
| | | | | | - Andriy Cherkas
- Research and Development University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
| | | | - Maria Bayliak
- Precarpathian National University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
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Bauer EP. Sex differences in fear responses: Neural circuits. Neuropharmacology 2023; 222:109298. [PMID: 36328063 PMCID: PMC11267399 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Women have increased vulnerability to PTSD and anxiety disorders compared to men. Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of these disorders is critical for identifying risk factors and developing appropriate sex-specific interventions. Despite the clear clinical relevance of an examination of sex differences in fear responses, the vast majority of pre-clinical research on fear learning and memory formation has exclusively used male animals. This review highlights sex differences in context and cued fear conditioning, fear extinction and fear generalization with a focus on the neural circuits underlying these behaviors in rodents. There are mixed reports of behavioral sex differences in context and cued fear conditioning paradigms, which can depend upon the behavioral indices of fear. However, there is greater evidence of differential activation of the hippocampus, amygdalar nuclei and the prefrontal cortical regions in male and female rodents during context and cued fear conditioning. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a sexually dimorphic structure, is of particular interest as it differentially contributes to fear responses in males and females. In addition, while the influence of the estrous cycle on different phases of fear conditioning is delineated, the clearest modulatory effect of estrogen is on fear extinction processes. Examining the variability in neural responses and behavior in both sexes should increase our understanding of how that variability contributes to the neurobiology of affective disorders. This article is part of the Special Issue on 'Fear, anxiety and PTSD'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth P Bauer
- Departments of Biology and Neuroscience & Behavior, Barnard College of Columbia University, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027, United States.
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Núñez-Rios DL, Martínez-Magaña JJ, Nagamatsu ST, Krystal JH, Martínez-González KG, Giusti-Rodríguez P, Montalvo-Ortiz JL. Cross-Species Convergence of Brain Transcriptomic and Epigenomic Findings in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review. Complex Psychiatry 2023; 9:100-118. [PMID: 37404872 PMCID: PMC10315001 DOI: 10.1159/000529536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex multifactorial disorder influenced by the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Analyses of epigenomic and transcriptomic modifications may help to dissect the biological factors underlying the gene-environment interplay in PTSD. To date, most human PTSD epigenetics studies have used peripheral tissue, and these findings have complex and poorly understood relationships to brain alterations. Studies examining brain tissue may help characterize the brain-specific transcriptomic and epigenomic profiles of PTSD. In this review, we compiled and integrated brain-specific molecular findings of PTSD from humans and animals. Methods A systematic literature search according to the PRISMA criteria was performed to identify transcriptomic and epigenomic studies of PTSD, focusing on brain tissue from human postmortem samples or animal-stress paradigms. Results Gene- and pathway-level convergence analyses revealed PTSD-dysregulated genes and biological pathways across brain regions and species. A total of 243 genes converged across species, with 17 of them significantly enriched for PTSD. Chemical synaptic transmission and signaling by G-protein-coupled receptors were consistently enriched across omics and species. Discussion Our findings point out dysregulated genes highly replicated across PTSD studies in humans and animal models and suggest a potential role for the corticotropin-releasing hormone/orexin pathway in PTSD's pathophysiology. Further, we highlight current knowledge gaps and limitations and recommend future directions to address them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Leandra Núñez-Rios
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - José Jaime Martínez-Magaña
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sheila Tiemi Nagamatsu
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - John H. Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Paola Giusti-Rodríguez
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Janitza L. Montalvo-Ortiz
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
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Stankiewicz AM, Jaszczyk A, Goscik J, Juszczak GR. Stress and the brain transcriptome: Identifying commonalities and clusters in standardized data from published experiments. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2022; 119:110558. [PMID: 35405299 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Interpretation of transcriptomic experiments is hindered by many problems including false positives/negatives inherent to big-data methods and changes in gene nomenclature. To find the most consistent effect of stress on brain transcriptome, we retrieved data from 79 studies applying animal models and 3 human studies investigating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The analyzed data were obtained either with microarrays or RNA sequencing applied to samples collected from more than 1887 laboratory animals and from 121 human subjects. Based on the initial database containing a quarter million differential expression effect sizes representing transcripts in three species, we identified the most frequently reported genes in 223 stress-control comparisons. Additionally, the analysis considers sex, individual vulnerability and contribution of glucocorticoids. We also found an overlap between gene expression in PTSD patients and animals which indicates relevance of laboratory models for human stress response. Our analysis points to genes that, as far as we know, were not specifically tested for their role in stress response (Pllp, Arrdc2, Midn, Mfsd2a, Ccn1, Htra1, Csrnp1, Tenm4, Tnfrsf25, Sema3b, Fmo2, Adamts4, Gjb1, Errfi1, Fgf18, Galnt6, Slc25a42, Ifi30, Slc4a1, Cemip, Klf10, Tom1, Dcdc2c, Fancd2, Luzp2, Trpm1, Abcc12, Osbpl1a, Ptp4a2). Provided transcriptomic resource will be useful for guiding the new research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian M Stankiewicz
- Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Jastrzebiec, Poland
| | - Aneta Jaszczyk
- Department of Animal Behavior and Welfare, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Jastrzebiec, Poland
| | - Joanna Goscik
- Faculty of Computer Science, Bialystok University of Technology, Bialystok, Poland
| | - Grzegorz R Juszczak
- Department of Animal Behavior and Welfare, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Jastrzebiec, Poland.
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Núñez-Rios DL, Martínez-Magaña JJ, Nagamatsu ST, Andrade-Brito DE, Forero DA, Orozco-Castaño CA, Montalvo-Ortiz JL. Central and Peripheral Immune Dysregulation in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Convergent Multi-Omics Evidence. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10051107. [PMID: 35625844 PMCID: PMC9138536 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10051107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and multifactorial disorder with a prevalence ranging between 6–10% in the general population and ~35% in individuals with high lifetime trauma exposure. Growing evidence indicates that the immune system may contribute to the etiology of PTSD, suggesting the inflammatory dysregulation as a hallmark feature of PTSD. However, the potential interplay between the central and peripheral immune system, as well as the biological mechanisms underlying this dysregulation remain poorly understood. The activation of the HPA axis after trauma exposure and the subsequent activation of the inflammatory system mediated by glucocorticoids is the most common mechanism that orchestrates an exacerbated immunological response in PTSD. Recent high-throughput analyses in peripheral and brain tissue from both humans with and animal models of PTSD have found that changes in gene regulation via epigenetic alterations may participate in the impaired inflammatory signaling in PTSD. The goal of this review is to assess the role of the inflammatory system in PTSD across tissue and species, with a particular focus on the genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics domains. We conducted an integrative multi-omics approach identifying TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor) signaling, interleukins, chemokines, Toll-like receptors and glucocorticoids among the common dysregulated pathways in both central and peripheral immune systems in PTSD and propose potential novel drug targets for PTSD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana L. Núñez-Rios
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; (D.L.N.-R.); (J.J.M.-M.); (S.T.N.); (D.E.A.-B.)
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - José J. Martínez-Magaña
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; (D.L.N.-R.); (J.J.M.-M.); (S.T.N.); (D.E.A.-B.)
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Sheila T. Nagamatsu
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; (D.L.N.-R.); (J.J.M.-M.); (S.T.N.); (D.E.A.-B.)
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Diego E. Andrade-Brito
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; (D.L.N.-R.); (J.J.M.-M.); (S.T.N.); (D.E.A.-B.)
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Diego A. Forero
- Health and Sport Sciences Research Group, School of Health and Sport Sciences, Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina, Bogotá 110231, Colombia; (D.A.F.); (C.A.O.-C.)
| | - Carlos A. Orozco-Castaño
- Health and Sport Sciences Research Group, School of Health and Sport Sciences, Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina, Bogotá 110231, Colombia; (D.A.F.); (C.A.O.-C.)
| | - Janitza L. Montalvo-Ortiz
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; (D.L.N.-R.); (J.J.M.-M.); (S.T.N.); (D.E.A.-B.)
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(203)-9325711 (ext. 7491)
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Hoke A, Chakraborty N, Gautam A, Hammamieh R, Jett M. Acute and Delayed Effects of Stress Eliciting Post-Traumatic Stress-Like Disorder Differentially Alters Fecal Microbiota Composition in a Male Mouse Model. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:810815. [PMID: 35300376 PMCID: PMC8921487 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.810815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The association between the shift in fecal resident microbiome and social conflicts with long-term consequences on psychological plasticity, such as the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is yet to be comprehended. We developed an aggressor-exposed (Agg-E) social stress (SS) mouse model to mimic warzone-like conflicts, where random life-threatening interactions took place between naïve intruder mice and aggressive resident mice. Gradually these Agg-E mice developed distinct characteristics simulating PTSD-like aspects, whereas the control mice not exposed to Agg-E SS demonstrated distinct phenotypes. To further investigate the role of Agg-E SS on the resident microbiome, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was assayed using fecal samples collected at pre-, during, and post-SS time points. A time agonist shift in the fecal microbial composition of Agg-E mice in contrast to its controls suggested a persistent impact of Agg-E SS on resident microbiota. At the taxonomic level, Agg-E SS caused a significant shift in the time-resolved ratios of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes abundance. Furthermore, Agg-E SS caused diverging shifts in the relative abundances of Verrucomicrobia and Actinobacteria. An in silico estimation of genomic potential identified a potentially perturbed cluster of bioenergetic networks, which became increasingly enriched with time since the termination of Agg-E SS. Supported by a growing number of studies, our results indicated the roles of the microbiome in a wide range of phenotypes that could mimic the comorbidities of PTSD, which would be directly influenced by energy deficiency. Together, the present work suggested the fecal microbiome as a potential tool to manage long-term effects of social conflicts, including the management of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Hoke
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN, United States
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience Research (CMPN), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Nabarun Chakraborty
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience Research (CMPN), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Nabarun Chakraborty, ; Aarti Gautam,
| | - Aarti Gautam
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience Research (CMPN), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Nabarun Chakraborty, ; Aarti Gautam,
| | - Rasha Hammamieh
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience Research (CMPN), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Marti Jett
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience Research (CMPN), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, United States
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9
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Pathak GA, Singh K, Wendt FR, Fleming TW, Overstreet C, Koller D, Tylee DS, De Angelis F, Cabrera Mendoza B, Levey DF, Koenen KC, Krystal JH, Pietrzak RH, O' Donell C, Gaziano JM, Falcone G, Stein MB, Gelernter J, Pasaniuc B, Mancuso N, Davis LK, Polimanti R. Genetically regulated multi-omics study for symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder highlights pleiotropy with hematologic and cardio-metabolic traits. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:1394-1404. [PMID: 35241783 PMCID: PMC9210390 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01488-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may arise in response to severe traumatic event and is diagnosed based on three main symptom clusters (reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal) per the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (version DSM-IV-TR). In this study, we characterized the biological heterogeneity of PTSD symptom clusters by performing a multi-omics investigation integrating genetically regulated gene, splicing, and protein expression in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tissue within a sample of US veterans enrolled in the Million Veteran Program (N total = 186,689). We identified 30 genes in 19 regions across the three PTSD symptom clusters. We found nine genes to have cell-type specific expression, and over-representation of miRNA-families - miR-148, 30, and 8. Gene-drug target prioritization approach highlighted cyclooxygenase and acetylcholine compounds. Next, we tested molecular-profile based phenome-wide impact of identified genes with respect to 1678 phenotypes derived from the Electronic Health Records of the Vanderbilt University biorepository (N = 70,439). Lastly, we tested for local genetic correlation across PTSD symptom clusters which highlighted metabolic (e.g., obesity, diabetes, vascular health) and laboratory traits (e.g., neutrophil, eosinophil, tau protein, creatinine kinase). Overall, this study finds comprehensive genomic evidence including clinical and regulatory profiles between PTSD, hematologic and cardiometabolic traits, that support comorbidities observed in epidemiologic studies of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gita A Pathak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Kritika Singh
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Frank R Wendt
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Tyne W Fleming
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Cassie Overstreet
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Dora Koller
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Daniel S Tylee
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Flavio De Angelis
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Brenda Cabrera Mendoza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Daniel F Levey
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Karestan C Koenen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- Clinical Neurosciences Division, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Robert H Pietrzak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- Clinical Neurosciences Division, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Christopher O' Donell
- Cardiology Section, Department of Medicine, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J Michael Gaziano
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Guido Falcone
- Division of Neurocritical Care and Emergency Neurology, Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, 15 York Street, LLCI 1004D, Box 208018, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Murray B Stein
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, Psychiatry Service, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA
| | - Bogdan Pasaniuc
- Departments of Computational Medicine, Human Genetics, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas Mancuso
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lea K Davis
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Renato Polimanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA.
- VA CT Healthcare Center, West Haven, CT, 06516, USA.
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10
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Kohno S, Ogawa S, Shimmura T, Sato K, Tokutake Y. Myeloperoxidase expression in diencephalon is potentially associated with fear‐related behavior in chicks of laying hen. Anim Sci J 2022; 93:e13779. [PMID: 36345734 DOI: 10.1111/asj.13779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Preventing feather pecking (FP) in adult laying hens is important for the welfare of intensively poultry farming. Fear-related behavior in growing female layer chicks may predict FP in adult hens. In this study, in two representative laying breeds (White Leghorn [WL] and Rhode Island Red [RIR]) that have different FP frequencies, we identified a candidate gene associated with fear-related behavior in chicks and FP in adult hens. In the tonic immobility test and open-field test, the behavioral activity was lower in WL chicks than in RIR chicks (P < 0.01), suggesting that WL chicks were more fearful than RIR chicks. Based on previous studies, 51 genes that have been found to be differentially expressed in the brain between high- and low-FP populations were chosen, and their expression levels were screened in the chick diencephalon. This analysis revealed that myeloperoxidase (MPO) gene expression level was higher in WL chicks than that in RIR chicks (P < 0.05). Furthermore, STRING analysis predicted the gene network including MPO and MPO-related genes and revealed the association of these genes with fear-related behavior. These results suggest that MPO is potentially associated with fear-related behavior in growing female layer chicks and FP in adult hens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzuka Kohno
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science Tohoku University Sendai Miyagi Japan
| | - Shinichiro Ogawa
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science Tohoku University Sendai Miyagi Japan
- Division of Meat Animal and Poultry Research Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, NARO Tsukuba Ibaraki Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Shimmura
- Department of Biological Production Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Tokyo Japan
| | - Kan Sato
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science Tohoku University Sendai Miyagi Japan
| | - Yukako Tokutake
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science Tohoku University Sendai Miyagi Japan
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11
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Reduction of DNMT3a and RORA in the nucleus accumbens plays a causal role in post-traumatic stress disorder-like behavior: reversal by combinatorial epigenetic therapy. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:7481-7497. [PMID: 34253866 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01178-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an incapacitating trauma-related disorder, with no reliable therapy. Although PTSD has been associated with epigenetic alterations in peripheral white blood cells, it is unknown where such changes occur in the brain, and whether they play a causal role in PTSD. Using an animal PTSD model, we show distinct DNA methylation profiles of PTSD susceptibility in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Data analysis revealed overall hypomethylation of different genomic CG sites in susceptible animals. This was correlated with the reduction in expression levels of the DNA methyltransferase, DNMT3a. Since epigenetic changes in diseases involve different gene pathways, rather than single candidate genes, we next searched for pathways that may be involved in PTSD. Analysis of differentially methylated sites identified enrichment in the RAR activation and LXR/RXR activation pathways that regulate Retinoic Acid Receptor (RAR) Related Orphan Receptor A (RORA) activation. Intra-NAc injection of a lentiviral vector expressing either RORA or DNMT3a reversed PTSD-like behaviors while knockdown of RORA and DNMT3a increased PTSD-like behaviors. To translate our results into a potential pharmacological therapeutic strategy, we tested the effect of systemic treatment with the global methyl donor S-adenosyl methionine (SAM), for supplementing DNA methylation, or retinoic acid, for activating RORA downstream pathways. We found that combined treatment with the methyl donor SAM and retinoic acid reversed PTSD-like behaviors. Thus, our data point to a novel approach to the treatment of PTSD, which is potentially translatable to humans.
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12
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Ponomareva OY, Ressler KJ. Genomic factors underlying sex differences in trauma-related disorders. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 14:100330. [PMID: 33997155 PMCID: PMC8102626 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a devastating illness with treatment that is effective in only approximately half of the population. This limited rate of response highlights the necessity for research into underlying individual biological mechanisms that mediate development and progression of this disease, allowing for identification of patient-specific treatments. PTSD has clear sex differences in both risk and symptom patterns. Thus, one approach is to characterize trauma-related changes between men and women who exhibit differences in treatment efficacy and response to trauma. Recent technological advances in sequencing have identified several genomic loci and transcriptional changes that are associated with post-trauma symptomatology. However, although the diagnosis of PTSD is more prevalent in women, the genetic factors underlying sex differences remain poorly understood. Here, we review recent work that highlights current understanding and limitations in the field of sex differences in PTSD and related symptomatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Y Ponomareva
- Neuropsychiatry Translational Research Fellowship Program, Boston VA Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.,McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
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13
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Alyamani R, Nephew B, Murgatroyd C. Intergenerational changes in hippocampal transcription in an animal model of maternal depression. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:2242-2252. [PMID: 33687770 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Chronic stress during early life, such as exposure to social conflict or deficits in parental care, can have persistent adverse behavioural effects. Offspring in a rodent model of maternal depression and early life stress have increased susceptibility to maternal depression themselves, suggesting a pathway by which maternal stress could be intergenerationally inherited. The overall aim of this study was to explore the genetic regulatory pathways underlying how maternal social stress and reduced care mediates stress-related behavioural changes in offspring across generations. This study investigated a social stress-based rat model of postpartum depression and the intergenerational inheritance of depressed maternal care where F0 (dams exposed to male intruder stress during lactation) and F1 offspring are directly exposed to social stress. RNASeq was used to investigate genome-wide transcriptome changes in the hippocampus of F1 and F2 generations. Transcriptome analyses revealed differential expression of 69 genes in the F1 generation and 14 in the F2 between controls versus social stress differences. Many of these genes were receptors and calcium-binding proteins in the F1 and involved in cellular oxidant detoxification in F2. The present data identify and characterize changes in the neural expression of key genes involved in the regulation of depression maintained between the generations, suggesting a potential neural pathway for the intergenerational transmission of depressed maternal care and maternal anxiety in the CSS model. Further work is needed to understand to what extent these results are due to molecular germline inheritance and/or the social propagation of deficits in maternal care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reema Alyamani
- Department of Life Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Ben Nephew
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Chris Murgatroyd
- Department of Life Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
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14
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Li S, Liao Y, Dong Y, Li X, Li J, Cheng Y, Cheng J, Yuan Z. Microglial deletion and inhibition alleviate behavior of post-traumatic stress disorder in mice. J Neuroinflammation 2021; 18:7. [PMID: 33402212 PMCID: PMC7786489 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-020-02069-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Alteration of immune status in the central nervous system (CNS) has been implicated in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the nature of overall changes in brain immunocyte landscape in PTSD condition remains unclear. Methods We constructed a mouse PTSD model by electric foot-shocks followed by contextual reminders and verified the PTSD-related symptoms by behavior test (including contextual freezing test, open-field test, and elevated plus maze test). We examined the immunocyte panorama in the brains of the naïve or PTSD mice by using single-cell mass cytometry. Microglia number and morphological changes in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala were analyzed by histopathological methods. The gene expression changes of those microglia were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Genetic/pharmacological depletion of microglia or minocycline treatment before foot-shocks exposure was performed to study the role of microglia in PTSD development and progress. Results We found microglia are the major brain immune cells that respond to PTSD. The number of microglia and ratio of microglia to immunocytes was significantly increased on the fifth day of foot-shock exposure. Furthermore, morphological analysis and gene expression profiling revealed temporal patterns of microglial activation in the hippocampus of the PTSD brains. Importantly, we found that genetic/pharmacological depletion of microglia or minocycline treatment before foot-shock exposure alleviated PTSD-associated anxiety and contextual fear. Conclusion Our results demonstrated a critical role for microglial activation in PTSD development and a potential therapeutic strategy for the clinical treatment of PTSD in the form of microglial inhibition. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12974-020-02069-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuoshuo Li
- The Brain Science Center, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, No. 27 Taiping Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Yajin Liao
- Center on Translational Neuroscience, College of Life & Environmental Science, Minzu University of China, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Yuan Dong
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, Shandong, China
| | - Xiaoheng Li
- The Brain Science Center, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, No. 27 Taiping Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Jun Li
- Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Yong Cheng
- Center on Translational Neuroscience, College of Life & Environmental Science, Minzu University of China, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Jinbo Cheng
- Center on Translational Neuroscience, College of Life & Environmental Science, Minzu University of China, Beijing, 100081, China.
| | - Zengqiang Yuan
- The Brain Science Center, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, No. 27 Taiping Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100850, China. .,Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China.
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15
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Bian YY, Yang LL, Zhang B, Li W, Li ZJ, Li WL, Zeng L. Identification of key genes involved in post-traumatic stress disorder: Evidence from bioinformatics analysis. World J Psychiatry 2020; 10:286-298. [PMID: 33392005 PMCID: PMC7754529 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v10.i12.286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious stress-related disorder.
AIM To identify the key genes and pathways to uncover the potential mechanisms of PTSD using bioinformatics methods.
METHODS Gene expression profiles were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by using GEO2R. Gene functional annotation and pathway enrichment were then conducted. The gene-pathway network was constructed with Cytoscape software. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis was applied for validation, and text mining by Coremine Medical was used to confirm the connections among genes and pathways.
RESULTS We identified 973 DEGs including 358 upregulated genes and 615 downregulated genes in PTSD. A group of centrality hub genes and significantly enriched pathways (MAPK, Ras, and ErbB signaling pathways) were identified by using gene functional assignment and enrichment analyses. Six genes (KRAS, EGFR, NFKB1, FGF12, PRKCA, and RAF1) were selected to validate using qRT-PCR. The results of text mining further confirmed the correlation among hub genes and the enriched pathways. It indicated that these altered genes displayed functional roles in PTSD via these pathways, which might serve as key signatures in the pathogenesis of PTSD.
CONCLUSION The current study identified a panel of candidate genes and important pathways, which might help us deepen our understanding of the underlying mechanism of PTSD at the molecular level. However, further studies are warranted to discover the critical regulatory mechanism of these genes via relevant pathways in PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao-Yao Bian
- School of Nursing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Li-Li Yang
- School of First Clinical Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
- Jingwen Library, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Digestive Department, Ningbo Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ningbo 315200, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Wen Li
- School of Preclinical Medicine, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Zheng-Jun Li
- Management School, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9AJ, United Kingdom
- College of Health Economics Management, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Wen-Lin Li
- Jingwen Library, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Li Zeng
- School of First Clinical Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
- Jingwen Library, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
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16
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Chakraborty N, Hammamieh R, Gautam A, Miller SA, Condlin ML, Jett M, Scrimgeour AG. TBI weight-drop model with variable impact heights differentially perturbs hippocampus-cerebellum specific transcriptomic profile. Exp Neurol 2020; 335:113516. [PMID: 33172833 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The degree of brain injury is the governing factor for the magnitude of the patient's psycho- and physiological deficits post-injury, and the associated long-term consequences. The present scaling method used to segregate the patients among mild, moderate and severe phases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) has major limitations; however, a more continuous stratification of TBI is still elusive. With the anticipation that differentiating molecular markers could be the backbone of a robust method to triage TBI, we used a modified closed-head injury (CHI) Marmarou model with two impact heights (IH). By definition, IH directly correlates with the impact force causing TBI. In our modified CHI model, the rat skull was fitted with a helmet to permit a diffuse axonal injury. With the frontal cortex as the focal point of injury, the adjacent brain regions (hippocampus, HC and cerebellum, CB) were susceptible to diffuse secondary shock injury. At 8 days post injury (po.i.), rats impacted by 120 cm IH (IH120) took a longer time to find an escape route in the Barnes maze as compared to those impacted by 100 cm IH (IH100). Using a time-resolved interrogation of the transcriptomic landscape of HC and CB tissues, we mined those genes that altered their regulations in correlation with the variable IHs. At 14 days po.i., when all rats demonstrated nearly normal visuomotor performance, the bio-functional analysis suggested an advanced healing mechanism in the HC of IH100 group. In contrast, the HC of IH120 group displayed a delayed healing with evidence of active cell death networks. Combining whole genome rat microarrays with behavioral analysis provided the insight of neuroprotective signals that could be the foundation of the next generation triage for TBI patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nabarun Chakraborty
- Geneva Foundation, Medical Readiness Systems Biology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States of America; Medical Readiness Systems Biology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States of America.
| | - Rasha Hammamieh
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States of America
| | - Aarti Gautam
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States of America
| | - Stacy-Ann Miller
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States of America; ORISE, Medical Readiness Systems Biology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States of America
| | - Michelle L Condlin
- Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, 10 General Greene Ave, Bldg 42, Natick, MA 01760, United States of America
| | - Marti Jett
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, United States of America
| | - Angus G Scrimgeour
- Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, 10 General Greene Ave, Bldg 42, Natick, MA 01760, United States of America
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17
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Le-Niculescu H, Roseberry K, Levey DF, Rogers J, Kosary K, Prabha S, Jones T, Judd S, McCormick MA, Wessel AR, Williams A, Phalen PL, Mamdani F, Sequeira A, Kurian SM, Niculescu AB. Towards precision medicine for stress disorders: diagnostic biomarkers and targeted drugs. Mol Psychiatry 2020; 25:918-938. [PMID: 30862937 PMCID: PMC7192849 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0370-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The biological fingerprint of environmental adversity may be key to understanding health and disease, as it encompasses the damage induced as well as the compensatory reactions of the organism. Metabolic and hormonal changes may be an informative but incomplete window into the underlying biology. We endeavored to identify objective blood gene expression biomarkers for psychological stress, a subjective sensation with biological roots. To quantify the stress perception at a particular moment in time, we used a simple visual analog scale for life stress in psychiatric patients, a high-risk group. Then, using a stepwise discovery, prioritization, validation, and testing in independent cohort design, we were successful in identifying gene expression biomarkers that were predictive of high-stress states and of future psychiatric hospitalizations related to stress, more so when personalized by gender and diagnosis. One of the top biomarkers that survived discovery, prioritization, validation, and testing was FKBP5, a well-known gene involved in stress response, which serves as a de facto reassuring positive control. We also compared our biomarker findings with telomere length (TL), another well-established biological marker of psychological stress and show that newly identified predictive biomarkers such as NUB1, APOL3, MAD1L1, or NKTR are comparable or better state or trait predictors of stress than TL or FKBP5. Over half of the top predictive biomarkers for stress also had prior evidence of involvement in suicide, and the majority of them had evidence in other psychiatric disorders, providing a molecular underpinning for the effects of stress in those disorders. Some of the biomarkers are targets of existing drugs, of potential utility in patient stratification, and pharmacogenomics approaches. Based on our studies and analyses, the biomarkers with the best overall convergent functional evidence (CFE) for involvement in stress were FKBP5, DDX6, B2M, LAIR1, RTN4, and NUB1. Moreover, the biomarker gene expression signatures yielded leads for possible new drug candidates and natural compounds upon bioinformatics drug repurposing analyses, such as calcium folinate and betulin. Our work may lead to improved diagnosis and treatment for stress disorders such as PTSD, that result in decreased quality of life and adverse outcomes, including addictions, violence, and suicide.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Le-Niculescu
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - K Roseberry
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - D F Levey
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - J Rogers
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - K Kosary
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - S Prabha
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - T Jones
- Indianapolis VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - S Judd
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - M A McCormick
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - A R Wessel
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - A Williams
- Indianapolis VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - P L Phalen
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - F Mamdani
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, UC Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - A Sequeira
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, UC Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - S M Kurian
- Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - A B Niculescu
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- Indianapolis VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
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18
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Luo L, Li L, Guo M, Chen X, Lin Y, Wu D. Genetic variation in NRG 1 gene and risk of post-traumatic stress disorders in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. J Clin Lab Anal 2020; 34:e23187. [PMID: 31944381 PMCID: PMC7246357 DOI: 10.1002/jcla.23187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) was proved to play an important role in numerous neurodevelopmental processes. In our study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between the NRG1 gene polymorphism and the cognitive function of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) complicated with post‐traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) before and after the psychological intervention. Methods Mini‐mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA) were used for cognitive function assessment. Serum level of NRG1 was detected by ELISA, and the correlation between NRG1 level and cognitive function was analyzed. The difference of cognitive function score of patients with HCC complicated with PTSD before and after psychological intervention was compared, and the relationship between rs35753505 and rs3924999 polymorphism with the score was analyzed. Results Patients with HCC complicated with PTSD showed decreased serum NRG1 level. NRG1 levels of patients in the HCC + PTSD group were positively correlated with MMSE, MoCA, and LOTCA scores. In rs35753505, the CC genotype was a risk factor for the occurrence of PTSD in patients with HCC, while in rs3924999, the GG genotype was a risk factor for the occurrence of PTSD in patients with HCC. After psychological intervention, the CC genotype at rs35753505 and the GG genotype at rs3924999 were susceptible genotypes. Conclusion CC genotype at rs35753505 and GG genotype at rs3924999 of NRG1 gene increased the risk of PTSD in patients with HCC. CC and GG genotypes were susceptible after psychological intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liumei Luo
- Xiangya Nursing College, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Department of science and education, Hainan General Hospital, Haikou, China
| | - Li Li
- Department of nursing, Xiangya Medical College of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Min Guo
- Department of science and education, Hainan General Hospital, Haikou, China
| | - Xi Chen
- Xiangya Nursing College, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yuzhu Lin
- Department of science and education, Hainan General Hospital, Haikou, China
| | - Dingyin Wu
- Department of science and education, Hainan General Hospital, Haikou, China
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19
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Abstract
The goals of animal research in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) include better understanding the neurophysiological etiology of PTSD, identifying potential targets for novel pharmacotherapies, and screening drugs for their potential use as PTSD treatment in humans. Diagnosis of PTSD relies on a patient interview and, as evidenced by changes to the diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5, an adequate description of this disorder in humans is a moving target. Therefore, it may seem insurmountable to model the construct of PTSD in animals such as rodents. Fortunately, the neural circuitry involved in fear and anxiety, thought to be essential to the etiology of PTSD in humans, is highly conserved throughout evolution. Furthermore, many symptoms can be modeled using behavioral tests that have face, construct, and predictive validity. Because PTSD is precipitated by a definite traumatic experience, animal models can simulate the induction of PTSD, and test causal factors with longitudinal designs. Accordingly, several animal models of physical and psychological trauma have been established. This review discusses the widely used animal models of PTSD in rodents, and overviews their strengths and weaknesses in terms of face, construct, and predictive validity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth I Flandreau
- Grand Valley State University, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401, USA.
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 43 Szigony Street, Budapest, 1083, Hungary.
| | - Mate Toth
- Grand Valley State University, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401, USA
- Department of Behavioral Neurobiology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Experimental Medicine, 43 Szigony Street, Budapest, 1083, Hungary
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20
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Tanaka M, Li H, Zhang X, Singh J, Dalgard CL, Wilkerson M, Zhang Y. Region- and time-dependent gene regulation in the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex of a PTSD-like mouse model. Mol Brain 2019; 12:25. [PMID: 30922409 PMCID: PMC6438009 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-019-0449-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder is developed by exposure to a threatening and/or a horrifying event and characterized by the presence of anxiety, hyperarousal, avoidance, and sleep abnormality for a prolonged period of time. To elucidate the potential molecular mechanisms, we constructed a mouse model by electric foot shock followed by situational reminders and performed transcriptome analysis in brain tissues. The stressed mice acquired anxiety-like behavior after 2 weeks and exaggerated startle response after 4 weeks. Avoidance latency and freezing behavior were sustained up to 5 weeks post stress and abnormal static behavior was observed during the sleep period. RNA sequencing was performed in two of the emotional regulatory regions, anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala, at 2 and 5 weeks post stress. More than 1000 differentially expressed genes were identified at 2 weeks in both regions. The number of the regulated genes remained constant in amygdala at 5 weeks post stress, whereas those in anterior cingulate cortex were plummeted. Although synaptic remodeling and endocrine system were the most enriched signaling pathways in both anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala, the individual gene expression profile was regulated in a region- and time-dependent manner. In addition, several genes associated with PTSD involved in Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis were differentially regulated. These findings suggested that global gene expression profile was dynamically regulated in accordance with the disease development stage, and therefore targeting the distinct signaling molecules in different region and development stage might be critical for effective treatment to PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikiei Tanaka
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Hongyun Li
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Xijun Zhang
- Collaborative Health Initiative Research Program (CHIRP), Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Jatinder Singh
- Collaborative Health Initiative Research Program (CHIRP), Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Clifton L Dalgard
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA.,Collaborative Health Initiative Research Program (CHIRP), Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Matthew Wilkerson
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA.,Collaborative Health Initiative Research Program (CHIRP), Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
| | - Yumin Zhang
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA. .,Collaborative Health Initiative Research Program (CHIRP), Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA.
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21
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Zhang-James Y, Fernàndez-Castillo N, Hess JL, Malki K, Glatt SJ, Cormand B, Faraone SV. An integrated analysis of genes and functional pathways for aggression in human and rodent models. Mol Psychiatry 2019; 24:1655-1667. [PMID: 29858598 PMCID: PMC6274606 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-018-0068-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 03/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Human genome-wide association studies (GWAS), transcriptome analyses of animal models, and candidate gene studies have advanced our understanding of the genetic architecture of aggressive behaviors. However, each of these methods presents unique limitations. To generate a more confident and comprehensive view of the complex genetics underlying aggression, we undertook an integrated, cross-species approach. We focused on human and rodent models to derive eight gene lists from three main categories of genetic evidence: two sets of genes identified in GWAS studies, four sets implicated by transcriptome-wide studies of rodent models, and two sets of genes with causal evidence from online Mendelian inheritance in man (OMIM) and knockout (KO) mice reports. These gene sets were evaluated for overlap and pathway enrichment to extract their similarities and differences. We identified enriched common pathways such as the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling pathway, axon guidance, reelin signaling in neurons, and ERK/MAPK signaling. Also, individual genes were ranked based on their cumulative weights to quantify their importance as risk factors for aggressive behavior, which resulted in 40 top-ranked and highly interconnected genes. The results of our cross-species and integrated approach provide insights into the genetic etiology of aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanli Zhang-James
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- 0000 0004 1937 0247grid.5841.8Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain ,0000 0004 1791 1185grid.452372.5Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain ,0000 0004 1937 0247grid.5841.8Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain ,Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Jonathan L Hess
- 0000 0000 9159 4457grid.411023.5Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, NY USA
| | - Karim Malki
- 0000 0001 2322 6764grid.13097.3cKing’s College London, MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IOPPN), London, UK
| | - Stephen J Glatt
- 0000 0000 9159 4457grid.411023.5Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, NY USA ,0000 0000 9159 4457grid.411023.5Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, NY USA
| | - Bru Cormand
- 0000 0004 1937 0247grid.5841.8Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain ,0000 0004 1791 1185grid.452372.5Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain ,0000 0004 1937 0247grid.5841.8Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain ,Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Stephen V Faraone
- 0000 0000 9159 4457grid.411023.5Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, NY USA ,0000 0000 9159 4457grid.411023.5Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, NY USA ,0000 0004 1936 7443grid.7914.bK.G. Jebsen Centre for Research on Neuropsychiatric Disorders, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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22
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Richter-Levin G, Stork O, Schmidt MV. Animal models of PTSD: a challenge to be met. Mol Psychiatry 2019; 24:1135-1156. [PMID: 30816289 PMCID: PMC6756084 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-018-0272-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2017] [Revised: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Recent years have seen increased interest in psychopathologies related to trauma exposure. Specifically, there has been a growing awareness to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in part due to terrorism, climate change-associated natural disasters, the global refugee crisis, and increased violence in overpopulated urban areas. However, notwithstanding the increased awareness to the disorder, the increasing number of patients, and the devastating impact on the lives of patients and their families, the efficacy of available treatments remains limited and highly unsatisfactory. A major scientific effort is therefore devoted to unravel the neural mechanisms underlying PTSD with the aim of paving the way to developing novel or improved treatment approaches and drugs to treat PTSD. One of the major scientific tools used to gain insight into understanding physiological and neuronal mechanisms underlying diseases and for treatment development is the use of animal models of human diseases. While much progress has been made using these models in understanding mechanisms of conditioned fear and fear memory, the gained knowledge has not yet led to better treatment options for PTSD patients. This poor translational outcome has already led some scientists and pharmaceutical companies, who do not in general hold opinions against animal models, to propose that those models should be abandoned. Here, we critically examine aspects of animal models of PTSD that may have contributed to the relative lack of translatability, including the focus on the exposure to trauma, overlooking individual and sex differences, and the contribution of risk factors. Based on findings from recent years, we propose research-based modifications that we believe are required in order to overcome some of the shortcomings of previous practice. These modifications include the usage of animal models of PTSD which incorporate risk factors and of the behavioral profiling analysis of individuals in a sample. These modifications are aimed to address factors such as individual predisposition and resilience, thus taking into consideration the fact that only a fraction of individuals exposed to trauma develop PTSD. We suggest that with an appropriate shift of practice, animal models are not only a valuable tool to enhance our understanding of fear and memory processes, but could serve as effective platforms for understanding PTSD, for PTSD drug development and drug testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gal Richter-Levin
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. .,The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBR), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. .,Psychology Department, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Oliver Stork
- 0000 0001 1018 4307grid.5807.aDepartment of Genetics & Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany ,grid.452320.2Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Universitätsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Mathias V. Schmidt
- 0000 0000 9497 5095grid.419548.5Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
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23
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Common and differential transcriptional responses to different models of traumatic stress exposure in rats. Transl Psychiatry 2018; 8:165. [PMID: 30139969 PMCID: PMC6107654 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-018-0223-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The effect of six different traumatic stress protocols on the transcriptome of the rat adrenal gland was examined using RNA sequencing. These protocols included chronic variable stress, chronic shock, social defeat and social isolation. The response of the transcriptome to stress suggested that there are genes that respond in a universal or stress modality-independent manner, as well as genes that respond in a stress modality-specific manner. Using a small number of the genes selected from the modality-independent set of stress-sensitive genes, a sensitive and robust measure of chronic stress exposure was developed. This stress-sensitive gene expression (SSGE) index could detect chronic traumatic stress exposure in a wide range of different stress models in a manner that was relatively independent of the modality of stress exposure and that paralleled the intensity of stress exposure in a dose-dependent manner. This measure could reliably distinguish control and stressed individuals in the case of animals exposed to the most intense stress protocols. The response of a subset of the modality-specific genes could also distinguish some types of stress exposure, based solely on changes in the pattern of gene expression. The results suggest that it is possible to develop diagnostic measures of traumatic stress exposure based solely on changes in the level of expression of a relatively small number of genes.
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24
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Transcriptome Alterations in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2018; 83:840-848. [PMID: 29128043 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Revised: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder with a lifetime prevalence of nearly 8% in the general population. While the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of PTSD remain unknown, recent studies indicate that PTSD is associated with aberrant gene expression in brain as well as peripheral blood cells. The advent of next-generation sequencing technologies will allow us to elucidate the gene expression changes occurring in both brain and blood of patients with PTSD. RNA sequencing allows for analysis of the amount of transcript being made as well as alternative splicing, novel transcript identification, microRNA, and noncoding RNA quantification. Here we provide an overview of the different types of transcriptomic technologies as well as the gene expression studies performed in human peripheral blood and animal models of PTSD, and review the human PTSD postmortem brain gene profiling studies performed to date.
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25
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Gautam A, Kumar R, Chakraborty N, Muhie S, Hoke A, Hammamieh R, Jett M. Altered fecal microbiota composition in all male aggressor-exposed rodent model simulating features of post-traumatic stress disorder. J Neurosci Res 2018; 96:1311-1323. [PMID: 29633335 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The bidirectional role of gut-brain axis that integrates the gut and central nervous system activities has recently been investigated. We studied "cage-within-cage resident-intruder" all-male model, where subject male mice (C57BL/6J) are exposed to aggressor mice (SJL albino), and gut microbiota-derived metabolites were identified in plasma after 10 days of exposure. We assessed 16S ribosomal RNA gene from fecal samples collected daily from these mice during the 10-day study. Alpha diversity using Chao indices indicated no change in diversity in aggressor-exposed samples. The abundance profile showed the top phyla were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, Tenericutes, Verrucomicrobia, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, respectively. The phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are vulnerable to PTSD-eliciting stress and the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio increases with stress. Principal coordinate analysis showed the control and aggressor-exposed samples cluster separately where samples from early time points (day 1-3) clustered together and were distinct from late time points (day 4-9). The genus-based analysis revealed all control time points clustered together and aggressor-exposed samples had multiple clusters. The decrease in proportion of Firmicutes after aggressor exposure persisted throughout the study. The proportion of Verrucomicrobia immediately decreased and was significantly shifted at most of the later time points. The genus Oscillospira, Lactobacillus, Akkermansia and Anaeroplasma are the top four genera that differed between control and stressor-exposed mice. The data showed immediate effect on microbiome composition during a 10 day time period of stress exposure. Studying the longitudinal effects of a stressor is an important step toward an improved mechanistic understanding of the microbiome dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarti Gautam
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Raina Kumar
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.,Advanced Biomedical Computing Center, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Nabarun Chakraborty
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.,The Geneva Foundation, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Seid Muhie
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.,The Geneva Foundation, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Allison Hoke
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD, USA.,The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Rasha Hammamieh
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
| | - Marti Jett
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD, USA
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26
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Yang R, Liu W, Miao L, Yang X, Fu J, Dou B, Cai A, Zong X, Tan C, Chen H, Wang X. Induction of VEGFA and Snail-1 by meningitic Escherichia coli mediates disruption of the blood-brain barrier. Oncotarget 2018; 7:63839-63855. [PMID: 27588479 PMCID: PMC5325408 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.11696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli is the most common Gram-negative bacterium that possesses the ability to cause neonatal meningitis, which develops as circulating bacteria penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, whether meningitic E. coli could induce disruption of the BBB and the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Our current work highlight for the first time the participation of VEGFA and Snail-1, as well as the potential mechanisms, in meningitic E. coli induced disruption of the BBB. Here, we characterized a meningitis-causing E. coli PCN033, and demonstrated that PCN033 invasion could increase the BBB permeability through downregulating and remodeling the tight junction proteins (TJ proteins). This process required the PCN033 infection-induced upregulation of VEGFA and Snail-1, which involves the activation of TLR2-MAPK-ERK1/2 signaling cascade. Moreover, production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in response to infection also promoted the upregulation of VEGFA and Snail-1, therefore further mediating the BBB disruption. Our observations reported here directly support the involvement of VEGFA and Snail-1 in meningitic E. coli induced BBB disruption, and VEGFA and Snail-1 would therefore represent the essential host targets for future prevention of clinical E. coli meningitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruicheng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Wentong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Ling Miao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Xiaopei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Jiyang Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Beibei Dou
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Aoling Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Xin Zong
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Chen Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,Key Laboratory of development of veterinary diagnostic products of Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Huanchun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,Key Laboratory of development of veterinary diagnostic products of Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Xiangru Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.,Key Laboratory of development of veterinary diagnostic products of Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
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Liu M, Fitzgibbon M, Wang Y, Reilly J, Qian X, O'Brien T, Clapcote S, Shen S, Roche M. Ulk4 regulates GABAergic signaling and anxiety-related behavior. Transl Psychiatry 2018; 8:43. [PMID: 29391390 PMCID: PMC5804027 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-017-0091-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2017] [Revised: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Excitation/inhibition imbalance has been proposed as a fundamental mechanism in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, in which copy number variations of the Unc-51 like kinase 4 (ULK4) gene encoding a putative Serine/Threonine kinase have been reported in approximately 1/1000 of patients suffering pleiotropic clinical conditions of schizophrenia, depression, autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental delay, language delay, intellectual disability, or behavioral disorder. The current study characterized behavior of heterozygous Ulk4 +/tm1a mice, demonstrating that Ulk4 +/tm1a mice displayed no schizophrenia-like behavior in acoustic startle reactivity and prepulse inhibition tests or depressive-like behavior in the Porsolt swim or tail suspension tests. However, Ulk4 +/tm1a mice exhibited an anxiety-like behavioral phenotype in several tests. Previously identified hypo-anxious (Atp1a2, Ptn, and Mdk) and hyper-anxious (Gria1, Syngap1, and Npy2r) genes were found to be dysregulated accordingly in Ulk4 mutants. Ulk4 was found to be expressed in GABAergic neurons and the Gad67+ interneurons were significantly reduced in the hippocampus and basolateral amygdala of Ulk4 +/tm1a mice. Transcriptome analyses revealed a marked reduction of GABAergic neuronal subtypes, including Pvalb, Sst, Cck, Npy, and Nos3, as well as significant upregulation of GABA receptors, including Gabra1, Gabra3, Gabra4, Gabra5, and Gabrb3. This is the first evidence that Ulk4 plays a major role in regulating GABAergic signaling and anxiety-like behavior, which may have implications for the development of novel anxiolytic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Liu
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Marie Fitzgibbon
- Physiology, School of Medicine, Galway Neuroscience Centre and Centre for Pain Research, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Yanqin Wang
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Department of Physiology, College of Life Science, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jamie Reilly
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Xiaohong Qian
- National Center for Protein Sciences, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Engineering Research Center for Protein Drugs, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Timothy O'Brien
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Steve Clapcote
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Sanbing Shen
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Michelle Roche
- Physiology, School of Medicine, Galway Neuroscience Centre and Centre for Pain Research, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
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28
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Taguchi YH. Tensor decomposition-based unsupervised feature extraction identifies candidate genes that induce post-traumatic stress disorder-mediated heart diseases. BMC Med Genomics 2017; 10:67. [PMID: 29322921 PMCID: PMC5763504 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-017-0302-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Although post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is primarily a mental disorder, it can cause additional symptoms that do not seem to be directly related to the central nervous system, which PTSD is assumed to directly affect. PTSD-mediated heart diseases are some of such secondary disorders. In spite of the significant correlations between PTSD and heart diseases, spatial separation between the heart and brain (where PTSD is primarily active) prevents researchers from elucidating the mechanisms that bridge the two disorders. Our purpose was to identify genes linking PTSD and heart diseases. Methods In this study, gene expression profiles of various murine tissues observed under various types of stress or without stress were analyzed in an integrated manner using tensor decomposition (TD). Results Based upon the obtained features, ∼ 400 genes were identified as candidate genes that may mediate heart diseases associated with PTSD. Various gene enrichment analyses supported biological reliability of the identified genes. Ten genes encoding protein-, DNA-, or mRNA-interacting proteins—ILF2, ILF3, ESR1, ESR2, RAD21, HTT, ATF2, NR3C1, TP53, and TP63—were found to be likely to regulate expression of most of these ∼ 400 genes and therefore are candidate primary genes that cause PTSD-mediated heart diseases. Approximately 400 genes in the heart were also found to be strongly affected by various drugs whose known adverse effects are related to heart diseases and/or fear memory conditioning; these data support the reliability of our findings. Conclusions TD-based unsupervised feature extraction turned out to be a useful method for gene selection and successfully identified possible genes causing PTSD-mediated heart diseases. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12920-017-0302-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y-H Taguchi
- Department of Physics, Chuo University, 1-13-27 Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8551, Japan.
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29
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Deconvolution of Transcriptional Networks in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Uncovers Master Regulators Driving Innate Immune System Function. Sci Rep 2017; 7:14486. [PMID: 29101382 PMCID: PMC5670244 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15221-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that develops in individuals experiencing a shocking incident, but the underlying disease susceptibility gene networks remain poorly understood. Breen et al. conducted a Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis on PTSD, and identified a dysregulated innate immune module associated with PTSD development. To further identify the Master Regulators (MRs) driving the network function, here we deconvoluted the transcriptional networks on the same datasets using ARACNe (Algorithm for Reconstruction of Accurate Cellular Networks) followed by protein activity analysis. We successfully identified several MRs including SOX3, TNFAIP3, TRAFD1, POU3F3, STAT2, and PML that govern the expression of a large collection of genes. Transcription factor binding site enrichment analysis verified the binding of these MRs to their predicted targets. Notably, the sub-networks regulated by TNFAIP3, TRAFD1 and PML are involved in innate immune response, suggesting that these MRs may correlate with the innate immune module identified by Breen et al. These findings were replicated in an independent dataset generated on expression microarrays. In conclusion, our analysis corroborated previous findings that innate immunity may be involved in the progression of PTSD, yet also identified candidate MRs driving the disease progression in the innate immunity pathways.
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30
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Muhie S, Gautam A, Chakraborty N, Hoke A, Meyerhoff J, Hammamieh R, Jett M. Molecular indicators of stress-induced neuroinflammation in a mouse model simulating features of post-traumatic stress disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7:e1135. [PMID: 28534873 PMCID: PMC5534959 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2017.91] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
A social-stress mouse model was used to simulate features of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The model involved exposure of an intruder (male C57BL/6) mouse to a resident aggressor (male SJL) mouse for 5 or 10 consecutive days. Transcriptome changes in brain regions (hippocampus, amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex and hemibrain), blood and spleen as well as epigenome changes in the hemibrain were assayed after 1- and 10-day intervals following the 5-day trauma or after 1- and 42-day intervals following the 10-day trauma. Analyses of differentially expressed genes (common among brain, blood and spleen) and differentially methylated promoter regions revealed that neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity pathways were activated during the early responses but were inhibited after the later post-trauma intervals. However, inflammatory pathways were activated throughout the observation periods, except in the amygdala in which they were inhibited only at the later post-trauma intervals. Phenotypically, inhibition of neurogenesis was corroborated by impaired Y-maze behavioral responses. Sustained neuroinflammation appears to drive the development and maintenance of behavioral manifestations of PTSD, potentially via its inhibitory effect on neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. By contrast, peripheral inflammation seems to be directly responsible for tissue damage underpinning somatic comorbid pathologies. Identification of overlapping, differentially regulated genes and pathways between blood and brain suggests that blood could be a useful and accessible brain surrogate specimen for clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Muhie
- The Geneva Foundation, Frederick, MD, USA,Advanced Academics Programs, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - A Gautam
- Integrative Systems Biology, US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | | | - A Hoke
- The Geneva Foundation, Frederick, MD, USA
| | | | - R Hammamieh
- Integrative Systems Biology, US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - M Jett
- Integrative Systems Biology, US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Frederick, MD, USA,Integrative Systems Biology, US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, 568 Doughten Drive, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702-5010, USA. E-mail:
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31
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Chakraborty N, Meyerhoff J, Jett M, Hammamieh R. Genome to Phenome: A Systems Biology Approach to PTSD Using an Animal Model. Methods Mol Biol 2017; 1598:117-154. [PMID: 28508360 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-6952-4_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating illness that imposes significant emotional and financial burdens on military families. The understanding of PTSD etiology remains elusive; nonetheless, it is clear that PTSD is manifested by a cluster of symptoms including hyperarousal, reexperiencing of traumatic events, and avoidance of trauma reminders. With these characteristics in mind, several rodent models have been developed eliciting PTSD-like features. Animal models with social dimensions are of particular interest, since the social context plays a major role in the development and manifestation of PTSD.For civilians, a core trauma that elicits PTSD might be characterized by a singular life-threatening event such as a car accident. In contrast, among war veterans, PTSD might be triggered by repeated threats and a cumulative psychological burden that coalesced in the combat zone. In capturing this fundamental difference, the aggressor-exposed social stress (Agg-E SS) model imposes highly threatening conspecific trauma on naïve mice repeatedly and randomly.There is abundant evidence that suggests the potential role of genetic contributions to risk factors for PTSD. Specific observations include putatively heritable attributes of the disorder, the cited cases of atypical brain morphology, and the observed neuroendocrine shifts away from normative. Taken together, these features underscore the importance of multi-omics investigations to develop a comprehensive picture. More daunting will be the task of downstream analysis with integration of these heterogeneous genotypic and phenotypic data types to deliver putative clinical biomarkers. Researchers are advocating for a systems biology approach, which has demonstrated an increasingly robust potential for integrating multidisciplinary data. By applying a systems biology approach here, we have connected the tissue-specific molecular perturbations to the behaviors displayed by mice subjected to Agg-E SS. A molecular pattern that links the atypical fear plasticity to energy deficiency was thereby identified to be causally associated with many behavioral shifts and transformations.PTSD is a multifactorial illness sensitive to environmental influence. Accordingly, it is essential to employ the optimal animal model approximating the environmental condition that elicits PTSD-like symptoms. Integration of an optimal animal model with a systems biology approach can contribute to a more knowledge-driven and efficient next-generation care management system and, potentially, prevention of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nabarun Chakraborty
- Integrative Systems Biology, Geneva Foundation, USACEHR, 568 Doughten Drive, Fredrick, MD, 21702-5010, USA
| | - James Meyerhoff
- Integrative Systems Biology, Geneva Foundation, USACEHR, 568 Doughten Drive, Fredrick, MD, 21702-5010, USA
| | - Marti Jett
- Integrative Systems Biology, US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, USACEHR, 568 Doughten Drive, Frederick, MD, 21702-5010, USA
| | - Rasha Hammamieh
- Integrative Systems Biology, US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, USACEHR, 568 Doughten Drive, Frederick, MD, 21702-5010, USA.
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32
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Wang Z, Caughron B, Young MRI. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Immunological Disorder? Front Psychiatry 2017; 8:222. [PMID: 29163241 PMCID: PMC5681483 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) exhibit an increased state of inflammation. Various animal models for PTSD have shown some of the same immune imbalances as have been shown in human subjects with PTSD, and some of these studies are discussed in this review. However, animal studies can only indirectly implicate immune involvement in PTSD in humans. This review of mainly studies with human subjects focuses on dissecting the immunological role in the pathogenesis of PTSD following initial trauma exposure. It addresses both the inflammatory state associated with PTSD and the immune imbalance between stimulatory and inhibitory immune mediators, as well as variables that can lead to discrepancies between analyses. The concept of immunological treatment approaches is proposed for PTSD, as new treatments are needed for this devastating disorder that is affecting unprecedented numbers of Veterans from the long-standing wars in the Middle East and which affects civilians following severe trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhewu Wang
- Mental Health Service, Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Blaine Caughron
- Research Service, Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - M Rita I Young
- Research Service, Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC, United States.,Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
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33
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Michopoulos V, Vester A, Neigh G. Posttraumatic stress disorder: A metabolic disorder in disguise? Exp Neurol 2016; 284:220-229. [PMID: 27246996 PMCID: PMC5056806 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2016.05.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Revised: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a heterogeneous psychiatric disorder that affects individuals exposed to trauma and is highly co-morbid with other adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease and obesity. The unique pathophysiological feature of PTSD is the inability to inhibit fear responses, such that individuals suffering from PTSD re-experience traumatic memories and are unable to control psychophysiological responses to trauma-associated stimuli. However, underlying alterations in sympathetic nervous system activity, neuroendocrine systems, and metabolism associated with PTSD are similar to those present in traditional metabolic disorders, such as obesity and diabetes. The current review highlights existing clinical, translational, and preclinical data that support the notion that underneath the primary indication of impaired fear inhibition, PTSD is itself also a metabolic disorder and proposes altered function of inflammatory responses as a common underlying mechanism. The therapeutic implications of treating PTSD as a whole-body condition are significant, as targeting any underlying biological system whose activity is altered in both PTSD and metabolic disorders, (i.e. HPA axis, sympathetic nervous systems, inflammation) may elicit symptomatic relief in individuals suffering from these whole-body adverse outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliki Michopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Aimee Vester
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Gretchen Neigh
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, United States; Department of Physiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States.
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34
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Jin ZL, Liu JX, Liu X, Zhang LM, Ran YH, Zheng YY, Tang Y, Li YF, Xiong J. Anxiolytic effects of GLYX-13 in animal models of posttraumatic stress disorder-like behavior. J Psychopharmacol 2016; 30:913-21. [PMID: 27147594 DOI: 10.1177/0269881116645298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness of GLYX-13, an NMDA receptor glycine site functional partial agonist, to alleviate the enhanced anxiety and fear response in both a mouse and rat model of stress-induced behavioral changes that might be relevant to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies over the last decades have suggested that the hyperactivity of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is one of the most consistent findings in stress-related disease. Herein, we used these animal models to further investigate the effect of GLYX-13 on the stress hormone levels and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression. We found that exposure to foot shock induced long-lasting behavioral deficiencies in mice, including freezing and anxiety-like behaviors, that were significantly ameliorated by the long-term administration of GLYX-13 (5 or 10 mg/kg). Our enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results showed that long-term administration of GLYX-13 at behaviorally effective doses (5 or 10 mg/kg) significantly decreased the elevated serum levels of both corticosterone and its upstream stress hormone adrenocorticotropic hormone in rats subjected to the TDS procedure. These results suggest that GLYX-13 exerts a therapeutic effect on PTSD-like stress responding that is accompanied by (or associated with) modulation of the HPA axis, including inhibition of stress hormone levels and upregulation of hippocampal GR expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeng-Liang Jin
- Department of Pharmacology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Jin-Xu Liu
- Pingdu People's Hospital, Qingdao, P.R. China
| | - Xu Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, General Hospital of Chinese People's Armed Police Forces, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Li-Ming Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yu-Hua Ran
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yuan-Yuan Zheng
- Department of Pharmacology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yu Tang
- Department of Pharmacology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yun-Feng Li
- Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Jie Xiong
- Department of Pharmacology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, P.R. China
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35
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Sanogo YO, Bell AM. Molecular mechanisms and the conflict between courtship and aggression in three-spined sticklebacks. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:4368-76. [PMID: 27452346 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2015] [Revised: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
In nature, animals often face conflicting demands. For example, breeding males must attract a mate but at the same time be ready to defend against rivals. The molecular mechanisms by which the brain resolves behavioural trade-offs are largely unknown. In this study, we compared the brain transcriptional responses of territorial male three-spined sticklebacks to a mating opportunity with a female and to a territorial challenge by a rival male. We focused on the diencephalon and the cerebellum, two regions of the brain implicated in courtship and aggression. There was a set of genes that were differentially expressed in response to both a courtship opportunity and a territorial challenge. Closer inspection of the direction of regulation revealed that genes that were downregulated in response to a courtship opportunity were upregulated in response to a territorial challenge and vice versa. Our study reveals some of the potential molecular mechanisms underlying behavioural trade-offs between sex and aggression, along with a possible solution to the conflict via social context-dependent gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibayiri O Sanogo
- School of Integrative Biology, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 505 S. Goodwin Ave., 433 Morrill Hall, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Alison M Bell
- School of Integrative Biology, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 505 S. Goodwin Ave., 433 Morrill Hall, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
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36
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Kim H, Son J, Yoo H, Kim H, Oh J, Han D, Hwang Y, Kaang BK. Effects of the Female Estrous Cycle on the Sexual Behaviors and Ultrasonic Vocalizations of Male C57BL/6 and Autistic BTBR T+ tf/J Mice. Exp Neurobiol 2016; 25:156-62. [PMID: 27574482 PMCID: PMC4999421 DOI: 10.5607/en.2016.25.4.156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2016] [Revised: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A primary characteristic of autism, which is a neurodevelopmental disorder, is impaired social interaction and communication. Furthermore, patients with autism frequently show abnormal social recognition. In mouse models of autism, social recognition is usually assessed by examining same-sex social behavior using various tests, such as the three-chamber test. However, no studies have examined the ability of male mice with autism to recognize the estrous cycle of female partners. In this study, we investigated the sexual behaviors, especially mounting and ultrasonic vocal communication (USV), of BTBR T+ tf/J (BTBR) mice, which are used as a well-known mouse model of autism, when they encountered estrus or diestrus female mice. As expected, C57BL/6 mice mounted more female mice in the estrus stage compared with the diestrus stage. We found that BTBR mice also mounted more female mice in the estrus stage than female mice in the diestrus stage. Although the USV emission of male mice was not different between estrus and diestrus female mice in both strains, the mounting result implies that BTBR mice distinguish sexual receptivity of females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyopil Kim
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Junehee Son
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Hyoungseob Yoo
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Hakyoo Kim
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Jihae Oh
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - DaeHee Han
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Yoon Hwang
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Bong-Kiun Kaang
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
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37
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Wang Z, Mandel H, Levingston CA, Young MRI. An exploratory approach demonstrating immune skewing and a loss of coordination among cytokines in plasma and saliva of Veterans with combat-related PTSD. Hum Immunol 2016; 77:652-657. [PMID: 27216157 PMCID: PMC5937020 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2016.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Revised: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Studies have suggested PTSD to be associated with an inflammatory state, although few studies have examined the balances between stimulatory and inhibitory immune mediators in PTSD. An exploratory approach was taken to assess the immune imbalances between Th1 stimulatory, inflammatory and inhibitory mediators associated with PTSD. This approach focused on a tightly-controlled and relatively homogeneous population of Veterans, all with similar levels of combat exposure in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, but some testing negative and others testing positive for PTSD. Although the sample size was small (6 controls and 7 with PTSD) and a limitation of this study, the results showed significant imbalances in immune cytokines favoring a Th1 and inflammatory state, with reduced levels of inhibitory cytokines in Veterans with PTSD. This was particularly prominent in the saliva of PTSD subjects compared to in their plasma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhewu Wang
- Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC, United States; Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Howard Mandel
- Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC, United States
| | | | - M Rita I Young
- Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC, United States; Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States.
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38
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Bell AM, Bukhari SA, Sanogo YO. Natural variation in brain gene expression profiles of aggressive and nonaggressive individual sticklebacks. BEHAVIOUR 2016; 153:1723-1743. [PMID: 29046592 DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Within many species, some individuals are consistently more aggressive than others. We examine whether there are differences in brain gene expression between aggressive versus nonaggressive behavioural types of individuals within a natural population of male three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We compared gene expression profiles of aggressive male sticklebacks to nonaggressive males in four regions of the brain (brainstem, cerebellum, diencephalon and telencephalon). Relatively few genes were differentially expressed between behavioural types in telencephalon, cerebellum and diencephalon, but hundreds of genes were differentially expressed in brainstem, a brain area involved in detecting threats. Six genes that were differentially expressed in response to a territorial intrusion in a previous study were also differentially expressed between behavioural types in this study, implying primarily non-shared but some shared molecular mechanisms. Our findings offer new insights into the molecular causes and correlates of behavioural plasticity and individual variation in behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison M Bell
- School of Integrative Biology, Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, Program in Neuroscience, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Syed Abbas Bukhari
- Illinois Informatics Program, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Yibayiri Osee Sanogo
- Genomics Core, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA
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39
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Abstract
We reviewed the literature from 2010 to 2016 on the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cardiometabolic health conditions, including metabolic syndrome, coronary artery disease, stroke, and myocardial infarction, among others. Collectively, PTSD was associated with increased risk of cardiometabolic health problems, with pre-clinical and clinical studies offering evidence of behavioral (e.g., poor sleep, cigarette use, poor diet and insufficient exercise) and biological (e.g., autonomic reactivity, inflammation) mediators of these associations. We discuss the possibility that these behavioral and biological mechanisms lead to accelerated cellular aging, as regulated in the epigenome, which contributes to premature cardiometabolic health decline. This has implications for the assessment, prevention, and treatment of cardiometabolic conditions among those with PTSD. It also highlights the need to better understand the mechanisms linking PTSD to accelerated aging and to develop interventions to attenuate or reverse this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika J. Wolf
- Clinical Research Psychologist; National Center for PTSD at VA Boston Healthcare System
- Assistant Professor; Boston University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
| | - Paula P. Schnurr
- Executive Director; National Center for PTSD, White River Junction, Vermont
- Research Professor of Psychiatry; Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
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Chakraborty N, Meyerhoff J, Gautam A, Muhie S, Jibitu M, De Lima TCM, Hammamieh R, Jett M. Gene and stress history interplay in emergence of PTSD-like features. Behav Brain Res 2015; 292:266-77. [PMID: 26025510 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.05.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Revised: 04/09/2015] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Systematically distinguishing genetic liability from other contributing factors is critical for designing a preventive strategy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To address this issue, we investigated a murine model exposing C57BL/6j, DBA/2j and BALB/cj mice to repeated stress via exposure to conspecific aggressors (Agg-E). Naïve mice from each strain were subjected to the proximity of aggressor (Agg) mice for 6h using a 'cage-within-a-cage' paradigm, which was repeated for 5 or 10 days with intermittent and unpredictable direct contact with Agg mice. During the Agg-E stress, DBA/2j developed a different strategy to evade Agg mice, which potentially contributed to its phenotypic resilience to Agg-E stress. Although Agg mice inflicted C57BL/6j and BALB/cj with equivalent numbers of strikes, BALB/cj displayed a distinct behavioral phenotype with delayed exhibition of a number of PTSD-like features. By contrast, C57BL/6j mice displayed unique vulnerability to Agg-E stress induced myocardopathy, possibly attributable to their particular susceptibility to hypoxia. A group of genes (Bdnf, Ngf, Zwint, Cckbr, Slc6a4, Fkbp5) linked to PTSD and synaptic plasticity were significantly altered in C57BL/6j and BALB/cj Agg-E mice. Contributions of Agg-E stress history and genotypic heterogeneity emerged as the key mediators of PTSD-like features. Linking genetic components to specific phenotypic and pathological features could have potential clinical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nabarun Chakraborty
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5010, USA
| | - James Meyerhoff
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5010, USA
| | - Aarti Gautam
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5010, USA
| | - Seid Muhie
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5010, USA
| | - Meskerem Jibitu
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5010, USA
| | - Thereza C M De Lima
- Federal University of Santa Catarina - Department of Pharmacology, Florianopolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Rasha Hammamieh
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5010, USA.
| | - Marti Jett
- US Army Center for Environmental Health Research, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5010, USA
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