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Bhatia P, Yang L, Luo JXJ, Xu M, Renthal W. Epigenomic profiling of mouse nucleus accumbens at single-cell resolution. Mol Cell Neurosci 2023; 126:103857. [PMID: 37137383 PMCID: PMC10525004 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2023.103857] [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: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a key brain region involved in reward processing and is linked to multiple neuropsychiatric conditions such as substance use disorder, depression, and chronic pain. Recent studies have begun to investigate NAc gene expression at a single-cell resolution, however, our understanding of the cellular heterogeneity of the NAc epigenomic landscape remains limited. In this study, we utilize single-nucleus assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (snATAC-seq) to map cell-type-specific differences in chromatin accessibility in the NAc. Our findings not only reveal the transcription factors and putative gene regulatory elements that may contribute to these cell-type-specific epigenomic differences but also provide a valuable resource for future studies investigating epigenomic changes that occur in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parth Bhatia
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA
| | - Lite Yang
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA
| | - Jay X J Luo
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA
| | - Mengyi Xu
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA
| | - William Renthal
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA.
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2
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Butto T, Mungikar K, Baumann P, Winter J, Lutz B, Gerber S. Nuclei on the Rise: When Nuclei-Based Methods Meet Next-Generation Sequencing. Cells 2023; 12:cells12071051. [PMID: 37048124 PMCID: PMC10093037 DOI: 10.3390/cells12071051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last decade, we have witnessed an upsurge in nuclei-based studies, particularly coupled with next-generation sequencing. Such studies aim at understanding the molecular states that exist in heterogeneous cell populations by applying increasingly more affordable sequencing approaches, in addition to optimized methodologies developed to isolate and select nuclei. Although these powerful new methods promise unprecedented insights, it is important to understand and critically consider the associated challenges. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the rise of nuclei-based studies and elaborate on their advantages and disadvantages, with a specific focus on their utility for transcriptomic sequencing analyses. Improved designs and appropriate use of the various experimental strategies will result in acquiring biologically accurate and meaningful information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamer Butto
- Institute for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Correspondence: (T.B.); (S.G.); Tel.: +49-(0)6131-39-27331 (S.G.)
| | - Kanak Mungikar
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Peter Baumann
- Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Jennifer Winter
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), 55122 Mainz, Germany
| | - Beat Lutz
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), 55122 Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Susanne Gerber
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
- Correspondence: (T.B.); (S.G.); Tel.: +49-(0)6131-39-27331 (S.G.)
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3
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Fischer DK, Krick KS, Han C, Woolf MT, Heller EA. Cocaine regulation of Nr4a1 chromatin bivalency and mRNA in male and female mice. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15735. [PMID: 36130958 PMCID: PMC9492678 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19908-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Cocaine epigenetically regulates gene expression via changes in histone post-translational modifications (HPTMs). We previously found that the immediate early gene Nr4a1 is epigenetically activated by cocaine in mouse brain reward regions. However, few studies have examined multiple HPTMs at a single gene. Bivalent gene promoters are simultaneously enriched in both activating (H3K4me3 (K4)) and repressive (H3K27me3 (K27)) HPTMs. As such, bivalent genes are lowly expressed but poised for activity-dependent gene regulation. In this study, we identified K4&K27 bivalency at Nr4a1 following investigator-administered cocaine in male and female mice. We applied sequential chromatin immunoprecipitation and qPCR to define Nr4a1 bivalency and expression in striatum (STR), prefrontal cortex (PFC), and hippocampus (HPC). We used Pearson's correlation to quantify relationships within each brain region across treatment conditions for each sex. In female STR, cocaine increased Nr4a1 mRNA while maintaining Nr4a1 K4&K27 bivalency. In male STR, cocaine enriched repressive H3K27me3 and K4&K27 bivalency at Nr4a1 and maintained Nr4a1 mRNA. Furthermore, cocaine epigenetically regulated a putative NR4A1 target, Cartpt, in male PFC. This study defined the epigenetic regulation of Nr4a1 in reward brain regions in male and female mice following cocaine, and, thus, shed light on the biological relevance of sex to cocaine use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delaney K Fischer
- Neuroscience Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Keegan S Krick
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Chloe Han
- College of Arts & Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Morgan T Woolf
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Heller
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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4
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Xu SJ, Lombroso SI, Fischer DK, Carpenter MD, Marchione DM, Hamilton PJ, Lim CJ, Neve RL, Garcia BA, Wimmer ME, Pierce RC, Heller EA. Chromatin-mediated alternative splicing regulates cocaine-reward behavior. Neuron 2021; 109:2943-2966.e8. [PMID: 34480866 PMCID: PMC8454057 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal alternative splicing is a key gene regulatory mechanism in the brain. However, the spliceosome machinery is insufficient to fully specify splicing complexity. In considering the role of the epigenome in activity-dependent alternative splicing, we and others find the histone modification H3K36me3 to be a putative splicing regulator. In this study, we found that mouse cocaine self-administration caused widespread differential alternative splicing, concomitant with the enrichment of H3K36me3 at differentially spliced junctions. Importantly, only targeted epigenetic editing can distinguish between a direct role of H3K36me3 in splicing and an indirect role via regulation of splice factor expression elsewhere on the genome. We targeted Srsf11, which was both alternatively spliced and H3K36me3 enriched in the brain following cocaine self-administration. Epigenetic editing of H3K36me3 at Srsf11 was sufficient to drive its alternative splicing and enhanced cocaine self-administration, establishing the direct causal relevance of H3K36me3 to alternative splicing of Srsf11 and to reward behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Jun Xu
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Sonia I Lombroso
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Delaney K Fischer
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Marco D Carpenter
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Dylan M Marchione
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Peter J Hamilton
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Carissa J Lim
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Rachel L Neve
- Gene Delivery Technology Core, Massachusetts General Hospital, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Benjamin A Garcia
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Mathieu E Wimmer
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19121, USA
| | - R Christopher Pierce
- Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Heller
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA,19104, USA; Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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5
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Carpenter MD, Hu Q, Bond AM, Lombroso SI, Czarnecki KS, Lim CJ, Song H, Wimmer ME, Pierce RC, Heller EA. Nr4a1 suppresses cocaine-induced behavior via epigenetic regulation of homeostatic target genes. Nat Commun 2020; 11:504. [PMID: 31980629 PMCID: PMC6981219 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14331-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Endogenous homeostatic mechanisms can restore normal neuronal function following cocaine-induced neuroadaptations. Such mechanisms may be exploited to develop novel therapies for cocaine addiction, but a molecular target has not yet been identified. Here we profiled mouse gene expression during early and late cocaine abstinence to identify putative regulators of neural homeostasis. Cocaine activated the transcription factor, Nr4a1, and its target gene, Cartpt, a key molecule involved in dopamine metabolism. Sustained activation of Cartpt at late abstinence was coupled with depletion of the repressive histone modification, H3K27me3, and enrichment of activating marks, H3K27ac and H3K4me3. Using both CRISPR-mediated and small molecule Nr4a1 activation, we demonstrated the direct causal role of Nr4a1 in sustained activation of Cartpt and in attenuation of cocaine-evoked behavior. Our findings provide evidence that targeting abstinence-induced homeostatic gene expression is a potential therapeutic target in cocaine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco D Carpenter
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Qiwen Hu
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Allison M Bond
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Sonia I Lombroso
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Kyle S Czarnecki
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Carissa J Lim
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Hongjun Song
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Mathieu E Wimmer
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Temple University, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA
| | - R Christopher Pierce
- Center for Nurobiology and Behavior, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Heller
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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6
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Lopez Soto EJ, Gandal MJ, Gonatopoulos-Pournatzis T, Heller EA, Luo D, Zheng S. Mechanisms of Neuronal Alternative Splicing and Strategies for Therapeutic Interventions. J Neurosci 2019; 39:8193-8199. [PMID: 31619487 PMCID: PMC6794923 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1149-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Many cellular and physiological processes are coordinated by regulatory networks that produce a remarkable complexity of transcript isoforms. In the mammalian nervous system, alternative pre-mRNA splicing generates functionally distinct isoforms that play key roles in normal physiology, supporting development, plasticity, complex behaviors, and cognition. Neuronal splicing programs controlled by RNA-binding proteins, are influenced by chromatin modifications and can exhibit neuronal subtype specificity. As highlighted in recent publications, aberrant alternative splicing is a major contributor to disease phenotypes. Therefore, understanding the underlying mechanisms of alternative splicing regulation and identifying functional splicing isoforms with critical phenotypic roles are expected to provide a comprehensive resource for therapeutic development, as illuminated by recent successful interventions of spinal muscular atrophy. Here, we discuss the latest progress in the study of the emerging complexity of alternative splicing mechanisms in neurons, and how these findings inform new therapies to correct and control splicing defects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael J Gandal
- Department of Psychiatry, Semel Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | | | - Elizabeth A Heller
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-5158
| | - Diou Luo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, and
| | - Sika Zheng
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California at Riverside, Riverside, California 92521
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