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Benham RS, Choi C, Hodgson NW, Hewage NB, Kastli R, Donahue RJ, Muschamp JW, Engin E, Carlezon WA, Hensch TK, Rudolph U. α2-containing γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors promote stress resiliency in male mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:2197-2206. [PMID: 34408277 PMCID: PMC8505491 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01144-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Brain α2-containing GABAA receptors play a critical role in the modulation of anxiety- and fear-like behavior. However, it is unknown whether these receptors also play a role in modulating resilience to chronic stress, and in which brain areas and cell types such an effect would be mediated. We evaluated the role of α2-containing GABAA receptors following chronic social defeat stress using male mice deficient in the α2 subunit globally or conditionally in dopamine D1- or D2-receptor-expressing neurons, e.g., within the nucleus accumbens (NAc). In addition, we examined the effect of the lack of the α2 subunit on intermediates of the glutathione synthesis pathway. We found that α2-containing GABAA receptors on D2-receptor-positive but not on D1-receptor-positive neurons promote resiliency to chronic social defeat stress, as reflected in social interaction tests. The pro-resiliency effects of α2-containing GABAA receptors on D2-receptor-positive neurons do not appear to be directly related to alterations in anxiety-like behavior, as reflected in the elevated plus-maze, light-dark box, and novel open field tests. Increases in indices of oxidative stress-reflected by increases in cystathionine levels and reductions in GSH/GSSG ratios-were found in the NAc and prefrontal cortex but not in the hippocampus of mice lacking α2-containing GABAA receptors. We conclude that α2-containing GABAA receptors within specific brain areas and cell populations promote stress resiliency independently of direct effects on anxiety-like behaviors. A potential mechanism contributing to this increased resiliency is the protection that α2-containing GABAA receptors provide against oxidative stress in NAc and the prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca S Benham
- Laboratory of Genetic Neuropharmacology, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Choi
- Laboratory of Genetic Neuropharmacology, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nathaniel W Hodgson
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Brain Science, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nishani B Hewage
- Laboratory of Genetic Neuropharmacology, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rahel Kastli
- Laboratory of Genetic Neuropharmacology, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rachel J Donahue
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - John W Muschamp
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Elif Engin
- Laboratory of Genetic Neuropharmacology, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - William A Carlezon
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Takao K Hensch
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Brain Science, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Uwe Rudolph
- Laboratory of Genetic Neuropharmacology, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
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Fischer KD, Houston AC, Desai RI, Doyle MR, Bergman J, Mian M, Mannix R, Sulzer DL, Choi SJ, Mosharov EV, Hodgson NW, Bechtholt A, Miczek KA, Rosenberg PA. Behavioral phenotyping and dopamine dynamics in mice with conditional deletion of the glutamate transporter GLT-1 in neurons: resistance to the acute locomotor effects of amphetamine. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2018; 235:1371-1387. [PMID: 29468294 PMCID: PMC5999338 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-4848-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE GLT-1 is the major glutamate transporter in the brain and is expressed predominantly in astrocytes but is also present in excitatory axon terminals. To understand the functional significance of GLT-1 expressed in neurons, we generated a conditional GLT-1 knockout mouse and inactivated GLT-1 in neurons using Cre-recombinase expressed under the synapsin 1 promoter, (synGLT-1 KO). OBJECTIVES Abnormalities of glutamate homeostasis have been shown to affect hippocampal-related behaviors including learning and memory as well as responses to drugs of abuse. Here, we asked whether deletion of GLT-1 specifically from neurons would affect behaviors that assessed locomotor activity, cognitive function, sensorimotor gating, social interaction, as well as amphetamine-stimulated locomotor activity. METHODS/RESULTS We found that the neuronal GLT-1 KO mice performed similarly to littermate controls in the behavioral tests we studied. Although performance in open field testing was normal, the acute locomotor response to amphetamine was significantly blunted in the synGLT-1 KO (40% of control). We found no change in amphetamine-stimulated extracellular dopamine in the medial shell of the nucleus accumbens, no change in electrically stimulated or amphetamine-induced dopamine release, and no change in dopamine tissue content. CONCLUSIONS These results support the view that GLT-1 expression in neurons is required for amphetamine-induced behavioral activation, and suggest that this phenotype is not produced through a change in dopamine uptake or release. Although GLT-1 is highly expressed in neurons in the CA3 region of the hippocampus, the tests used in this study were not able to detect a behavioral phenotype referable to hippocampal dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn D. Fischer
- Department of Neurology and the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alex C.W. Houston
- Department of Neurology and the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Rajeev I. Desai
- Preclinical Pharmacology Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA
| | - Michelle R. Doyle
- Preclinical Pharmacology Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA
| | - Jack Bergman
- Preclinical Pharmacology Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA
| | - Maha Mian
- Department of Neurology and the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rebekah Mannix
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115
| | - David L. Sulzer
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
| | - Se Joon Choi
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032
| | | | - Nathaniel W. Hodgson
- Department of Neurology and the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Anita Bechtholt
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Klaus A. Miczek
- Departments of Psychiatry, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111
| | - Paul A. Rosenberg
- Department of Neurology and the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA,Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Zhang Y, Hodgson NW, Trivedi MS, Abdolmaleky HM, Fournier M, Cuenod M, Do KQ, Deth RC. Decreased Brain Levels of Vitamin B12 in Aging, Autism and Schizophrenia. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146797. [PMID: 26799654 PMCID: PMC4723262 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 12/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies indicate a crucial role for the vitamin B12 and folate-dependent enzyme methionine synthase (MS) in brain development and function, but vitamin B12 status in the brain across the lifespan has not been previously investigated. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin, Cbl) exists in multiple forms, including methylcobalamin (MeCbl) and adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl), serving as cofactors for MS and methylmalonylCoA mutase, respectively. We measured levels of five Cbl species in postmortem human frontal cortex of 43 control subjects, from 19 weeks of fetal development through 80 years of age, and 12 autistic and 9 schizophrenic subjects. Total Cbl was significantly lower in older control subjects (> 60 yrs of age), primarily reflecting a >10-fold age-dependent decline in the level of MeCbl. Levels of inactive cyanocobalamin (CNCbl) were remarkably higher in fetal brain samples. In both autistic and schizophrenic subjects MeCbl and AdoCbl levels were more than 3-fold lower than age-matched controls. In autistic subjects lower MeCbl was associated with decreased MS activity and elevated levels of its substrate homocysteine (HCY). Low levels of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) have been linked to both autism and schizophrenia, and both total Cbl and MeCbl levels were decreased in glutamate-cysteine ligase modulatory subunit knockout (GCLM-KO) mice, which exhibit low GSH levels. Thus our findings reveal a previously unrecognized decrease in brain vitamin B12 status across the lifespan that may reflect an adaptation to increasing antioxidant demand, while accelerated deficits due to GSH deficiency may contribute to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiting Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, United States of America
| | - Nathaniel W. Hodgson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, United States of America
- Department of Surgery, Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolism at BIDMC, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, United States of America
| | - Malav S. Trivedi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, United States of America
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33328, United States of America
| | - Hamid M. Abdolmaleky
- Department of Medicine (Biomedical Genetics Section), Genetics & Genomics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, United States of America
| | - Margot Fournier
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michel Cuenod
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kim Quang Do
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Richard C. Deth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, United States of America
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33328, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Trivedi MS, Hodgson NW, Walker SJ, Trooskens G, Nair V, Deth RC. Epigenetic effects of casein-derived opioid peptides in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Nutr Metab (Lond) 2015; 12:54. [PMID: 26664459 PMCID: PMC4673759 DOI: 10.1186/s12986-015-0050-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2015] [Accepted: 12/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Casein-free, gluten-free diets have been reported to mitigate some of the inflammatory gastrointestinal and behavioral traits associated with autism, but the mechanism for this palliative effect has not been elucidated. We recently showed that the opioid peptide beta-casomorphin-7, derived from bovine (bBCM7) milk, decreases cysteine uptake, lowers levels of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) and decreases the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) in both Caco-2 human GI epithelial cells and SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. While human breast milk can also release a similar peptide (hBCM-7), the bBCM7 and hBCM-7 vary greatly in potency; as the bBCM-7 is highly potent and similar to morphine in it's effects. Since SAM is required for DNA methylation, we wanted to further investigate the epigenetic effects of these food-derived opioid peptides. In the current study the main objective was to characterize functional pathways and key genes responding to DNA methylation effects of food-derived opioid peptides. Methods SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells were treated with 1 μM hBCM7 and bBCM7 and RNA and DNA were isolated after 4 h with or without treatment. Transcriptional changes were assessed using a microarray approach and CpG methylation status was analyzed at 450,000 CpG sites. Functional implications from both endpoints were evaluated via Ingenuity Pathway Analysis 4.0 and KEGG pathway analysis was performed to identify biological interactions between transcripts that were significantly altered at DNA methylation or transcriptional levels (p < 0.05, FDR <0.1). Results Here we show that hBCM7 and bBCM7, as well as morphine, cause epigenetic changes affecting gene pathways related to gastrointestinal disease and inflammation. These epigenetic consequences exhibited the same potency order as opiate inhibition of cysteine uptake insofar as hBCM7 was less potent than bBCM7, which was less potent than morphine. Conclusion Our findings indicate that epigenetic effects of milk-derived opiate peptides may contribute to GI dysfunction and inflammation in sensitive individuals. While the current study was performed using SH-SY5Y neuronal cellular models, similar actions on other cells types might combine to cause symptoms of intolerance. These actions may provide a potential contributing mechanism for the beneficial effects of a casein-free diet in alleviating gastrointestinal symptoms in neurological conditions including autism and other conditions. Lastly, our study also contributes to the evolving awareness of a “gut-brain connection”. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12986-015-0050-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malav S Trivedi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, Rm # 3103, HPD building, Fort Lauderdale, FL USA
| | - Nathaniel W Hodgson
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Stephen J Walker
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston Salem, NC USA
| | - Geert Trooskens
- Department of Mathematical Modelling, Statistics and Bioinformatics, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Vineeth Nair
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, Rm # 3103, HPD building, Fort Lauderdale, FL USA
| | - Richard C Deth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, Rm # 3103, HPD building, Fort Lauderdale, FL USA
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Trivedi MS, Shah JS, Al-Mughairy S, Hodgson NW, Simms B, Trooskens GA, Van Criekinge W, Deth RC. Food-derived opioid peptides inhibit cysteine uptake with redox and epigenetic consequences. J Nutr Biochem 2014; 25:1011-8. [PMID: 25018147 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2014.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2014] [Revised: 04/07/2014] [Accepted: 05/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Dietary interventions like gluten-free and casein-free diets have been reported to improve intestinal, autoimmune and neurological symptoms in patients with a variety of conditions; however, the underlying mechanism of benefit for such diets remains unclear. Epigenetic programming, including CpG methylation and histone modifications, occurring during early postnatal development can influence the risk of disease in later life, and such programming may be modulated by nutritional factors such as milk and wheat, especially during the transition from a solely milk-based diet to one that includes other forms of nutrition. The hydrolytic digestion of casein (a major milk protein) and gliadin (a wheat-derived protein) releases peptides with opioid activity, and in the present study, we demonstrate that these food-derived proline-rich opioid peptides modulate cysteine uptake in cultured human neuronal and gastrointestinal (GI) epithelial cells via activation of opioid receptors. Decreases in cysteine uptake were associated with changes in the intracellular antioxidant glutathione and the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine. Bovine and human casein-derived opioid peptides increased genome-wide DNA methylation in the transcription start site region with a potency order similar to their inhibition of cysteine uptake. Altered expression of genes involved in redox and methylation homeostasis was also observed. These results illustrate the potential of milk- and wheat-derived peptides to exert antioxidant and epigenetic changes that may be particularly important during the postnatal transition from placental to GI nutrition. Differences between peptides derived from human and bovine milk may contribute to developmental differences between breastfed and formula-fed infants. Restricted antioxidant capacity, caused by wheat- and milk-derived opioid peptides, may predispose susceptible individuals to inflammation and systemic oxidation, partly explaining the benefits of gluten-free or casein-free diets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malav S Trivedi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jayni S Shah
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Sara Al-Mughairy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nathaniel W Hodgson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Benjamin Simms
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Geert A Trooskens
- Department of Mathematical Modelling, Statistics and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - Wim Van Criekinge
- Department of Mathematical Modelling, Statistics and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - Richard C Deth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Hodgson NW, Waly MI, Al-Farsi YM, Al-Sharbati MM, Al-Farsi O, Ali A, Ouhtit A, Zang T, Zhou ZS, Deth RC. Decreased glutathione and elevated hair mercury levels are associated with nutritional deficiency-based autism in Oman. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2014; 239:697-706. [DOI: 10.1177/1535370214527900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic, nutrition, and environmental factors have each been implicated as sources of risk for autism. Oxidative stress, including low plasma levels of the antioxidant glutathione, has been reported by numerous autism studies, which can disrupt methylation-dependent epigenetic regulation of gene expression with neurodevelopmental consequences. We investigated the status of redox and methylation metabolites, as well as the level of protein homocysteinylation and hair mercury levels, in autistic and neurotypical control Omani children, who were previously shown to exhibit significant nutritional deficiencies in serum folate and vitamin B12. The serum level of glutathione in autistic subjects was significantly below control levels, while levels of homocysteine and S-adenosylhomocysteine were elevated, indicative of oxidative stress and decreased methionine synthase activity. Autistic males had lower glutathione and higher homocysteine levels than females, while homocysteinylation of serum proteins was increased in autistic males but not females. Mercury levels were markedly elevated in the hair of autistic subjects vs. control subjects, consistent with the importance of glutathione for its elimination. Thus, autism in Oman is associated with decreased antioxidant resources and decreased methylation capacity, in conjunction with elevated hair levels of mercury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel W Hodgson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mostafa I Waly
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O.Box 34, P.C. 123, Al-Khoud, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
- Nutrition Department, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, P.C. 165, El-Hadra, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Yahya M Al-Farsi
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O.Box 35, P.C. 123, Al-Khoud, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Marwan M Al-Sharbati
- Department of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
| | - Omar Al-Farsi
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O.Box 35, P.C. 123, Al-Khoud, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
| | - Amanat Ali
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O.Box 34, P.C. 123, Al-Khoud, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
| | - Allal Ouhtit
- Department of Genetics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman
| | - Tianzhu Zang
- Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, College of Science, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Zhaohui Sunny Zhou
- Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, College of Science, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Richard C Deth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Al-Farsi YM, Waly MI, Deth RC, Al-Sharbati MM, Al-Shafaee M, Al-Farsi O, Al-Khaduri MM, Al-Adawi S, Hodgson NW, Gupta I, Ouhtit A. Impact of nutrition on serum levels of docosahexaenoic acid among Omani children with autism. Nutrition 2013; 29:1142-6. [PMID: 23800562 DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2013.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2012] [Revised: 03/04/2013] [Accepted: 03/06/2013] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder of early childhood. Dietary supplementation of the ω-3 fatty acid (docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) during prenatal and postnatal life is considered a protective dietary intervention strategy to minimize the risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To our knowledge, no relevant studies have been conducted in the Middle East investigating the status of DHA among children with autism during early childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum levels and dietary intake status of DHA among Omani children recently diagnosed with ASD. METHODS The present case-control study involved 80 Omani children (<5 y), 40 cases and 40 controls matched for age and sex. A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary intake of all the participants, while serum levels of DHA were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS Our results showed that children with ASD had lower dietary consumption of foodstuff containing DHA, as well as lower serum levels of DHA than controls. CONCLUSION The present finding from Oman supports the view of other studies that there are low serum levels of DHA among children with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yahya M Al-Farsi
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khoud, Sultanate of Oman
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Al-Farsi YM, Waly MI, Deth RC, Al-Sharbati MM, Al-Shafaee M, Al-Farsi O, Al-Khaduri MM, Gupta I, Ali A, Al-Khalili M, Al-Adawi S, Hodgson NW, Ouhtit A. Low folate and vitamin B12 nourishment is common in Omani children with newly diagnosed autism. Nutrition 2013; 29:537-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2012.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2012] [Revised: 09/03/2012] [Accepted: 09/05/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Muratore CR, Hodgson NW, Trivedi MS, Abdolmaleky HM, Persico AM, Lintas C, De La Monte S, Deth RC. Age-dependent decrease and alternative splicing of methionine synthase mRNA in human cerebral cortex and an accelerated decrease in autism. PLoS One 2013; 8:e56927. [PMID: 23437274 PMCID: PMC3577685 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2012] [Accepted: 01/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The folate and vitamin B12-dependent enzyme methionine synthase (MS) is highly sensitive to cellular oxidative status, and lower MS activity increases production of the antioxidant glutathione, while simultaneously decreasing more than 200 methylation reactions, broadly affecting metabolic activity. MS mRNA levels in postmortem human cortex from subjects across the lifespan were measured and a dramatic progressive biphasic decrease of more than 400-fold from 28 weeks of gestation to 84 years was observed. Further analysis revealed alternative splicing of MS mRNA, including deletion of folate-binding domain exons and age-dependent deletion of exons from the cap domain, which protects vitamin B12 (cobalamin) from oxidation. Although three species of MS were evident at the protein level, corresponding to full-length and alternatively spliced mRNA transcripts, decreasing mRNA levels across the lifespan were not associated with significant changes in MS protein or methionine levels. MS mRNA levels were significantly lower in autistic subjects, especially at younger ages, and this decrease was replicated in cultured human neuronal cells by treatment with TNF-α, whose CSF levels are elevated in autism. These novel findings suggest that rather than serving as a housekeeping enzyme, MS has a broad and dynamic role in coordinating metabolism in the brain during development and aging. Factors adversely affecting MS activity, such as oxidative stress, can be a source of risk for neurological disorders across the lifespan via their impact on methylation reactions, including epigenetic regulation of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina R. Muratore
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Nathaniel W. Hodgson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Malav S. Trivedi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Hamid M. Abdolmaleky
- Genetics Program, School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Antonio M. Persico
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry and Neurogenetics, University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Lintas
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry and Neurogenetics, University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Suzanne De La Monte
- Department of Medicine and Pathology, Rhode Island Hospital and Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America
| | - Richard C. Deth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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