The effect of S-adenosylmethionine on CNS gene expression studied by cDNA microarray analysis

Perinatal S-Adenosylmethionine Supplementation Represses PSEN1 Expression by the Cellular Epigenetic Memory of CpG and Non-CpG Methylation in Adult TgCRD8 Mice

DNA methylation, the main epigenetic modification regulating gene expression, plays a role in the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration. Previous evidence indicates that 5'-flanking hypomethylation of PSEN1, a gene involved in the amyloidogenic pathway in Alzheimer's disease (AD), boosts the AD-like phenotype in transgenic TgCRND8 mice. Supplementation with S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), the methyl donor in the DNA methylation reactions, reverts the pathological phenotype. Several studies indicate that epigenetic signatures, driving the shift between normal and diseased aging, can be acquired during the first stages of life, even in utero, and manifest phenotypically later on in life. Therefore, we decided to test whether SAM supplementation during the perinatal period (i.e., supplementing the mothers from mating to weaning) could exert a protective role towards AD-like symptom manifestation. We therefore compared the effect of post-weaning vs. perinatal SAM treatment in TgCRND8 mice by assessing PSEN1 methylation and expression and the development of amyloid plaques. We found that short-term perinatal supplementation was as effective as the longer post-weaning supplementation in repressing PSEN1 expression and amyloid deposition in adult mice. These results highlight the importance of epigenetic memory and methyl donor availability during early life to promote healthy aging and stress the functional role of non-CpG methylation.

Abnormal Homocysteine Metabolism: An Insight of Alzheimer's Disease from DNA Methylation

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease in the central nervous system that has complex pathogenesis in the elderly. The current review focuses on the epigenetic mechanisms of AD, according to the latest findings. One of the best-characterized chromatin modifications in epigenetic mechanisms is DNA methylation. Highly replicable data shows that AD occurrence is often accompanied by methylation level changes of the AD-related gene. Homocysteine (Hcy) is not only an intermediate product of one-carbon metabolism but also an important independent risk factor of AD; it can affect the cognitive function of the brain by changing the one-carbon metabolism and interfering with the DNA methylation process, resulting in cerebrovascular disease. In general, Hcy may be an environmental factor that affects AD via the DNA methylation pathway with a series of changes in AD-related substance. This review will concentrate on the relation between DNA methylation and Hcy and try to figure out their rule in the pathophysiology of AD.

Rescue of Early bace-1 and Global DNA Demethylation by S-Adenosylmethionine Reduces Amyloid Pathology and Improves Cognition in an Alzheimer's Model

General DNA hypomethylation is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), but it is unclear when DNA hypomethylation starts or plays a role in AD pathology or whether DNA re-methylation would rescue early amyloid-related cognitive impairments. In an APP transgenic mouse model of AD-like amyloid pathology we found that early intraneuronal amyloid beta build-up is sufficient to unleash a global and beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (bace-1) DNA demethylation in AD-vulnerable brain regions. S-adenosylmethionine administration at these early stages abolished this hypomethylation, diminished the amyloid pathology and restored cognitive capabilities. To assess a possible human significance of findings, we examined the methylation at 12 CpGs sites in the bace-1 promoter, using genome-wide DNA methylation data from 740 postmortem human brains. Thus, we found significant associations of bace-1 promoter methylation with β-amyloid load among persons with AD dementia, and PHFtau tangle density. Our results support a plausible causal role for the earliest amyloid beta accumulation to provoke DNA hypomethylation, influencing AD pathological outcomes.

S-adenosylmethionine modifies cocaine-induced DNA methylation and increases locomotor sensitization in mice

Several studies suggest that individual variability is a critical component underlying drug addiction as not all members of a population who use addictive substance become addicted. There is evidence that the overall epigenetic status of a cell (epigenome) can be modulated by a variety of environmental factors, such as nutrients and chemicals. Based on these data, our aim was to investigate whether environmental factors like S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) via affecting epigenome could alter cocaine-induced gene expression and locomotor sensitization in mice. Our results demonstrate that repeated SAM (10 mm/kg) pretreatment significantly potentiated cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization. Using mouse nucleus accumbens (NAc) tissue, whole-genome gene expression profiling revealed that repeated SAM treatment affected a limited number of genes, but significantly modified cocaine-induced gene expression by blunting non-specifically the cocaine response. At the gene level, we discovered that SAM modulated cocaine-induced DNA methylation by inhibiting both promoter-associated CpG-island hyper- and hypomethylation in the NAc but not in the reference tissue cerebellum. Finally, our in vitro and in vivo data show that the modulating effect of SAM is in part due to decreased methyltransferase activity via down-regulation of Dnmt3a mRNA. Taken together, our results suggest that environmental factors that affect the NAc-cell epigenome may alter the development of psychostimulant-induced addiction and this may explain, at least partly, why some individuals are more vulnerable to drug addiction.

S-adenosylmethionine reduces the progress of the Alzheimer-like features induced by B-vitamin deficiency in mice

Methylation reactions linked to homocysteine in the one-carbon metabolism are increasingly elicited in Alzheimer's disease, although the association of hyperhomocysteinemia and of low B vitamin levels with the disease is still debated. We previously demonstrated that hyperhomocysteinemia and DNA hypomethylation induced by B vitamin deficiency are associated with PSEN1 and BACE1 overexpression and amyloid production. The present study is aimed at assessing S-adenosylmethionine effects in mice kept under a condition of B vitamin deficiency. To this end, TgCRND8 mice and wild-type littermates were assigned to control or B vitamin deficient diet, with or without S-adenosylmethionine supplementation. We found that S-adenosylmethionine reduced amyloid production, increased spatial memory in TgCRND8 mice and inhibited the upregulation of B vitamin deficiency-induced PSEN1 and BACE1 expression and Tau phosphorylation in TgCRND8 and wild-type mice. Furthermore, S-adenosylmethionine treatment reduced plaque spreading independently on B vitamin deficiency. These results strengthen our previous observations on the possible role of one-carbon metabolism in Alzheimer's disease, highlighting hyperhomocysteinemia-related mechanisms in dementia onset/progression and encourage further studies aimed at evaluating the use of S-adenosylmethionine as a potential candidate drug for the treatment of the disease.

One-carbon metabolism and Alzheimer's disease: focus on epigenetics

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) represents the most common form of dementia in the elderly, characterized by progressive loss of memory and cognitive capacity severe enough to interfere with daily functioning and the quality of life. Rare, fully penetrant mutations in three genes (APP, PSEN1 and PSEN2) are responsible for familial forms of the disease. However, more than 90% of AD is sporadic, likely resulting from complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Increasing evidence supports a role for epigenetic modifications in AD pathogenesis. Folate metabolism, also known as one-carbon metabolism, is required for the production of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), which is the major DNA methylating agent. AD individuals are characterized by decreased plasma folate values, as well as increased plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels, and there is indication of impaired SAM levels in AD brains. Polymorphisms of genes participating in one-carbon metabolism have been associated with AD risk and/or with increased Hcy levels in AD individuals. Studies in rodents suggest that early life exposure to neurotoxicants or dietary restriction of folate and other B vitamins result in epigenetic modifications of AD related genes in the animal brains. Similarly, studies performed on human neuronal cell cultures revealed that folate and other B vitamins deprivation from the media resulted in epigenetic modification of the PSEN1 gene. There is also evidence of epigenetic modifications in the DNA extracted from blood and brains of AD subjects. Here I review one-carbon metabolism in AD, with emphasis on possible epigenetic consequences.

Epigenetic regulation in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease

With the aging of the population, the growing incidence and prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) increases the burden on individuals and society as a whole. To date, the pathophysiology of AD is not yet fully understood. Recent studies have suggested that epigenetic mechanisms may play a pivotal role in its course and development. The most frequently studied epigenetic mechanisms are DNA methylation and histone modifications, and investigations relevant to aging and AD are presented in this review. Various studies on human postmortem brain samples and peripheral leukocytes, as well as transgenic animal models and cell culture studies relevant to AD will be discussed. From those, it is clear that aging and AD are associated with epigenetic dysregulation at various levels. Moreover, data on e.g. twin studies in AD support the notion that epigenetic mechanisms mediate the risk for AD. Conversely, it is still not fully clear whether the observed epigenetic changes actually represent a cause or a consequence of the disease. This is mainly due to the fact that most clinical investigations on epigenetics in AD are conducted in samples of patients already in an advanced stage of the disease. Evidently, more research is needed in order to clarify the exact role of epigenetic regulation in the course and development of AD. Research on earlier stages of the disease could provide more insight into its underlying pathophysiology, possibly contributing to the establishment of early diagnosis and the development of more effective treatment strategies.

Levodopa/carbidopa and entacapone in the treatment of Parkinson's disease: efficacy, safety and patient preference

Levodopa (LD) is the oldest, most efficacious and best-tolerated drug for dopaminergic substitution of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Its main drawback is its short half-life, which supports onset of motor complications in the long term. Therefore well-informed PD patients mostly accept LD therapy as late as possible. Recent LD trials indicate that a combination of LD with carbidopa (CD) and the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor entacapone (EN) may reduce the onset of these motor complications to a certain extent. This observation is further supported by pharmacokinetic trials and experimental research, but there is still a need to confirm this in a clinical trial, which is under way. Additionally, combined LD/CD/EN was superior to LD/CD administration regarding cognition, muscle behavior and gastrointestinal function in small clinical trials. Moreover there is accumulating evidence that combined COMT inhibition with LD administration reduces homocysteine synthesis. In the long term, homocysteine elevation supports onset of arteriosclerosis-related disorders, which are more frequent in PD patients according to epidemiological studies than in the normal healthy population. The introduction of LD/CD/EN in one tablet supported patients' preference of COMT inhibition as an essential component of LD/DDI therapy, as this combination reduced number and size of tablets.

Changes in Presenilin 1 gene methylation pattern in diet-induced B vitamin deficiency

We have previously shown that a nutritional model of B vitamin deficiency and homocysteine cycle alteration could lead to increased amyloid β deposition, due to PSEN1 and BACE over-expression and consequent increase in secretase activity. We hypothesize that nutritional factors causing homocysteine cycle alterations (i.e. hyperhomocysteinemia) could induce sequence-specific DNA hypomethylation and "aberrant" gene activation. Aim of present study was to analyze the methylation pattern of PSEN1 promoter in SK-N-BE neuroblastoma cells and TgCRND8 mice, in a B vitamin (folate, B12 and B6) deficiency paradigm. PSEN1 methylation status has been evaluated through bisulphite modification and genomic sequencing. We demonstrate that B vitamin deficiency induces hypomethylation of specific CpG moieties in the 5'-flanking region; S-adenosylmethionine has been supplemented as methyl donor to reverse this effect. PSEN1 promoter methylation status is correlated with gene expression. These findings pinpoint a direct relationship between B vitamin-dependent alteration of homocysteine cycle and DNA methylation and also indicate that PSEN1 promoter is regulated by methylation of specific CpG moieties.