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Cioffi L, Grassi D, Diviccaro S, Caruso D, Pinto-Benito D, Arevalo MA, Garcia-Segura LM, Melcangi RC, Giatti S. Sex chromosome complement interacts with gonadal hormones in determining regional-specific neuroactive steroid levels in plasma, hippocampus, and hypothalamus. A study using the four core genotype mouse model. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2024; 241:106514. [PMID: 38554982 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
An important aspect of the neuromodulatory and neuroprotective actions exerted by neuroactive steroids is that they are sex-specific, as determined by the sexually dimorphic levels of these molecules in plasma and the nervous tissue. Thus, the identification of the factors that generate the sex-dimorphic levels of neuroactive steroids may be crucial from a neuroprotectant perspective. The main driver for sex determination in mammals is the SRY gene and the subsequent presence of a specific gonad: testes for males and ovaries for females, thus producing hormonal compounds, primarily androgens and estrogens, respectively. Nowadays, it is well established that despite the relevance of gonads, other factors control sexual features, and, among them, sex chromosome complement is highly relevant. In this study, neuroactive steroids were evaluated by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in the hypothalamus, the hippocampus, and plasma of the four core genotype mouse model, to determine the relative contribution of sex chromosome complement and gonads in determining their sex dimorphic levels. The data obtained reveal that although gonads are the main contributing factor for sex differences in neuroactive steroid levels, the levels of some neuroactive steroids, including testosterone, are also influenced in brain and plasma by tissue-specific actions of sex chromosomes. The data presented here adds a new piece to the puzzle of steroid level regulation, which may be useful in designing sex-specific neuroprotective approaches to pathological conditions affecting the nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Cioffi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano 20133, Itlay
| | - Daniela Grassi
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Autonoma University of Madrid, Calle Arzobispo Morcillo 4, Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Silvia Diviccaro
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano 20133, Itlay
| | - Donatella Caruso
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano 20133, Itlay
| | - Daniel Pinto-Benito
- Cajal Institute, CSIC, Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Maria-Angeles Arevalo
- Cajal Institute, CSIC, Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Luis Miguel Garcia-Segura
- Cajal Institute, CSIC, Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Roberto Cosimo Melcangi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano 20133, Itlay
| | - Silvia Giatti
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano 20133, Itlay
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Carrillo B, Fernandez-Garcia JM, García-Úbeda R, Grassi D, Primo U, Blanco N, Ballesta A, Arevalo MA, Collado P, Pinos H. Neonatal inhibition of androgen activity alters the programming of body weight and orexinergic peptides differentially in male and female rats. Brain Res Bull 2024; 208:110898. [PMID: 38360152 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.110898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The involvement of androgens in the regulation of energy metabolism has been demonstrated. The main objective of the present research was to study the involvement of androgens in both the programming of energy metabolism and the regulatory peptides associated with feeding. For this purpose, androgen receptors and the main metabolic pathways of testosterone were inhibited during the first five days of postnatal life in male and female Wistar rats. Pups received a daily s.c. injection from the day of birth, postnatal day (P) 1, to P5 of Flutamide (a competitive inhibitor of androgen receptors), Letrozole (an aromatase inhibitor), Finasteride (a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor) or vehicle. Body weight, food intake and fat pads were measured. Moreover, hypothalamic Agouti-related peptide (AgRP), neuropeptide Y (NPY), orexin, and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. The inhibition of androgenic activity during the first five days of life produced a significant decrease in body weight in females at P90 but did not affect this parameter in males. Moreover, the inhibition of aromatase decreased hypothalamic AgRP mRNA levels in males while the inhibition of 5α-reductase decreased hypothalamic AgRP and orexin mRNA levels in female rats. Finally, food intake and visceral fat, but not subcutaneous fat, were affected in both males and females depending on which testosterone metabolic pathway was inhibited. Our results highlight the differential involvement of androgens in the programming of energy metabolism as well as the AgRP and orexin systems during development in male and female rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Carrillo
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain; University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose Manuel Fernandez-Garcia
- University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain; Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Villanueva Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rocío García-Úbeda
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniela Grassi
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ulises Primo
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain
| | - Noemí Blanco
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain; University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Ballesta
- Department of Psychobiology, Centro de Enseñanza Superior Cardenal Cisneros, Spain
| | - Maria Angeles Arevalo
- Neuroactive Steroids Lab, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Paloma Collado
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain; University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain
| | - Helena Pinos
- Department of Psychobiology, National University of Distance Education, Madrid, Spain; University Institute of Research-UNED-Institute of Health Carlos III (IMIENS), Madrid, Spain.
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Achiro JM, Tao Y, Gao F, Lin CH, Watanabe M, Neumann S, Coppola G, Black DL, Martin KC. Aging differentially alters the transcriptome and landscape of chromatin accessibility in the male and female mouse hippocampus. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1334862. [PMID: 38318533 PMCID: PMC10839115 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1334862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Aging-related memory impairment and pathological memory disorders such as Alzheimer's disease differ between males and females, and yet little is known about how aging-related changes in the transcriptome and chromatin environment differ between sexes in the hippocampus. To investigate this question, we compared the chromatin accessibility landscape and gene expression/alternative splicing pattern of young adult and aged mouse hippocampus in both males and females using ATAC-seq and RNA-seq. We detected significant aging-dependent changes in the expression of genes involved in immune response and synaptic function and aging-dependent changes in the alternative splicing of myelin sheath genes. We found significant sex-bias in the expression and alternative splicing of hundreds of genes, including aging-dependent female-biased expression of myelin sheath genes and aging-dependent male-biased expression of genes involved in synaptic function. Aging was associated with increased chromatin accessibility in both male and female hippocampus, especially in repetitive elements, and with an increase in LINE-1 transcription. We detected significant sex-bias in chromatin accessibility in both autosomes and the X chromosome, with male-biased accessibility enriched at promoters and CpG-rich regions. Sex differences in gene expression and chromatin accessibility were amplified with aging, findings that may shed light on sex differences in aging-related and pathological memory loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M. Achiro
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Yang Tao
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Fuying Gao
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Chia-Ho Lin
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Marika Watanabe
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Sylvia Neumann
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Giovanni Coppola
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Douglas L. Black
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Kelsey C. Martin
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Garcia-Segura LM, Méndez P, Arevalo MA, Azcoitia I. Neuroestradiol and neuronal development: Not an exclusive male tale anymore. Front Neuroendocrinol 2023; 71:101102. [PMID: 37689249 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
The brain synthesizes a variety of neurosteroids, including neuroestradiol. Inhibition of neuroestradiol synthesis results in alterations in basic neurodevelopmental processes, such as neurogenesis, neuroblast migration, neuritogenesis and synaptogenesis. Although the neurodevelopmental actions of neuroestradiol are exerted in both sexes, some of them are sex-specific, such as the well characterized effects of neuroestradiol derived from the metabolism of testicular testosterone during critical periods of male brain development. In addition, recent findings have shown sex-specific actions of neuroestradiol on neuroblast migration, neuritic growth and synaptogenesis in females. Among other factors, the epigenetic regulation exerted by X linked genes, such as Kdm6a/Utx, may determine sex-specific actions of neuroestradiol in the female brain. This review evidences the impact of neuroestradiol on brain formation in both sexes and highlights the interaction of neural steriodogenesis, hormones and sex chromosomes in sex-specific brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis M Garcia-Segura
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto Nacional de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Pablo Méndez
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain
| | - M Angeles Arevalo
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto Nacional de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Iñigo Azcoitia
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto Nacional de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Cell Biology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C José Antonio Nováis 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Wiese CB, Avetisyan R, Reue K. The impact of chromosomal sex on cardiometabolic health and disease. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2023; 34:652-665. [PMID: 37598068 PMCID: PMC11090013 DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2023.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
Many aspects of metabolism are sex-biased, from gene expression in metabolic tissues to the prevalence and presentation of cardiometabolic diseases. The influence of hormones produced by male and female gonads has been widely documented, but recent studies have begun to elucidate the impact of genetic sex (XX or XY chromosomes) on cellular and organismal metabolism. XX and XY cells have differential gene dosage conferred by specific genes that escape X chromosome inactivation or the presence of Y chromosome genes that are absent from XX cells. Studies in mouse models that dissociate chromosomal and gonadal sex have uncovered mechanisms for sex-biased epigenetic, transcriptional, and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in conditions such as obesity, atherosclerosis, pulmonary hypertension, autoimmune disease, and Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie B Wiese
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Rozeta Avetisyan
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Karen Reue
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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Ganchala D, Pinto-Benito D, Baides E, Ruiz-Palmero I, Grassi D, Arevalo MA. Kif21B mediates the effect of estradiol on the morphological plasticity of mouse hippocampal neurons. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1143024. [PMID: 37078090 PMCID: PMC10106616 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1143024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
IntroductionNeurons are polarized cells, and their ability to change their morphology has a functional implication in the development and plasticity of the nervous system in order to establish new connections. Extracellular factors strongly influence neuronal shape and connectivity. For instance, the developmental actions of estradiol on hippocampal neurons are well characterized, and we have demonstrated in previous studies that Ngn3 mediates these actions. On the other hand, Kif21B regulates microtubule dynamics and carries out retrograde transport of the TrkB/brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) complex, essential for neuronal development.MethodsIn the present study, we assessed the involvement of kinesin Kif21B in the estradiol-dependent signaling mechanisms to regulate neuritogenesis through cultured mouse hippocampal neurons.ResultsWe show that estradiol treatment increases BDNF expression, and estradiol and BDNF modify neuron morphology through TrkB signaling. Treatment with K252a, a TrkB inhibitor, decreases dendrite branching without affecting axonal length, whereas. Combined with estradiol or BDNF, it blocks their effects on axons but not dendrites. Notably, the downregulation of Kif21B abolishes the actions of estradiol and BDNF in both the axon and dendrites. In addition, Kif21B silencing also decreases Ngn3 expression, and downregulation of Ngn3 blocks the effect of BDNF on neuron morphology.DiscussionThese results suggest that Kif21B is required for the effects of estradiol and BDNF on neuronal morphology, but phosphorylation-mediated activation of TrkB is essential only for axonal growth. Our results show that the Estradiol/BDNF/TrkB/Kif21B/Ngn3 is a new and essential pathway mediating hippocampal neuron development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel Pinto-Benito
- Instituto Cajal (IC), CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Isabel Ruiz-Palmero
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Servicio de Proteómica, Instituto Biosanitario de Granada-IBS, Fundación Para la Investigación Biosanitaria de Andalucía Oriental—Alejandro Otero (FIBAO), Antiguo Hospital Universitario San Cecilio, Unidad de Apoyo a la Investigación (UNAI), Granada, Spain
| | - Daniela Grassi
- Instituto Cajal (IC), CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, Autonoma University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria Angeles Arevalo
- Instituto Cajal (IC), CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- *Correspondence: Maria Angeles Arevalo,
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Cabrera Zapata LE, Garcia-Segura LM, Cambiasso MJ, Arevalo MA. Genetics and Epigenetics of the X and Y Chromosomes in the Sexual Differentiation of the Brain. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012288. [PMID: 36293143 PMCID: PMC9603441 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
For many decades to date, neuroendocrinologists have delved into the key contribution of gonadal hormones to the generation of sex differences in the developing brain and the expression of sex-specific physiological and behavioral phenotypes in adulthood. However, it was not until recent years that the role of sex chromosomes in the matter started to be seriously explored and unveiled beyond gonadal determination. Now we know that the divergent evolutionary process suffered by X and Y chromosomes has determined that they now encode mostly dissimilar genetic information and are subject to different epigenetic regulations, characteristics that together contribute to generate sex differences between XX and XY cells/individuals from the zygote throughout life. Here we will review and discuss relevant data showing how particular X- and Y-linked genes and epigenetic mechanisms controlling their expression and inheritance are involved, along with or independently of gonadal hormones, in the generation of sex differences in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas E. Cabrera Zapata
- Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra (INIMEC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba 5016, Argentina
- Instituto Cajal (IC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28002 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - María Julia Cambiasso
- Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra (INIMEC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba 5016, Argentina
- Cátedra de Biología Celular, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba 5000, Argentina
- Correspondence: (M.J.C.); (M.A.A.)
| | - Maria Angeles Arevalo
- Instituto Cajal (IC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28002 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable (CIBERFES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence: (M.J.C.); (M.A.A.)
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