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Krolick KN, Cao J, Gulla EM, Bhardwaj M, Marshall SJ, Zhou EY, Kiss AJ, Choueiry F, Zhu J, Shi H. Subregion-specific transcriptomic profiling of rat brain reveals sex-distinct gene expression impacted by adolescent stress. Neuroscience 2024; 553:19-39. [PMID: 38977070 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.07.002] [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: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Stress during adolescence clearly impacts brain development and function. Sex differences in adolescent stress-induced or exacerbated emotional and metabolic vulnerabilities could be due to sex-distinct gene expression in hypothalamic, limbic, and prefrontal brain regions. However, adolescent stress-induced whole-genome expression changes in key subregions of these brain regions were unclear. In this study, female and male adolescent Sprague Dawley rats received one-hour restraint stress daily from postnatal day (PD) 32 to PD44. Corticosterone levels, body weights, food intake, body composition, and circulating adiposity and sex hormones were measured. On PD44, brain and blood samples were collected. Using RNA-sequencing, sex-specific differences in stress-induced differentially expressed (DE) genes were identified in subregions of the hypothalamus, limbic system, and prefrontal cortex. Canonical pathways reflected well-known sex-distinct maladies and diseases, substantiating the therapeutic potential of the DE genes found in the current study. Thus, we proposed specific sex distinct, adolescent stress-induced transcriptional changes found in the current study as examples of the molecular bases for sex differences witnessed in stress induced or exacerbated emotional and metabolic disorders. Future behavioral studies and single-cell studies are warranted to test the implications of the DE genes identified in this study in sex-distinct stress-induced susceptibilities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jingyi Cao
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
| | - Evelyn M Gulla
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
| | - Meeta Bhardwaj
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
| | | | - Ethan Y Zhou
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
| | - Andor J Kiss
- Center for Bioinformatics & Functional Genomics, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
| | - Fouad Choueiry
- Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Jiangjiang Zhu
- Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Haifei Shi
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
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Abstract
Obesity is a common complex trait that elevates the risk for various diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A combination of environmental and genetic factors influences the pathogenesis of obesity. Advances in genomic technologies have driven the identification of multiple genetic loci associated with this disease, ranging from studying severe onset cases to investigating common multifactorial polygenic forms. Additionally, findings from epigenetic analyses of modifications to the genome that do not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence have emerged as key signatures in the development of obesity. Such modifications can mediate the effects of environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle, on gene expression and clinical presentation. This review outlines what is known about the genetic and epigenetic contributors to obesity susceptibility, along with the albeit limited therapeutic options currently available. Furthermore, we delineate the potential mechanisms of actions through which epigenetic changes can mediate environmental influences and the related opportunities they present for future interventions in the management of obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khanh Trang
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Division of Human Genetics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Struan F.A. Grant
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Division of Human Genetics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
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Rodríguez-López R, Gimeno-Ferrer F, do Santos DA, Ferrer-Bolufer I, Luján CG, Alcalá OZ, García-Banacloy A, Cogollos VB, Juan CS. Reviewed and updated Algorithm for Genetic Characterization of Syndromic Obesity Phenotypes. Curr Genomics 2022; 23:147-162. [PMID: 36777005 PMCID: PMC9878830 DOI: 10.2174/1389202923666220426093436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Individuals with a phenotype of early-onset severe obesity associated with intellectual disability can have molecular diagnoses ranging from monogenic to complex genetic traits. Severe overweight is the major sign of a syndromic physical appearance and predicting the influence of a single gene and/or polygenic risk profile is extremely complicated among the majority of the cases. At present, considering rare monogenic bases as the principal etiology for the majority of obesity cases associated with intellectual disability is scientifically poor. The diversity of the molecular bases responsible for the two entities makes the appliance of the current routinely powerful genomics diagnostic tools essential. Objective: Clinical investigation of these difficult-to-diagnose patients requires pediatricians and neurologists to use optimized descriptions of signs and symptoms to improve genotype correlations. Methods: The use of modern integrated bioinformatics strategies which are conducted by experienced multidisciplinary clinical teams. Evaluation of the phenotype of the patient's family is also of importance. Results: The next step involves discarding the monogenic canonical obesity syndromes and considering infrequent unique molecular cases, and/or then polygenic bases. Adequate management of the application of the new technique and its diagnostic phases is essential for achieving good cost/efficiency balances. Conclusion: With the current clinical management, it is necessary to consider the potential coincidence of risk mutations for obesity in patients with genetic alterations that induce intellectual disability. In this review, we describe an updated algorithm for the molecular characterization and diagnosis of patients with a syndromic obesity phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Rodríguez-López
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Clinical Analysis Service, General Hospital Consortium of Valencia, Valencia, Spain;,Address correspondence to this author at the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Clinical Analysis Service, General Hospital Consortium of Valencia, Avenida de las Tres Cruces no. 2 46014, Valencia, Spain; Tel: 0034 963 131 800 – 437317; Fax: 0034 963 131 979; E-mail:
| | - Fátima Gimeno-Ferrer
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Clinical Analysis Service, General Hospital Consortium of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - David Albuquerque do Santos
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Clinical Analysis Service, General Hospital Consortium of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Irene Ferrer-Bolufer
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Clinical Analysis Service, General Hospital Consortium of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Carola Guzmán Luján
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Clinical Analysis Service, General Hospital Consortium of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Otilia Zomeño Alcalá
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Clinical Analysis Service, General Hospital Consortium of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Amor García-Banacloy
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Clinical Analysis Service, General Hospital Consortium of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Carlos Sánchez Juan
- Endocrinology Service, General Hospital Consortium of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
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Panera N, Mandato C, Crudele A, Bertrando S, Vajro P, Alisi A. Genetics, epigenetics and transgenerational transmission of obesity in children. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:1006008. [PMID: 36452324 PMCID: PMC9704419 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1006008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Sedentary lifestyle and consumption of high-calorie foods have caused a relentless increase of overweight and obesity prevalence at all ages. Its presently epidemic proportion is disquieting due to the tight relationship of obesity with metabolic syndrome and several other comorbidities which do call for urgent workarounds. The usual ineffectiveness of present therapies and failure of prevention campaigns triggered overtime a number of research studies which have unveiled some relevant aspects of obesity genetic and epigenetic inheritable profiles. These findings are revealing extremely precious mainly to serve as a likely extra arrow to allow the clinician's bow to achieve still hitherto unmet preventive goals. Evidence now exists that maternal obesity/overnutrition during pregnancy and lactation convincingly appears associated with several disorders in the offspring independently of the transmission of a purely genetic predisposition. Even the pre-conception direct exposure of either father or mother gametes to environmental factors can reprogram the epigenetic architecture of cells. Such phenomena lie behind the transfer of the obesity susceptibility to future generations through a mechanism of epigenetic inheritance. Moreover, a growing number of studies suggests that several environmental factors such as maternal malnutrition, hypoxia, and exposure to excess hormones and endocrine disruptors during pregnancy and the early postnatal period may play critical roles in programming childhood adipose tissue and obesity. A deeper understanding of how inherited genetics and epigenetics may generate an obesogenic environment at pediatric age might strengthen our knowledge about pathogenetic mechanisms and improve the clinical management of patients. Therefore, in this narrative review, we attempt to provide a general overview of the contribution of heritable genetic and epigenetic patterns to the obesity susceptibility in children, placing a particular emphasis on the mother-child dyad.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Panera
- Unit of Molecular Genetics of Complex Phenotypes, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Mandato
- Pediatrics Section, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Baronissi, Salermo, Italy
- *Correspondence: Anna Alisi, ; Claudia Mandato,
| | - Annalisa Crudele
- Unit of Molecular Genetics of Complex Phenotypes, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Bertrando
- Pediatrics Clinic, San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d’Aragona University Hospital, Salerno, Italy
| | - Pietro Vajro
- Pediatrics Section, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Baronissi, Salermo, Italy
| | - Anna Alisi
- Unit of Molecular Genetics of Complex Phenotypes, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- *Correspondence: Anna Alisi, ; Claudia Mandato,
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