ATF2, a member of the CREB/ATF family of transcription factors, in chronic stress and consequent to antidepressant treatment: animal models and human post-mortem brains

The regulation of gene expression has been implicated in the etiology and treatment of depression. Transcription factors serve as the intermediates between intracellular cascades and gene expression, and may therefore be involved in the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of depression. We and others have previously reported an increase in the phosphorylation of the transcription factor cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) by antidepressants, alongside brain region-specific alterations in pCREB by stress. In the present study, we examined the expression of another member of the CREB/ATF family of transcription factors, ATF2, in the brains of rats chronically treated with two different antidepressants, and in rats 4 months after their exposure to prolonged stress. ATF2 phosphorylation was decreased by antidepressants and increased at the aftermath of prolonged stress, specifically in the frontal cortex. We also examined ATF2 expression in the ventral parieto-occipital region of post-mortem human brains of normal controls, depressed, bipolar, and schizophrenic patients, obtained from the Stanley Foundation Brain Consortium. No alterations were observed in the levels of ATF2. However, in the depressed group, the pATF2 levels were higher in unmedicated compared to medicated patients, suggesting an antidepressant-induced reduction in pATF2. We discuss the possible role of ATF2 in depression, and propose that an interplay between ATF2 and CREB, and possibly other transcription factors, determines the final gene expression pattern in the etiology and treatment of depression.