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Sun M, Zheng Q, Wang L, Wang R, Cui H, Zhang X, Xu C, Yin F, Yan H, Qiao X. Alcohol Consumption During Adolescence Alters the Cognitive Function in Adult Male Mice by Persistently Increasing Levels of DUSP6. Mol Neurobiol 2024; 61:3161-3178. [PMID: 37978157 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03794-x] [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: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Binge alcohol drinking during adolescence has long-term effects on the adult brain that alter brain structure and behaviors, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) is involved in the synaptic plasticity and pathological brain injury by regulating the expression of cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein (CREB) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Dual-specificity phosphatase 6 (DUSP6) is a critical effector that dephosphorylates ERK1/2 to control the basal tone, amplitude, and duration of ERK signaling. To explore DUSP6 as a regulator of ERK signaling in the mPFC and its impact on long-term effects of alcohol, a male mouse model of adolescent intermittent alcohol (AIA) exposure was established. Behavioral experiments showed that AIA did not affect anxiety-like behavior or sociability in adulthood, but significantly damaged new object recognition and social recognition memory. Molecular studies further found that AIA reduced the levels of pERK-pCREB-BDNF-PSD95/NR2A involved in synaptic plasticity, while DUSP6 was significantly increased. Intra-mPFC infusion of AAV-DUSP6-shRNA restored the dendritic spine density and postsynaptic density thickness by reversing the level of p-ERK and its downstream molecular expression, and ultimately repaired adult cognitive impairment caused by chronic alcohol exposure during adolescence. These findings indicate that AIA exposure inhibits ERK-CREB-BDNF-PSD95/NR2A by increasing DUSP6 in the mPFC in adulthood that may be associated with long-lasting cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mizhu Sun
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Qingmeng Zheng
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Lulu Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Runzhi Wang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Hengzhen Cui
- Basic Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Xinlei Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Chen Xu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Fangyuan Yin
- College of Forensic Science, School of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 76, Yanta West Road, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China
| | - Hongtao Yan
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Xiaomeng Qiao
- Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China.
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Heidari N, Hajikarim-Hamedani A, Heidari A, Ghane Y, Ashabi G, Zarrindast MR, Sadat-Shirazi MS. Alcohol: Epigenome alteration and inter/transgenerational effect. Alcohol 2024; 117:27-41. [PMID: 38508286 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2024.03.008] [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: 01/13/2024] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
While DNA serves as the fundamental genetic blueprint for an organism, it is not a static entity. Gene expression, the process by which genetic information is utilized to create functional products like proteins, can be modulated by a diverse range of environmental factors. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modification, and microRNAs, play a pivotal role in mediating the intricate interplay between the environment and gene expression. Intriguingly, alterations in the epigenome have the potential to be inherited across generations. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) poses significant health issues worldwide. Alcohol has the capability to induce changes in the epigenome, which can be inherited by offspring, thus impacting them even in the absence of direct alcohol exposure. This review delves into the impact of alcohol on the epigenome, examining how its effects vary based on factors such as the age of exposure (adolescence or adulthood), the duration of exposure (chronic or acute), and the specific sample collected (brain, blood, or sperm). The literature underscores that alcohol exposure can elicit diverse effects on the epigenome during different life stages. Furthermore, compelling evidence from human and animal studies demonstrates that alcohol induces alterations in epigenome content, affecting both the brain and blood. Notably, rodent studies suggest that these epigenetic changes can result in lasting phenotype alterations that extend across at least two generations. In conclusion, the comprehensive literature analysis supports the notion that alcohol exposure induces lasting epigenetic alterations, influencing the behavior and health of future generations. This knowledge emphasizes the significance of addressing the potential transgenerational effects of alcohol and highlights the importance of preventive measures to minimize the adverse impact on offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazila Heidari
- School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Amirhossein Heidari
- Faculty of Medicine, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Yekta Ghane
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ghorbangol Ashabi
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad-Reza Zarrindast
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Vázquez-Ágredos A, Valero M, Aparicio-Mescua T, García-Rodríguez R, Gámiz F, Gallo M. Adolescent alcohol exposure modifies adult anxiety-like behavior and amygdala sensitivity to alcohol in rats: Increased c-Fos activity and sex-dependent microRNA-182 expression. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 238:173741. [PMID: 38437922 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173741] [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: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Adolescent binge alcohol drinking is a serious health concern contributing to adult alcohol abuse often associated with anxiety disorders. We have used adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) administration as a model of binge drinking in rats in order to explore its long-term effect on the basolateral amygdala (BLA) responsiveness to alcohol and anxiety-like behavior. AIE increased the number of BLA c-Fos positive cells in adult Wistar rats and anxiety-like behavior assessed by the open field test (OFT). Additionally, in adult female rats receiving AIE BLA over expression of miR-182 was found. Therefore, our results indicate that alcohol consumption during adolescence can lead to enduring changes in anxiety-like behavior and BLA susceptibility to alcohol that may be mediated by sex-dependent epigenetic changes. These results contribute to understanding the mechanisms involved in the development of alcohol use disorders (AUD) and anxiety-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Vázquez-Ágredos
- Department of Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences (CIBM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
| | - Marta Valero
- Department of Psychology, University of Jaén, Jaén, Spain
| | - Teresa Aparicio-Mescua
- Department of Psychobiology and Centre of Investigation of Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CIMCYC), Faculty of Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Raquel García-Rodríguez
- Department of Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences (CIBM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Fernando Gámiz
- Department of Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences (CIBM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Milagros Gallo
- Department of Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences (CIBM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria (IBS), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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4
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Hilal FF, Jeanblanc J, Deschamps C, Naassila M, Pierrefiche O, Ben Hamida S. Epigenetic drugs and psychedelics as emerging therapies for alcohol use disorder: insights from preclinical studies. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2024; 131:525-561. [PMID: 38554193 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-024-02757-3] [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: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a public health issue that affects millions of people worldwide leading to physical, mental and socio-economic consequences. While current treatments for AUD have provided relief to individuals, their effectiveness on the long term is often limited, leaving a number of affected individuals without sustainable solutions. In this review, we aim to explore two emerging approaches for AUD: psychedelics and epigenetic drugs (i.e., epidrugs). By examining preclinical studies, different animal species and procedures, we delve into the potential benefits of each of these treatments in terms of addictive behaviors (alcohol drinking and seeking, motivation to drink alcohol and prevention of relapse). Because psychedelics and epidrugs may share common and complementary mechanisms of action, there is an exciting opportunity for exploring synergies between these approaches and their parallel effectiveness in treating AUD and the diverse associated psychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahd François Hilal
- INSERM UMR 1247-Research Group on Alcohol and Pharmacodependences (GRAP), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Chemin du Thil - Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, 80025, Amiens, France
| | - Jerome Jeanblanc
- INSERM UMR 1247-Research Group on Alcohol and Pharmacodependences (GRAP), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Chemin du Thil - Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, 80025, Amiens, France
| | - Chloé Deschamps
- INSERM UMR 1247-Research Group on Alcohol and Pharmacodependences (GRAP), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Chemin du Thil - Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, 80025, Amiens, France
| | - Mickael Naassila
- INSERM UMR 1247-Research Group on Alcohol and Pharmacodependences (GRAP), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Chemin du Thil - Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, 80025, Amiens, France.
| | - Olivier Pierrefiche
- INSERM UMR 1247-Research Group on Alcohol and Pharmacodependences (GRAP), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Chemin du Thil - Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, 80025, Amiens, France
| | - Sami Ben Hamida
- INSERM UMR 1247-Research Group on Alcohol and Pharmacodependences (GRAP), Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Chemin du Thil - Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, 80025, Amiens, France.
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5
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Bohnsack JP, Zhang H, Pandey SC. EZH2-dependent epigenetic reprogramming in the central nucleus of amygdala regulates adult anxiety in both sexes after adolescent alcohol exposure. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:197. [PMID: 38670959 PMCID: PMC11053082 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02906-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use and anxiety disorders occur in both males and females, but despite sharing similar presentation and classical symptoms, the prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is lower in females. While anxiety is a symptom and comorbidity shared by both sexes, the common underlying mechanism that leads to AUD and the subsequent development of anxiety is still understudied. Using a rodent model of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure in both sexes, we investigated the epigenetic mechanism mediated by enhancer of zeste 2 (EZH2), a histone methyltransferase, in regulating both the expression of activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) and an anxiety-like phenotype in adulthood. Here, we report that EZH2 protein levels were significantly higher in PKC-δ positive GABAergic neurons in the central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) of adult male and female rats after AIE. Reducing protein and mRNA levels of EZH2 using siRNA infusion in the CeA prevented AIE-induced anxiety-like behavior, increased H3K27me3, decreased H3K27ac at the Arc synaptic activity response element (SARE) site, and restored deficits in Arc mRNA and protein expression in both male and female adult rats. Our data indicate that an EZH2-mediated epigenetic mechanism in the CeA plays an important role in regulating anxiety-like behavior and Arc expression after AIE in both male and female rats in adulthood. This study suggests that EZH2 may serve as a tractable drug target for the treatment of adult psychopathology after adolescent alcohol exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Peyton Bohnsack
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Huaibo Zhang
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
- Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
- Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
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Wooden JI, Peacoe LE, Anasooya Shaji C, Melbourne JK, Chandler CM, Bardo MT, Nixon K. Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol Drives Modest Neuroinflammation but Does Not Escalate Drinking in Male Rats. Cells 2023; 12:2572. [PMID: 37947650 PMCID: PMC10649200 DOI: 10.3390/cells12212572] [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: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
During adolescence, the brain is highly susceptible to alcohol-induced damage and subsequent neuroimmune responses, effects which may enhance development of an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Neuroimmune reactions are implicated in adolescent alcohol exposure escalating adulthood drinking. Therefore, we investigated whether intermittent alcohol exposure in male, adolescent rats (AIE) escalated adult drinking via two-bottle choice (2BC). We also examined the influence of housing environment across three groups: standard (group-housed with enrichment during 2BC), impoverished (group-housed without enrichment during 2BC), or isolation (single-housed without bedding or enrichment throughout). In the standard group immediately after AIE/saline and after 2BC, we also examined the expression of microglial marker, Iba1, reactive astrocyte marker, vimentin, and neuronal cell death dye, FluoroJade B (FJB). We did not observe an escalation of adulthood drinking following AIE, regardless of housing condition. Further, only a modest neuroimmune response occurred after AIE in the standard group: no significant microglial reactivity or neuronal cell death was apparent using this model, although some astrocyte reactivity was detected in adolescence following AIE that resolved by adulthood. These data suggest that the lack of neuroimmune response in adolescence in this model may underlie the lack of escalation of alcohol drinking, which could not be modified through isolation stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica I. Wooden
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Lauren E. Peacoe
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Chinchusha Anasooya Shaji
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Jennifer K. Melbourne
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Cassie M. Chandler
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA (M.T.B.)
| | - Michael T. Bardo
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA (M.T.B.)
| | - Kimberly Nixon
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Towner TT, Goyden MA, Coleman HJ, Drumm MK, Ritchie IP, Lieb KR, Varlinskaya EI, Werner DF. Determining the neuronal ensembles underlying sex-specific social impairments following adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure. Neuropharmacology 2023; 238:109663. [PMID: 37429543 PMCID: PMC10984351 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109663] [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: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Binge drinking during adolescence can have behavioral and neurobiological consequences. We have previously found that adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure produces sex-specific social alterations indexed via decreases of social investigation and/or social preference in rats. The prelimbic cortex (PrL) regulates social interaction, and alterations within the PrL resulting from AIE may contribute to social alterations. The current study sought to determine whether AIE-induced PrL dysfunction underlies decreases in social interaction evident in adulthood. We first examined social interaction-induced neuronal activation of the PrL and several other regions of interest (ROIs) implicated in social interaction. Adolescent male and female cFos-LacZ rats were exposed to water (control) or ethanol (4 g/kg, 25% v/v) via intragastric gavage every other day between postnatal day (P) 25 and 45 (total 11 exposures). Since cFos-LacZ rats express β-galactosidase (β-gal) as a proxy for Fos, activated cells that express of β-gal can be inactivated by Daun02. In most ROIs, expression of β-gal was elevated in socially tested adult rats relative to home cage controls, regardless of sex. However, decreased social interaction-induced β-gal expression in AIE-exposed rats relative to controls was evident only in the PrL of males. A separate cohort underwent PrL cannulation surgery in adulthood and was subjected to Daun02-induced inactivation. Inactivation of PrL ensembles previously activated by social interaction reduced social investigation in control males, with no changes evident in AIE-exposed males or females. These findings highlight the role of the PrL in male social investigation and suggest an AIE-associated dysfunction of the PrL that may contribute to reduced social investigation following adolescent ethanol exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor T Towner
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Matthew A Goyden
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Harper J Coleman
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Mary K Drumm
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Isabella P Ritchie
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Kayla R Lieb
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, USA
| | - Elena I Varlinskaya
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, USA
| | - David F Werner
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, USA.
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Zheng Q, Wang H, Yan A, Yin F, Qiao X. DNA Methylation in Alcohol Use Disorder. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10130. [PMID: 37373281 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Excessive drinking damages the central nervous system of individuals and can even cause alcohol use disorder (AUD). AUD is regulated by both genetic and environmental factors. Genes determine susceptibility to alcohol, and the dysregulation of epigenome drives the abnormal transcription program and promotes the occurrence and development of AUD. DNA methylation is one of the earliest and most widely studied epigenetic mechanisms that can be inherited stably. In ontogeny, DNA methylation pattern is a dynamic process, showing differences and characteristics at different stages. DNA dysmethylation is prevalent in human cancer and alcohol-related psychiatric disorders, resulting in local hypermethylation and transcriptional silencing of related genes. Here, we summarize recent findings on the roles and regulatory mechanisms of DNA methylation, the development of methyltransferase inhibitors, methylation alteration during alcohol exposure at different stages of life, and possible therapeutic options for targeting methylation in human and animal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingmeng Zheng
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Heng Wang
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - An Yan
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Fangyuan Yin
- School of Medicine, College of Forensic Science, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Xiaomeng Qiao
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
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Han X, Fang F, Cui W, Liu Y, Liu Y. Effect of Ethanol-Induced Methyl Donors Consumption on the State of Hypomethylation in Cervical Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24097729. [PMID: 37175434 PMCID: PMC10178338 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24097729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cervical cancer causes malignant tumors in females and threatens the physical and mental health of women. Current research shows that persistent infection of high-risk HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer. However, not all cervical cancer is caused by HPV infection, which may also be related to other factors, such as nutritional status and lifestyle. This study focuses on the effect of alcohol consumption on the methylation status of cervical cancer from the perspective of methyl donors. We established a mouse tumor-bearing model with cervical cancer SiHa cells, and at the same time, we cultured SiHa cells in vitro. Different concentrations of ethanol were administered to the model mice and SiHa cells. Then, we detected the levels of the methyl-donor folate and methionine and their metabolite homocysteine levels in mice serum, tumor tissues, and SiHa cells. Furthermore, we determined the expression of the members of the DNA methyltransferase family (DNMT1, DNMT3a, and DNMT3b) in tumor tissue by immunohistochemistry. qRT-PCR and Western blotting analysis were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of members of the DNA methyltransferase family in cervical cancer SiHa cells. Our results show that the levels of the methyl donor (folate and methionine) decreased with the increase of ethanol concentration (p < 0.05), and the homocysteine level increased significantly (p < 0.05). In SiHa cells, the mRNA and protein levels of the DNMT family members and their receptors were significantly higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). Collectively, these results suggest that ethanol could influence DNMT expression by inducing methyl donor consumption, thereby causing cervical cancer cells to exhibit genome-wide hypomethylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Han
- Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, School of Public Health, Jilin University, 1163 Xin Min Street, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Fang Fang
- Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, School of Public Health, Jilin University, 1163 Xin Min Street, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Weiwei Cui
- Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, School of Public Health, Jilin University, 1163 Xin Min Street, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Ya Liu
- Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, School of Public Health, Jilin University, 1163 Xin Min Street, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Yuxin Liu
- Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, School of Public Health, Jilin University, 1163 Xin Min Street, Changchun 130021, China
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Towner TT, Goyden MA, Coleman HJ, Drumm MK, Ritchie IP, Lieb KR, Varlinskaya EI, Werner DF. Determining the neuronal ensembles underlying sex-specific social impairments following adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.21.533653. [PMID: 36993252 PMCID: PMC10055268 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.21.533653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Binge drinking during adolescence can have behavioral and neurobiological consequences. We have previously found that adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure produces a sex-specific social impairment in rats. The prelimbic cortex (PrL) regulates social behavior, and alterations within the PrL resulting from AIE may contribute to social impairments. The current study sought to determine whether AIE-induced PrL dysfunction underlies social deficits in adulthood. We first examined social stimulus-induced neuronal activation of the PrL and several other regions of interest implicated in social behavior. Male and female cFos-LacZ rats were exposed to water (control) or ethanol (4 g/kg, 25% v/v) via intragastric gavage every other day between postnatal day (P) 25 and 45 (total 11 exposures). Since cFos-LacZ rats express β-galactosidase (β-gal) as a proxy for cFos, activated cells that express of β-gal can be inactivated by Daun02. β-gal expression in most ROIs was elevated in socially tested adult rats relative to home cage controls, regardless of sex. However, differences in social stimulus-induced β-gal expression between controls and AIE-exposed rats was evident only in the PrL of males. A separate cohort underwent PrL cannulation surgery in adulthood and were subjected to Daun02-induced inactivation. Inactivation of PrL ensembles previously activated by a social stimulus led to a reduction of social behavior in control males, with no changes evident in AIE-exposed males or females. These findings highlight the role of the PrL in male social behavior and suggest an AIE-associated dysfunction of the PrL may contribute to social deficits following adolescent ethanol exposure.
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11
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Cruise TM, Kotlo K, Malovic E, Pandey SC. Advances in DNA, histone, and RNA methylation mechanisms in the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorder. ADVANCES IN DRUG AND ALCOHOL RESEARCH 2023; 3:10871. [PMID: 38389820 PMCID: PMC10880780 DOI: 10.3389/adar.2023.10871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) has a complex, multifactorial etiology involving dysregulation across several brain regions and peripheral organs. Acute and chronic alcohol consumption cause epigenetic modifications in these systems, which underlie changes in gene expression and subsequently, the emergence of pathophysiological phenotypes associated with AUD. One such epigenetic mechanism is methylation, which can occur on DNA, histones, and RNA. Methylation relies on one carbon metabolism to generate methyl groups, which can then be transferred to acceptor substrates. While DNA methylation of particular genes generally represses transcription, methylation of histones and RNA can have bidirectional effects on gene expression. This review summarizes one carbon metabolism and the mechanisms behind methylation of DNA, histones, and RNA. We discuss the field's findings regarding alcohol's global and gene-specific effects on methylation in the brain and liver and the resulting phenotypes characteristic of AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara M Cruise
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Kumar Kotlo
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Emir Malovic
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States
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12
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Healey KL, Kibble S, Dubester K, Bell A, Swartzwelder HS. Adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure enhances adult stress effects in male rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2023; 223:173513. [PMID: 36610590 PMCID: PMC10028459 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2022.173513] [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: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Binge patterns of alcohol use, prevalent among adolescents, are associated with a higher probability of developing alcohol use disorders (AUD) and other psychiatric disorders, like anxiety and depression. Additionally, adverse life events strongly predict AUD and other psychiatric disorders. As such, the combined fields of stress and AUD have been well established, and animal models indicate that both binge-like alcohol exposure and stress exposure elevate anxiety-like behaviors. However, few have investigated the interaction of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) and adult stressors. We hypothesized that AIE would increase vulnerability to restraint-induced stress (RS), manifested as increased anxiety-like behavior. After AIE exposure, in adulthood, animals were tested on forced swim (FST) and saccharin preference (SP) and then exposed to either RS (90 min/5 days) or home-cage control. Twenty-four hours after the last RS session, animals began testing on the elevated plus maze (EPM), and were re-tested on FST and SP. A separate group of animals were sacrificed in adulthood after AIE and RS, and brains were harvested for immunoblot analysis of dorsal and ventral hippocampus. Consistent with previous reports, AIE had no significant effect on closed arm time in the EPM (anxiety-like behavior). However, in male rats the interaction of AIE and adult RS increased time spent in the closed arms. No effect was observed among female animals. AIE and RS-specific alterations were found in glial and synaptic markers (GLT-1, FMRP and PSD-95) in male animals. These findings indicate AIE has sex-specific effects on both SP and the interaction of AIE and adult RS, which induces a propensity toward anxiety-like behavior in males. Also, AIE produces persistent hippocampal deficits that may interact with adult RS to cause increased anxiety-like behaviors. Understanding the mechanisms behind this AIE-induced increase in stress vulnerability may provide insight into treatment and prevention strategies for alcohol use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kati L Healey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States of America.
| | - Sandra Kibble
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States of America
| | - Kira Dubester
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States of America
| | - Amelia Bell
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States of America
| | - H S Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States of America
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13
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Jarczak J, Miszczak M, Radwanska K. Is DNA methylation in the brain a mechanism of alcohol use disorder? Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:957203. [PMID: 36778133 PMCID: PMC9908583 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.957203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a worldwide problem. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms of alcohol misuse are still poorly understood, therefore successful therapeutic approaches are limited. Accumulating data indicate that the tendency for compulsive alcohol use is inherited, suggesting a genetic background as an important factor. However, the probability to develop AUD is also affected by life experience and environmental factors. Therefore, the epigenetic modifications that are altered over lifetime likely contribute to increased risk of alcohol misuse. Here, we review the literature looking for the link between DNA methylation in the brain, a common epigenetic modification, and AUD-related behaviors in humans, mice and rats. We sum up the main findings, identify the existing gaps in our knowledge and indicate future directions of the research.
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14
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Gázquez Linares JJ, Barragán Martín AB, Molero Jurado MDM, Simón Márquez MDM, Pérez-Fuentes MDC, Martos Martínez Á, Del Pino Salvador RM. Perception of Parental Attitudes and Self-Efficacy in Refusing Alcohol Drinking and Smoking by Spanish Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:808. [PMID: 36613129 PMCID: PMC9819710 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20010808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to initiation of the use of substances harmful to health, and its increase is cause for concern. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between self-efficacy in refusing alcohol and the attitude of adolescents toward drugs and their perception of their parents' attitude toward refusal. The study was carried out in 2019 in a sample of 1287 students from 11 public high schools in the province of Almería (Spain). Students were aged 14 to 18 in their 3rd and 4th year of compulsory secondary education. The Drinking Refusal Self-Efficacy Questionnaire-Revised Adolescent version (DRSEQ-RA), Attitudes Toward Taking Drugs-Basic BIP Scale and the Parents' attitudes Toward Drug Use were administered. The results showed that family relationships seem to have a direct impact on adolescent patterns in smoking and drinking alcohol. However, a favorable attitude toward drugs is a risk factor for drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco. The self-efficacy dimension also acts as a protective factor against the probability of using alcohol or tobacco. The conclusions emphasized that communication within the family core can increase or decrease the risk of adolescents using substances harmful to health.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Jesús Gázquez Linares
- Department of Psychology, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
- Department of Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Providencia 7500912, Chile
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15
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Innate immune tolerance against adolescent intermittent alcohol exposure-induced behavioral abnormalities in adult mice. Int Immunopharmacol 2022; 113:109250. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.109250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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16
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Narendra S, Klengel C, Hamzeh B, Patel D, Otten J, Lardenoije R, Newman EL, Miczek KA, Klengel T, Ressler KJ, Suh J. Genome-wide transcriptomics of the amygdala reveals similar oligodendrocyte-related responses to acute and chronic alcohol drinking in female mice. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:476. [PMID: 36371333 PMCID: PMC9653459 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02231-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Repeated excessive alcohol consumption is a risk factor for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Although AUD has been more common in men than women, women develop more severe behavioral and physical impairments. However, relatively few new therapeutics targeting development of AUD, particularly in women, have been validated. To gain a better understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying alcohol intake, we conducted a genome-wide RNA-sequencing analysis in female mice exposed to different modes (acute vs chronic) of ethanol drinking. We focused on transcriptional profiles in the amygdala including the central and basolateral subnuclei, brain areas previously implicated in alcohol drinking and seeking. Surprisingly, we found that both drinking modes triggered similar changes in gene expression and canonical pathways, including upregulation of ribosome-related/translational pathways and myelination pathways, and downregulation of chromatin binding and histone modification. In addition, analyses of hub genes and upstream regulatory pathways revealed that voluntary ethanol consumption affects epigenetic changes via histone deacetylation pathways, oligodendrocyte and myelin function, and the oligodendrocyte-related transcription factor, Sox17. Furthermore, a viral vector-assisted knockdown of Sox17 gene expression in the amygdala prevented a gradual increase in alcohol consumption during repeated accesses. Overall, these results suggest that the expression of oligodendrocyte-related genes in the amygdala is sensitive to voluntary alcohol drinking in female mice. These findings suggest potential molecular targets for future therapeutic approaches to prevent the development of AUD, due to repeated excessive alcohol consumption, particularly in women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharvari Narendra
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Bioinformatics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Claudia Klengel
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Bilal Hamzeh
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Drasti Patel
- Department of Bioinformatics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Joy Otten
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Roy Lardenoije
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Emily L Newman
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Klaus A Miczek
- Psychology and Neuroscience Departments, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Torsten Klengel
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA.
| | - Junghyup Suh
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA.
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17
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Cutuli D, Sampedro-Piquero P. BDNF and its Role in the Alcohol Abuse Initiated During Early Adolescence: Evidence from Preclinical and Clinical Studies. Curr Neuropharmacol 2022; 20:2202-2220. [PMID: 35748555 PMCID: PMC9886842 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x20666220624111855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a crucial brain signaling protein that is integral to many signaling pathways. This neurotrophin has shown to be highly involved in brain plastic processes such as neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, axonal growth, and neurotransmission, among others. In the first part of this review, we revise the role of BDNF in different neuroplastic processes within the central nervous system. On the other hand, its deficiency in key neural circuits is associated with the development of psychiatric disorders, including alcohol abuse disorder. Many people begin to drink alcohol during adolescence, and it seems that changes in BDNF are evident after the adolescent regularly consumes alcohol. Therefore, the second part of this manuscript addresses the involvement of BDNF during adolescent brain maturation and how this process can be negatively affected by alcohol abuse. Finally, we propose different BNDF enhancers, both behavioral and pharmacological, which should be considered in the treatment of problematic alcohol consumption initiated during the adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debora Cutuli
- Department of Psychology, Medicine and Psychology Faculty, University Sapienza of Rome, Rome, Italy; ,I.R.C.C.S. Fondazione Santa Lucia, Laboratorio di Neurofisiologia Sperimentale e del Comportamento, Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143 Roma, Italy; ,Address correspondence to these authors at the Department of Biological and Health Psychology, Psychology Faculty, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain, Spain and Cutuli, D. at Fondazione Santa Lucia. Laboratorio di Neurofisiologia Sperimentale e del Comportamento. Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143 Roma, Italy; E-mails: ;
| | - Piquero Sampedro-Piquero
- Department of Biological and Health Psychology, Psychology Faculty, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain,Address correspondence to these authors at the Department of Biological and Health Psychology, Psychology Faculty, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain, Spain and Cutuli, D. at Fondazione Santa Lucia. Laboratorio di Neurofisiologia Sperimentale e del Comportamento. Via del Fosso di Fiorano 64, 00143 Roma, Italy; E-mails: ;
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18
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Moreira-Júnior RE, Souza RM, de Carvalho JG, Bergamini JP, Brunialti-Godard AL. Possible association between the lrrk2 gene and anxiety behavior: a systematic literature review. J Neurogenet 2022; 36:98-107. [PMID: 36415932 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2022.2144293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Alterations to the LRRK2 gene have been associated with Parkinson's disease and alcohol consumption in animals and humans. Furthermore, these disorders are strongly related to anxiety disorders (ADs). Thus, we investigated how the LRRK2 gene might influence anxiety in humans and mice. We elaborated a systematic review based on the PRISMA Statement of studies that investigated levels of anxiety in animal or human models with alterations in the LRRK2 gene. The search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, and in reference lists with descriptors related to ADs and the LRRK2. From the 62 articles assessed for eligibility, 16 were included: 11 conducted in humans and seven, in mice. Lrrk2 KO mice and the LRRK2 G2019S, LRRK2 R1441G, and LRRK2 R1441C variants were addressed. Five articles reported an increase in anxiety levels concerning the LRRK2 variants. Decreased anxiety levels were observed in two articles, one focusing on the LRRK2 G2019S and the other, on the Lrrk2 KO mice. Eight other articles reported no differences in anxiety levels in individuals with Lrrk2 alterations compared to their healthy controls. This study discusses a possible influence between the LRRK2 gene and anxiety, adding information to the existing knowledge respecting the influence of genetics on anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- R E Moreira-Júnior
- Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Laboratory of Animal and Human Genetics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - R M Souza
- Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Laboratory of Animal and Human Genetics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - J G de Carvalho
- Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Laboratory of Animal and Human Genetics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - J P Bergamini
- Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Laboratory of Animal and Human Genetics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - A L Brunialti-Godard
- Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Laboratory of Animal and Human Genetics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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19
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Williams KL, Parikh UK, Doyle SM, Meyer LN. Effect of intermittent access to alcohol mixed in energy drink during adolescence on alcohol self-administration, anxiety, and memory during adulthood in rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:1423-1432. [PMID: 35778776 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mixing alcohol with caffeinated energy drinks is a common practice among young people. Consumption of alcohol mixed in energy drink is associated with increased risk of binge drinking and alcohol dependence. The purpose of this study was to determine whether voluntary intermittent access to alcohol mixed in energy drink in adolescent rats alters adult self-administration of alcohol, anxiety, and memory. METHODS For 10 weeks in the home-cage, two groups of adolescent female Sprague-Dawley rats had intermittent access to energy drink (ED) or 10% alcohol mixed in energy drink (AmED) with water concurrently available. Other rat groups had daily continuous access to ED or AmED. Anxiety was measured with an open field test and memory was assessed with a novel place recognition test. For self-administration, rats pressed levers for 10% alcohol alone on a fixed ratio (FR1) and on a progressive ratio (PR). RESULTS Intermittent access to AmED generated greater intake during the initial 30 min of access (AmED 1.70 ± 0.04 g/kg vs. ED 1.01 ± 0.06 g/kg) and during the subsequent 24 h (AmED 7.04 ± 0.25 g/kg vs. ED 5.60 ± 0.29 g/kg). Intermittent AmED caused a significant but small decrease in anxiety while neither ED nor AmED altered memory. During alcohol self-administration, group differences emerged only during PR testing during which intermittent AmED rats responded more than all other groups. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that intermittent access to AmED generates binge-like consumption that supports human findings that AmED generates greater alcohol consumption. Furthermore, experience with AmED may alter the motivational properties of alcohol into adulthood without necessarily causing a major impact on anxiety or memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith L Williams
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA
| | - Urja K Parikh
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA
| | - Shannon M Doyle
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA
| | - Lindsey N Meyer
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA
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20
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Towner TT, Papastrat KM, Spear LP, Varlinskaya EI, Werner DF. Impact of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure in male and female rats on social drinking and neuropeptide gene expression. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:979-993. [PMID: 35470441 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol use during adolescence can alter maturational changes that occur in brain regions associated with social and emotional responding. Our previous studies have shown that adult male, but not female rats demonstrate social anxiety-like alterations and enhanced sensitivity to ethanol-induced social facilitation following adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure (AIE). These consequences of AIE may influence adult social drinking in a sex-specific manner. METHODS To test the effects of AIE on social drinking, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to water or ethanol (0 or 4 g/kg, intragastrically, every other day, between postnatal day [P] 25 and 45) were tested as adults (P72-83) in a social drinking paradigm (30-minute access to a 10% ethanol solution in supersac or supersac alone in groups of three same-sex littermates across two 4-day cycles separated by 4 days off). Social behavior was assessed during the last drinking session, along with assessment of oxytocin (OXT), oxytocin receptor (OXTR), vasopressin (AVP), and vasopressin receptors 1a and 1b (AVPR1a, AVPR1b) in the hypothalamus and lateral septum. RESULTS Males exposed to AIE consumed more ethanol than water-exposed controls during the second drinking cycle, whereas AIE did not affect supersac intake in males. AIE-exposed females consumed less ethanol and more supersac than water-exposed controls. Water-exposed females drinking ethanol showed more social investigation and significantly higher hypothalamic OXTR, AVP, and AVPR1b gene expression than their counterparts ingesting supersac and AIE females drinking ethanol. In males, hypothalamic AVPR1b gene expression was affected by drinking solution, with significantly higher expression evident in males drinking ethanol than those consuming supersac. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these findings provide new evidence regarding sex-specific effects of AIE on social drinking and suggest that the hypothalamic OXT and AVP systems are implicated in the effects of ingested ethanol on social behavior in a sex- and adolescent-exposure-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor T Towner
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, USA
| | - Kimberly M Papastrat
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, USA
| | - Linda P Spear
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, USA
| | - Elena I Varlinskaya
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, USA
| | - David F Werner
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, USA
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21
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Bohnsack JP, Zhang H, Wandling GM, He D, Kyzar EJ, Lasek AW, Pandey SC. Targeted epigenomic editing ameliorates adult anxiety and excessive drinking after adolescent alcohol exposure. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn2748. [PMID: 35507645 PMCID: PMC9067919 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn2748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Adolescent binge drinking is a major risk factor for psychiatric disorders later in life including alcohol use disorder. Adolescent alcohol exposure induces epigenetic reprogramming at the enhancer region of the activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) immediate-early gene, known as synaptic activity response element (SARE), and decreases Arc expression in the amygdala of both rodents and humans. The causal role of amygdalar epigenomic regulation at Arc SARE in adult anxiety and drinking after adolescent alcohol exposure is unknown. Here, we show that dCas9-P300 increases histone acetylation at the Arc SARE and normalizes deficits in Arc expression, leading to attenuation of adult anxiety and excessive alcohol drinking in a rat model of adolescent alcohol exposure. Conversely, dCas9-KRAB increases repressive histone methylation at the Arc SARE, decreases Arc expression, and produces anxiety and alcohol drinking in control rats. These results demonstrate that epigenomic editing in the amygdala can ameliorate adult psychopathology after adolescent alcohol exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Peyton Bohnsack
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Huaibo Zhang
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Gabriela M. Wandling
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Donghong He
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Evan J. Kyzar
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Amy W. Lasek
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612 USA
| | - Subhash C. Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612 USA
- Corresponding author.
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22
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Sultan FA, Sawaya BE. Gadd45 in Neuronal Development, Function, and Injury. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1360:117-148. [PMID: 35505167 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-94804-7_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible (Gadd) 45 proteins have been associated with numerous cellular mechanisms including cell cycle control, DNA damage sensation and repair, genotoxic stress, neoplasia, and molecular epigenetics. The genes were originally identified in in vitro screens of irradiation- and interleukin-induced transcription and have since been implicated in a host of normal and aberrant central nervous system processes. These include early and postnatal development, injury, cancer, memory, aging, and neurodegenerative and psychiatric disease states. The proteins act through a variety of molecular signaling cascades including the MAPK cascade, cell cycle control mechanisms, histone regulation, and epigenetic DNA demethylation. In this review, we provide a comprehensive discussion of the literature implicating each of the three members of the Gadd45 family in these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faraz A Sultan
- Department of Psychiatry, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Bassel E Sawaya
- Molecular Studies of Neurodegenerative Diseases Lab, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,FELS Cancer Institute for Personalized Medicine Institute, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Departments of Neurology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Cancer and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Neural Sciences, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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23
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Towner TT, Applegate DT, Varlinskaya EI, Werner DF. Impact of Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol Exposure on Social Investigation, Social Preference, and Neuronal Activation in cFos-LacZ Male and Female Rats. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:841657. [PMID: 35401161 PMCID: PMC8984146 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.841657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a sensitive developmental period during which alcohol use is often initiated and consumed in high quantities, often at binge or even high-intensity drinking levels. Our lab has repeatedly found that adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure in rats results in long-lasting social impairments, specifically in males, however our knowledge of the neuronal underpinnings to this sex-specific effect of AIE is limited. The present study was designed to test whether social anxiety-like alterations in AIE-exposed males would be accompanied by alterations of neuronal activation across brain regions associated with social behavior, with AIE females demonstrating no social impairments and alterations in neuronal activation. Adolescent male and female cFos-LacZ transgenic rats on a Sprague-Dawley background were exposed to ethanol (4 g/kg, 25% v/v) or water via intragastric gavage every other day during postnatal days (P) 25–45 for a total of 11 exposures (n = 13 per group). Social behavior of adult rats was assessed on P70 using a modified social interaction test, and neuronal activation in brain regions implicated in social responding was assessed via β-galactosidase (β-gal) expression. We found that AIE exposure in males resulted in a significantly lower social preference coefficient relative to water-exposed controls, with no effect evident in females. Exposure-specific relationships between social behavior and neuronal activation were identified, with AIE eliminating correlations found in water controls related to social interaction, and eliciting negative correlations mainly in limbic regions in a sex-specific manner. AIE exposure in the absence of social testing was also found to differentially affect neural activity in the orbitofrontal cortex and central amygdala in males and females. These data suggest that AIE produces sex-specific social impairments that are potentially driven by differential neuronal activation states in regions important for social behavior, including the medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices, nucleus accumbens, lateral septum, and central amygdala. Future studies should be focused on identification of specific neuronal phenotypes activated by interaction with a social partner in AIE-exposed subjects and their control counterparts.
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Healey KL, Kibble SA, Bell A, Kramer G, Maldonado-Devincci A, Swartzwelder HS. Sex differences in the effects of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure on exploratory and anxiety-like behavior in adult rats. Alcohol 2022; 98:43-50. [PMID: 34808302 PMCID: PMC8714675 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2021.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure in rodents has been shown to alter adult behavior in several domains, including learning and memory, social interaction, affective behavior, and ethanol self-administration. AIE has also been shown to produce non-specific behavioral changes that compromise behavioral efficiency. Many studies of these types rely on measuring behavior in mazes and other enclosures that can be influenced by animals' activity levels and exploratory behavior, and relatively few such studies have assessed sex as a biological variable. To address the effects of AIE and its interaction with sex on these types of behavioral assays, male and female adolescent rats (Sprague Dawley) were exposed to 10 doses of AIE (5 g/kg, intra-gastrically [i.g.]), or control vehicle, over 16 days (postnatal day [PND] 30-46), and then tested for exploratory and anxiety-like behaviors on the novelty-induced hypophagia (NIH) task in an open field, the elevated plus (EPM) maze, and the Figure 8 maze. AIE reduced activity/exploratory behaviors in males on the anxiety-producing NIH and EPM tasks, but reduced activity in both males and females in the Figure 8 maze, a task designed to create a safe environment and reduce anxiety. Independent of AIE, females engaged in more rearing behavior than males during the NIH task but less in the EPM, in which they were also less active than males. AIE also increased EPM open arm time in females but not in males. These findings demonstrate previously unrecognized sex differences in the effects of AIE on activity, exploratory behavior, and anxiety-like behavior; additionally, they underscore the need to design future behavioral studies of AIE using sex as a variable and with rigorous attention to how AIE alters these behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kati L Healey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 323 Foster St., Durham, NC 27701, United States
| | - Sandra A Kibble
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 323 Foster St., Durham, NC 27701, United States
| | - Amelia Bell
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 323 Foster St., Durham, NC 27701, United States
| | - George Kramer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 323 Foster St., Durham, NC 27701, United States
| | - Antoniette Maldonado-Devincci
- Department of Psychology, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, United States
| | - H S Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 323 Foster St., Durham, NC 27701, United States.
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Kaplan G, Xu H, Abreu K, Feng J. DNA Epigenetics in Addiction Susceptibility. Front Genet 2022; 13:806685. [PMID: 35145550 PMCID: PMC8821887 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.806685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Addiction is a chronically relapsing neuropsychiatric disease that occurs in some, but not all, individuals who use substances of abuse. Relatively little is known about the mechanisms which contribute to individual differences in susceptibility to addiction. Neural gene expression regulation underlies the pathogenesis of addiction, which is mediated by epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA modifications. A growing body of work has demonstrated distinct DNA epigenetic signatures in brain reward regions that may be associated with addiction susceptibility. Furthermore, factors that influence addiction susceptibility are also known to have a DNA epigenetic basis. In the present review, we discuss the notion that addiction susceptibility has an underlying DNA epigenetic basis. We focus on major phenotypes of addiction susceptibility and review evidence of cell type-specific, time dependent, and sex biased effects of drug use. We highlight the role of DNA epigenetics in these diverse processes and propose its contribution to addiction susceptibility differences. Given the prevalence and lack of effective treatments for addiction, elucidating the DNA epigenetic mechanism of addiction vulnerability may represent an expeditious approach to relieving the addiction disease burden.
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Krishnan HR, Zhang H, Chen Y, Bohnsack JP, Shieh AW, Kusumo H, Drnevich J, Liu C, Grayson DR, Maienschein-Cline M, Pandey SC. Unraveling the epigenomic and transcriptomic interplay during alcohol-induced anxiolysis. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:4624-4632. [PMID: 36089615 PMCID: PMC9734037 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01732-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Positive effects of alcohol drinking such as anxiolysis and euphoria appear to be a crucial factor in the initiation and maintenance of alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, the mechanisms that lead from chromatin reorganization to transcriptomic changes after acute ethanol exposure remain unknown. Here, we used Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin followed by high throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) and RNA-seq to investigate epigenomic and transcriptomic changes that underlie anxiolytic effects of acute ethanol using an animal model. Analysis of ATAC-seq data revealed an overall open or permissive chromatin state that was associated with transcriptomic changes in the amygdala after acute ethanol exposure. We identified a candidate gene, Hif3a (Hypoxia-inducible factor 3, alpha subunit), that had 'open' chromatin regions (ATAC-seq peaks), associated with significantly increased active epigenetic histone acetylation marks and decreased DNA methylation at these regions. The mRNA levels of Hif3a were increased by acute ethanol exposure, but decreased in the amygdala during withdrawal after chronic ethanol exposure. Knockdown of Hif3a expression in the central nucleus of amygdala attenuated acute ethanol-induced increases in Hif3a mRNA levels and blocked anxiolysis in rats. These data indicate that chromatin accessibility and transcriptomic signatures in the amygdala after acute ethanol exposure underlie anxiolysis and possibly prime the chromatin for the development of AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harish R. Krishnan
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA ,grid.280892.90000 0004 0419 4711Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Huaibo Zhang
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA ,grid.280892.90000 0004 0419 4711Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Ying Chen
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - John Peyton Bohnsack
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Annie W. Shieh
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA ,grid.411023.50000 0000 9159 4457Present Address: Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210 USA
| | - Handojo Kusumo
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA ,grid.280892.90000 0004 0419 4711Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Jenny Drnevich
- grid.35403.310000 0004 1936 9991High-Performance Biological Computing, Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
| | - Chunyu Liu
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA ,grid.411023.50000 0000 9159 4457Present Address: Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210 USA
| | - Dennis R. Grayson
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Mark Maienschein-Cline
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA ,grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Research Informatics Core, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
| | - Subhash C. Pandey
- grid.185648.60000 0001 2175 0319Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612 USA ,grid.280892.90000 0004 0419 4711Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612 USA
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Rodriguez FD. Targeting Epigenetic Mechanisms to Treat Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD). Curr Pharm Des 2021; 27:3252-3272. [PMID: 33535943 PMCID: PMC8778698 DOI: 10.2174/1381612827666210203142539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The impact of abusive alcohol consumption on human health is remarkable. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 3.3 million people die annually because of harmful alcohol consumption (the figure represents around 5.9% of global deaths). Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic disease where individuals exhibit compulsive alcohol drinking and present negative emotional states when they do not drink. In the most severe manifestations of AUD, the individuals lose control over intake despite a decided will to stop drinking. Given the multiple faces and the specific forms of this disease, the term AUD often appears in the plural (AUDs). Since only a few approved pharmacological treatments are available to treat AUD and they do not apply to all individuals or AUD forms, the search for compounds that may help to eliminate the burden of the disease and complement other therapeutical approaches is necessary. METHODS This work reviews recent research focused on the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in the pathophysiology of AUD. Excessive drinking leads to chronic and compulsive consumption that eventually damages the organism. The central nervous system is a key target and is the focus of this study. The search for the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms behind the intricated dysregulation induced by ethanol will aid researchers in establishing new therapy approaches. CONCLUSION Recent findings in the field of epigenetics are essential and offer new windows for observation and research. The study of small molecules that inhibit key epienzymes involved in nucleosome architecture dynamics is necessary in order to prove their action and specificity in the laboratory and to test their effectivity and safety in clinical trials with selected patients bearing defined alterations caused by ethanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. David Rodriguez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Salamanca and Group GIR BMD (Bases Moleculares del Desarrollo), University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
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Feng Y, Wang Z, Wei W, Zhang T, Li Z, Chen J, Liu K. Gadd45α is involved in regulating activity-dependent and exon-specific BDNF expression in postmitotic cortical neurons. Neuroreport 2021; 32:1147-1152. [PMID: 34334778 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the epigenetic regulation of activity-dependent and exon-specific brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression under KCl depolarization in primary cortical neurons. METHODS We investigated BDNF exon I, exon IV and the growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible protein 45 alpha (Gadd45α) transcription levels under KCl-induced neuronal activation in postmitotic neurons. Gadd45α occupancy at BDNF I and IV promoter was measured by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) followed by quantitative PCR; DNA methylation level was checked by methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) followed by qPCR. In addition, lentiviral shRNA targeting Gadd45α was used to knockdown Gadd45α expression. RESULTS BDNF exon I and IV mRNA expressions were both highly induced by KCl depolarization. However, ChIP analysis demonstrated a significantly increased Gadd45α occupancy only at the BDNF P1 promotor, but not P4, which is associated with reducing DNA methylation within BDNF P1 promoter. Furthermore, after the lentiviral-mediated knockdown of Gadd45α, the increased Gadd45α occupancy at the BDNF P1 was inhibited, which was accompanying the complete blocking of the demethylation effect at P1. Nonetheless, the induction of BDNF exon I mRNA by KCl was only partially prevented by Gadd45α shRNA, indicting other mechanisms involved in regulating BDNF exon I expression. CONCLUSIONS DNA demethylation mediated by Gadd45α protein involves promoting the regulation of activity-dependent BDNF exon I expression in neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Feng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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Mugantseva E, Hyytiä P, Latvala A. Voluntary Adolescent-Onset Alcohol Drinking Fails to Influence Alcohol Consumption or Anxiety-Like Behaviour in Adulthood in Female Alcohol-Preferring Rats. Alcohol Alcohol 2021; 57:396-403. [PMID: 34463340 PMCID: PMC9086760 DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agab063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS Alcohol exposure during adolescence is associated with both increased risk for alcohol use disorders and anxiety in adulthood. Our present experiments examined this association using alcohol-preferring AA (Alko Alcohol) rats selected for high voluntary alcohol drinking. METHODS Two groups of female AA rats acquired alcohol drinking at different ages. We gave the adolescent-onset group free choice to 10% alcohol and water for seven weeks, starting on post-natal day 42 (PND 42), whereas the adult-onset group started drinking alcohol on PND 112. After the 7-week drinking, we withdrew the adolescent group from alcohol for two weeks, followed by another voluntary 7-week drinking period, started at the same age as the adult-onset group. We assessed anxiety-like behaviour repeatedly during alcohol drinking with open field and elevated plus maze tests. At the end of alcohol drinking, we also tested the rats using the light/dark box, stress-induced body temperature test and social dominance test. RESULTS During the first 7-week alcohol drinking, adolescent rats exhibited significantly slower acquisition of alcohol drinking and lower alcohol preference than the adult-onset group. However, when tested at the same age as the adult-onset rats, they displayed identical alcohol intake and preference. We found no alcohol-induced effects on anxiety- or stress-related behaviour in the experimental groups at any time points. CONCLUSIONS These data show that the genetically determined phenotype of high alcohol drinking of the female alcohol-preferring AA rats is not associated with a predisposition to develop anxiety-like behaviour following voluntary alcohol exposure, even when initiated during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Mugantseva
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 20 (Tukholmankatu 8), FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland.,Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics RAS, Institutskaya, 3, Pushchino, 142290, Moscow region, Russia
| | - Petri Hyytiä
- Department of Pharmacology, Medicum, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 63 (Haartmaninkatu 8), FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Antti Latvala
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 20 (Tukholmankatu 8), FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland.,Institute of Criminology and Legal Policy, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 16 (Snellmaninkatu 10), FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
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Brocato E, Wolstenholme JT. Neuroepigenetic consequences of adolescent ethanol exposure. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 160:45-84. [PMID: 34696879 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2021.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is a critical developmental period characterized by ongoing brain maturation processes including myelination and synaptic pruning. Adolescents experience heightened reward sensitivity, sensation seeking, impulsivity, and diminished inhibitory self-control, which contribute to increased participation in risky behaviors, including the initiation of alcohol use. Ethanol exposure in adolescence alters memory and cognition, anxiety-like behavior, and ethanol sensitivity as well as brain myelination and dendritic spine morphology, with effects lasting into adulthood. Emerging evidence suggests that epigenetic modifications may explain these lasting effects. Focusing on the amygdala, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, we review studies investigating the epigenetic consequences of adolescent ethanol exposure. Ethanol metabolism globally increases donor substrates for histone acetylation and histone and DNA methylation, and this chapter discusses how this can further impact epigenetic programming of the adolescent brain. Elucidation of the mechanisms through which ethanol can alter the epigenetic code at specific transcripts may provide therapeutic targets for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Brocato
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Jennifer T Wolstenholme
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States; VCU-Alcohol Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States.
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Liang X, Justice AC, So-Armah K, Krystal JH, Sinha R, Xu K. DNA methylation signature on phosphatidylethanol, not on self-reported alcohol consumption, predicts hazardous alcohol consumption in two distinct populations. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:2238-2253. [PMID: 32034291 PMCID: PMC8440221 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0668-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The process of diagnosing hazardous alcohol drinking (HAD) is based on self-reported data and is thereby vulnerable to bias. There has been an interest in developing epigenetic biomarkers for HAD that might complement clinical assessment. Because alcohol consumption has been previously linked to DNA methylation (DNAm), we aimed to select DNAm signatures in blood to predict HAD from two demographically and clinically distinct populations (Ntotal = 1,549). We first separately conducted an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) for phosphatidylethanol (PEth), an objective measure of alcohol consumption, and for self-reported alcohol consumption in Cohort 1. We identified 83 PEth-associated CpGs, including 23 CpGs previously associated with alcohol consumption or alcohol use disorder. In contrast, no CpG reached epigenome-wide significance on self-reported alcohol consumption. Using a machine learning approach, two CpG subsets from EWAS on PEth and on self-reported alcohol consumption from Cohort 1 were separately tested for the prediction of HAD in Cohort 2. We found that a subset of 143 CpGs selected from the EWAS on PEth showed an excellent prediction of HAD with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 89.4% in training set and 73.9% in validation set of Cohort 2. However, CpGs preselected from the EWAS on self-reported alcohol consumption showed a poor prediction of HAD with AUC 75.2% in training set and 57.6% in validation set. Our results demonstrate that an objective measure for alcohol consumption is a more informative phenotype than self-reported data for revealing epigenetic mechanisms. The PEth-associated DNAm signature in blood could serve as a robust biomarker for alcohol consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Liang
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Amy C Justice
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
- Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Kaku So-Armah
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rajita Sinha
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Stress Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ke Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA.
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Przybysz KR, Gamble ME, Diaz MR. Moderate adolescent chronic intermittent ethanol exposure sex-dependently disrupts synaptic transmission and kappa opioid receptor function in the basolateral amygdala of adult rats. Neuropharmacology 2021; 188:108512. [PMID: 33667523 PMCID: PMC10500544 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol exposure is associated with many consequences in adulthood, including altered affective and reward-related behaviors. However, the long-term neurological disruptions underlying these behaviors are not fully understood. Shifts in the excitatory/inhibitory balance in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) relate to the expression of these behaviors and changes to BLA physiology are seen during withdrawal immediately following adolescent ethanol exposure, but no studies have examined whether these changes persist long-term. The kappa opioid receptor (KOR) neuromodulatory system mediates negative affective behaviors, and alterations of this system are implicated in behavioral changes following adult and adolescent chronic ethanol exposure. In the BLA, the KOR system undergoes functional changes across development, but whether BLA KOR function is disrupted by adolescent ethanol exposure is unknown. In this study, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to a vapor model of moderate adolescent chronic intermittent ethanol (aCIE) and assessed for long-term effects on GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission within the adult BLA and KOR modulation of these systems. aCIE exposure increased presynaptic glutamate transmission in females but had no effect in males or on GABA transmission in either sex. Additionally, aCIE exposure disrupted male KOR modulation of GABA release, with no effects in females or on glutamate transmission. These data suggest that aCIE produces sex-dependent and long-term changes to BLA physiology and KOR function. This is the first study to examine these persistent adaptations following adolescent alcohol exposure and opens a broad avenue for future investigation into other adolescent ethanol-induced disruptions of these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn R Przybysz
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, United States; Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, United States
| | - Meredith E Gamble
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, United States; Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, United States
| | - Marvin R Diaz
- Department of Psychology, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, United States; Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902, United States.
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Towner TT, Spear LP. Rats exposed to intermittent ethanol during late adolescence exhibit enhanced habitual behavior following reward devaluation. Alcohol 2021; 91:11-20. [PMID: 33031883 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2020.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The brain undergoes substantial maturation during adolescence, and repeated exposure to ethanol at this time has been shown to result in long-lasting behavioral and neural consequences. During the broad period of adolescence, different neuronal populations and circuits are refined between early and late adolescence, suggesting the possibility that ethanol exposure at these differing times may lead to differential outcomes. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the impact of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) during early and late adolescence on the formation of goal-directed and habitual behavior in adulthood. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to ethanol via intragastric gavage (4.0 g/kg, 25% v/v) every other day from postnatal day (P) 25-45 or P45-65, considered early and late adolescence, respectively. In adulthood (~P70 early or ~ P90 late), rats were gradually food-restricted and began operant training on a fixed ratio 1 schedule. Rats were then transitioned onto random interval schedules and eventually underwent a sensory-specific satiation procedure as a model of reward devaluation. Few differences as a result of adolescent ethanol exposure were found during instrumental training. Following reward devaluation, rats exposed to water and ethanol during early adolescence exhibited reductions in lever pressing, suggestive of a goal-directed response pattern. In contrast, late AIE males and females demonstrated persistent responding following both devalued and non-devalued trials, findings representative of a habitual behavior pattern. The shifts from goal-directed to habitual behavior noted only following late AIE contribute to the growing literature identifying specific behavioral consequences as a result of ethanol exposure during distinct developmental periods within adolescence. More work is needed to determine whether the greater habit formation following late AIE is also associated with elevated habitual ethanol consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor Theodore Towner
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, United States.
| | - Linda Patia Spear
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, 13902-6000, United States
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Yang M, Barrios J, Yan J, Zhao W, Yuan S, Dong E, Ai X. Causal roles of stress kinase JNK2 in DNA methylation and binge alcohol withdrawal-evoked behavioral deficits. Pharmacol Res 2021; 164:105375. [PMID: 33316384 PMCID: PMC7867628 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2020.105375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Excessive binge alcohol intake is a common drinking pattern in humans, especially during holidays. Cessation of the binge drinking often leads to aberrant withdrawal behaviors, as well as serious heart rhythm abnormalities (clinically diagnosed as Holiday Heart Syndrome (HHS)). In our HHS mouse model with well-characterized binge alcohol withdrawal (BAW)-induced heart phenotypes, BAW leads to anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive impairment. We have previously reported that stress-activated c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) plays a causal role in BAW-induced heart phenotypes. In the HHS brain, we found that activation of JNK2 (but not JNK1 and JNK3) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), but not hippocampus and amygdala, led to anxiety-like behaviors and impaired cognition. DNA methylation mediated by a crucial DNA methylation enzyme, DNA methyltransferase1 (DNMT1), is known to be critical in alcohol-associated behavioral deficits. In HHS mice, JNK2 in the PFC (but not hippocampus and amygdala) causally enhanced total genomic DNA methylation via increased DNMT1 expression, which was regulated by enhanced binding of JNK downstream transcriptional factor c-JUN to the DNMT1 promoter. JNK2-specific inhibition either by an inhibitor JNK2I or JNK2 knockout completely offset c-JUN-regulated DNMT1 upregulation and restored the level of DNA methylation in HHS PFC to the baseline levels seen in sham controls. Strikingly, either JNK2-specific inhibition or genetic JNK2 depletion or DNMT1 inhibition (by an inhibitor 5-Azacytidine) completely abolished BAW-evoked behavioral deficits. In conclusion, our studies revealed a novel mechanism by which JNK2 drives BAW-evoked behavioral deficits through a DNMT1-regulated DNA hypermethylation. JNK2 could be a novel therapeutic target for alcohol withdrawal treatment and/or prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Yang
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
| | - Jasson Barrios
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
| | - Jiajie Yan
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
| | - Weiwei Zhao
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
| | - Shengtao Yuan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Screening, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Erbo Dong
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
| | - Xun Ai
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA.
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Balasubramanian N, Sagarkar S, Jadhav M, Shahi N, Sirmaur R, Sakharkar AJ. Role for Histone Deacetylation in Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Deficits in Neuropeptide Y in Arcuate Nucleus: Possible Implications in Feeding Behavior. Neuroendocrinology 2021; 111:1187-1200. [PMID: 33291119 DOI: 10.1159/000513638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Repeated traumatic events result in long-lasting neuropsychiatric ailments, including neuroendocrine imbalances. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the arcuate nucleus (Arc) is an important orexigenic peptide. However, the molecular underpinnings of its dysregulation owing to traumatic brain injury remain unknown. METHODS Rats were subjected to repeated mild traumatic brain injury (rMTBI) using the closed head weight-drop model. Feeding behavior and the regulatory epigenetic parameters of NPY expression were measured at 48 h and 30 days post-rMTBI. Further, sodium butyrate (SB), a pan-histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, was administered to examine whether histone deacetylation is involved in NPY expression post-rMTBI. RESULTS The rMTBI attenuated food intake, which was coincident with a decrease in NPY mRNA and protein levels in the Arc post-rMTBI. Further, rMTBI also reduced the mRNA levels of the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and CREB-binding protein (CBP) and altered the mRNA levels of the various isoforms of the HDACs. Concurrently, the acetylated histone 3-lysine 9 (H3-K9) levels and the binding of CBP at the NPY promoter in the Arc of the rMTBI-exposed rats were reduced. However, the treatment with SB corrected the rMTBI-induced deficits in the H3-K9 acetylation levels and CBP occupancy at the NPY promoter, restoring both NPY expression and food intake. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that histone deacetylation at the NPY promoter persistently controls NPY function in the Arc after rMTBI. This study also demonstrates the efficacy of HDAC inhibitors in mitigating trauma-induced neuroendocrine maladaptations in the hypothalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sneha Sagarkar
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
- Department of Zoology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
| | - Meha Jadhav
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
| | - Navneet Shahi
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
| | - Richa Sirmaur
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
| | - Amul J Sakharkar
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India,
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Gamble ME, Diaz MR. Moderate Adolescent Ethanol Vapor Exposure and Acute Stress in Adulthood: Sex-Dependent Effects on Social Behavior and Ethanol Intake in Sprague-Dawley Rats. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E829. [PMID: 33171857 PMCID: PMC7695197 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10110829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol use can lead to numerous consequences, including altered stress reactivity and higher risk for later anxiety and alcohol use disorders. Many studies have examined the consequences of heavy ethanol exposure in adolescence, but far less is understood about lower levels of intoxication. The present study examined moderate adolescent ethanol exposure as a possible factor in increasing stress reactivity in adulthood, measured through general and social anxiety-like behaviors, as well voluntary ethanol intake. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent an adolescent chronic intermittent ethanol (aCIE) vapor exposure during early adolescence, reaching moderate blood ethanol concentrations. Animals then underwent two days of forced swim stress in adulthood. We found that ethanol-exposed males consumed more ethanol than their air counterparts and an interesting stress and ethanol exposure interaction in males. There were no significant effects on voluntary drinking in females. However, the social interaction test revealed increased play-fighting behavior in ethanol-exposed females and reduced social preference in females after two days of stress exposure. Overall, this work provides evidence for sex-specific, long-term effects of moderate aCIE and susceptibility to acute stress in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith E. Gamble
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA;
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
| | - Marvin R. Diaz
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA;
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
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Galaj E, Guo C, Huang D, Ranaldi R, Ma YY. Contrasting effects of adolescent and early-adult ethanol exposure on prelimbic cortical pyramidal neurons. Drug Alcohol Depend 2020; 216:108309. [PMID: 32998090 PMCID: PMC7814343 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescence and early-adulthood are vulnerable developmental periods during which binge drinking can have long-lasting effects on brain function. However, little is known about the effects of binge drinking on the pyramidal cells of the prelimbic cortex (PrL) during early and protracted withdrawal periods. METHODS In the present study, we performed whole-cell patch clamp recordings and dendritic spine staining to examine the intrinsic excitability, spontaneous excitatory post-synaptic currents (sEPSCs), and spine morphology of pyramidal cells in the PrL from rats exposed to chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) during adolescence or early-adulthood. RESULTS Compared to chronic intermittent water (CIW)-treated controls, the excitability of PrL-L5 pyramidal neurons was significantly increased 21 days after adolescent CIE but decreased 21 days after early-adult CIE. No changes of excitability in PrL Layer (L) 5 were detected 2 days after either adolescent or early-adulthood CIE. Interestingly, decreases in sEPSC amplitude and increases in thin spines ratio were detected 2 days after adolescent CIE. Furthermore, decreased frequency and amplitude of sEPSCs, accompanied by a decrease in the density of total spines and non-thin spines were observed 21 days after adolescent CIE. In contrast, increased frequency and amplitude of sEPSCs, accompanied by increased densities of total spines and non-thin spines were found 21 days after early adult CIE. CONCLUSION CIE produced prolonged neuronal and synaptic alterations in PrL-L5, and the developmental stage, i.e., adolescence vs. early-adulthood when subjects receive CIE, is a key factor in determining the direction of these changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Galaj
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA
| | - Changyong Guo
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Donald Huang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Robert Ranaldi
- Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY, 11367, USA
| | - Yao-Ying Ma
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, 13902, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA; Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
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Luo YX, Galaj E, Ma YY. Differential alterations of insular cortex excitability after adolescent or adult chronic intermittent ethanol administration in male rats. J Neurosci Res 2020; 99:649-661. [PMID: 33094531 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol drinking, primarily in the form of binge-drinking episodes, is a serious public health concern. Binge drinking in laboratory animals has been modeled by a procedure involving chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) administration, as compared with chronic intermittent water (CIW). The prolonged effects of adolescent binge alcohol exposure in adults, such as high risk of developing alcohol use disorder, are severe but available treatments in the clinic are limited. One reason is the lack of sufficient understanding about the associated neuronal alterations. The involvement of the insular cortex, particularly the anterior agranular insula (AAI), has emerged as a critical region to explain neuronal mechanisms of substance abuse. This study was designed to evaluate the functional output of the AAI by measuring the intrinsic excitability of pyramidal neurons from male rats 2 or 21 days after adolescent or adult CIE treatment. Decreases in intrinsic excitability in AAI pyramidal neurons were detected 21 days, relative to 2 days, after adolescent CIE. Interestingly, the decreased intrinsic excitability in the AAI pyramidal neurons was observed 2 days after adult CIE, compared to adult CIW, but no difference was found between 2 versus 21 days after adult CIE. These data indicate that, although the AAI is influenced within a limited period after adult but not adolescent CIE, neuronal alterations in AAI are affected during the prolonged period of withdrawal from adolescent but not adult CIE. This may explain the prolonged vulnerability to mental disorders of subjects with an alcohol binge history during their adolescent stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Xiao Luo
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.,Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Ewa Galaj
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Yao-Ying Ma
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.,Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, USA.,Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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Bohnsack JP, Pandey SC. Histone modifications, DNA methylation, and the epigenetic code of alcohol use disorder. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2020; 156:1-62. [PMID: 33461661 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite AUD's substantial contributions to lost economic productivity and quality of life, there are only a limited number of approved drugs for treatment of AUD in the United States. This chapter will update progress made on the epigenetic basis of AUD, with particular focus on histone post-translational modifications and DNA methylation and how these two epigenetic mechanisms interact to contribute to neuroadaptive processes leading to initiation, maintenance and progression of AUD pathophysiology. We will also evaluate epigenetic therapeutic strategies that have arisen from preclinical models of AUD and epigenetic biomarkers that have been discovered in human populations with AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Peyton Bohnsack
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.
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Gatta E, Saudagar V, Auta J, Grayson DR, Guidotti A. Epigenetic landscape of stress surfeit disorders: Key role for DNA methylation dynamics. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2020; 156:127-183. [PMID: 33461662 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Chronic exposure to stress throughout lifespan alters brain structure and function, inducing a maladaptive response to environmental stimuli, that can contribute to the development of a pathological phenotype. Studies have shown that hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction is associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders, including major depressive, alcohol use and post-traumatic stress disorders. Downstream actors of the HPA axis, glucocorticoids are critical mediators of the stress response and exert their function through specific receptors, i.e., the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), highly expressed in stress/reward-integrative pathways. GRs are ligand-activated transcription factors that recruit epigenetic actors to regulate gene expression via DNA methylation, altering chromatin structure and thus shaping the response to stress. The dynamic interplay between stress response and epigenetic modifiers suggest DNA methylation plays a key role in the development of stress surfeit disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Gatta
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Vikram Saudagar
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - James Auta
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Dennis R Grayson
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Alessandro Guidotti
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.
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Gatta E, Guidotti A, Saudagar V, Grayson DR, Aspesi D, Pandey SC, Pinna G. Epigenetic Regulation of GABAergic Neurotransmission and Neurosteroid Biosynthesis in Alcohol Use Disorder. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2020; 24:130-141. [PMID: 32968808 PMCID: PMC7883893 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyaa073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronic relapsing brain disorder. GABAA receptor (GABAAR) subunits are a target for the pharmacological effects of alcohol. Neurosteroids play an important role in the fine-tuning of GABAAR function in the brain. Recently, we have shown that AUD is associated with changes in DNA methylation mechanisms. However, the role of DNA methylation in the regulation of neurosteroid biosynthesis and GABAergic neurotransmission in AUD patients remains under-investigated. METHODS In a cohort of postmortem brains from 20 male controls and AUD patients, we investigated the expression of GABAAR subunits and neurosteroid biosynthetic enzymes and their regulation by DNA methylation mechanisms. Neurosteroid levels were quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS The α 2 subunit expression was reduced due to increased DNA methylation at the gene promoter region in the cerebellum of AUD patients, a brain area particularly sensitive to the effects of alcohol. Alcohol-induced alteration in GABAAR subunits was also observed in the prefrontal cortex. Neurosteroid biosynthesis was also affected with reduced cerebellar expression of the 18kDa translocator protein and 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase mRNAs. Notably, increased DNA methylation levels were observed at the promoter region of 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. These changes were associated with markedly reduced levels of allopregnanolone and pregnanolone in the cerebellum. CONCLUSION Given the key role of neurosteroids in modulating the strength of GABAAR-mediated inhibition, our data suggest that alcohol-induced impairments in GABAergic neurotransmission might be profoundly impacted by reduced neurosteroid biosynthesis most likely via DNA hypermethylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Gatta
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Alessandro Guidotti
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois,Correspondence: Dr Alessandro Guidotti, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Psychiatric Institute - Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1601 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612 ()
| | - Vikram Saudagar
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Dennis R Grayson
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Dario Aspesi
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois,Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Graziano Pinna
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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El Mostafi H, Elhessni A, Touil T, Ouichou A, Laaziz A, Doumar H, Mesfioui A. Argan oil supplementation attenuates voluntary ethanol consumption and withdrawal syndrome promoted by adolescent intermittent ethanol in rat. Alcohol 2020; 87:39-50. [PMID: 32353590 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2020.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigates the potential neuroprotective effect of argan oil (AO), a natural vegetable oil, commonly used in folk Moroccan medicines, on adolescent intermittent ethanol intoxication (IEI), induced voluntary ethanol consumption, and withdrawal syndrome in rats. Animals were treated with ethanol (intraperitoneally [i.p.], 3 g/kg body weight [bw]) in intermittent doses (2 days on; 2 days off, from postnatal day 30-43), with/without oral AO pre-treatment (10 mL/kg/day bw, from postnatal day 21-121). A 2-bottle free access test was performed over 10 weeks to assess 10% ethanol consumption. Behavioral signs of withdrawal were observed after 2, 6, 24, 48, and 72 h after ethanol removal. Anxiety-like behaviors in the elevated plus maze and the light/dark box tests were also evaluated at 72 h of withdrawal. We found that AO pre-treatment significantly decreased the voluntary ethanol consumption induced by adolescent IEI. In addition, by establishing low ethanol consumption, AO pre-treatment counteracts negative effects of ethanol withdrawal and anxiety-like behaviors in ethanol-treated rats after 72 h of abstinence. Following behavioral assays, oxidative stress markers were evaluated and histologic analysis of neurodegeneration was also performed. The results showed that the low ethanol drinking in the AO-supplemented rats was associated with inhibition of oxidative stress and neurodegeneration in the rats' brains. These findings provide evidence for the promising neuroprotective effect of AO supplementation in voluntary ethanol consumption and withdrawal syndrome, at least in part through counteracting oxidative stress markers and neurodegeneration.
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Dulman RS, Wandling GM, Pandey SC. Epigenetic mechanisms underlying pathobiology of alcohol use disorder. CURRENT PATHOBIOLOGY REPORTS 2020; 8:61-73. [PMID: 33747641 DOI: 10.1007/s40139-020-00210-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of review Chronic alcohol use is a worldwide problem with multifaceted consequences including multiplying medical costs and sequelae, societal effects like drunk driving and assault, and lost economic productivity. These large-scale outcomes are driven by the consumption of ethanol, a small permeable molecule that has myriad effects in the human body, particularly in the liver and brain. In this review, we have summarized effects of acute and chronic alcohol consumption on epigenetic mechanisms that may drive pathobiology of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) while identifying areas of need for future research. Recent findings Epigenetics has emerged as an interesting field of biology at the intersection of genetics and the environment, and ethanol in particular has been identified as a potent modulator of the epigenome with various effects on DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs. These changes alter chromatin dynamics and regulate gene expression that contribute to behavioral and physiological changes leading to the development of AUD psychopathology and cancer pathology. Summary Evidence and discussion presented here from preclinical results and available translational studies have increased our knowledge of the epigenetic effects of alcohol consumption. These studies have identified targets that can be used to develop better therapies to reduce chronic alcohol abuse and mitigate its societal burden and pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell S Dulman
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Gabriela M Wandling
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.,Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
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Towner TT, Varlinskaya EI. Adolescent Ethanol Exposure: Anxiety-Like Behavioral Alterations, Ethanol Intake, and Sensitivity. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:45. [PMID: 32296315 PMCID: PMC7136472 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a developmental period associated with rapid age-specific physiological, neural, and hormonal changes. Behaviorally, human adolescents are characterized by age-typical increases in novelty-seeking and risk-taking, including the frequent initiation of alcohol and drug use. Alcohol use typically begins during early adolescence, and older adolescents often report high levels of alcohol consumption, commonly referred to as high-intensity drinking. Early-onset and heavy drinking during adolescence are associated with an increased risk of developing alcohol use disorders later in life. Yet, long-term behavioral consequences of adolescent alcohol use that might contribute to excessive drinking in adulthood are still not well understood. Recent animal research, however, using different exposure regimens and routes of ethanol administration, has made substantial progress in identifying the consequences of adolescent ethanol exposure that last into adulthood. Alterations associated with adolescent ethanol exposure include increases in anxiety-like behavior, impulsivity, risk-taking, and ethanol intake, although the observed alterations differ as a function of exposure regimens and routes of ethanol administration. Rodent studies have also shown that adolescent ethanol exposure produces alterations in sensitivity to ethanol, with these alterations reminiscent of adolescent-typical ethanol responsiveness. The goal of this mini-review article is to summarize the current state of animal research, focusing on the long-term consequences related to adolescent ethanol exposure, with a special emphasis on the behavioral alterations and changes to ethanol sensitivity that can foster high levels of drinking in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor T Towner
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium (NADIA), Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, United States
| | - Elena I Varlinskaya
- Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood Consortium (NADIA), Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, United States
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Individual Variables Involved in Perceived Pressure for Adolescent Drinking. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17062012. [PMID: 32197475 PMCID: PMC7143341 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17062012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2020] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a stage when individuals are especially vulnerable to the influence of their peer group, which could lead to the development of problematic behavior, such as drinking alcohol, due to perceived pressure. The objective of this study was to analyze the role of self-esteem, impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity and expectations for use under perceived pressure to drink alcohol among young people. METHODS The sample was made up of 1287 high school students aged 14 to 18, with a mean age of 15.11. The Bayes factor and mediation models were estimated to evaluate the data. RESULTS The results showed the existence of a positive relationship of impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity and expectations for use with perceived pressure. However, this relationship was negative with self-esteem and perception of pressure to drink alcohol. Furthermore, the model results showed that self-esteem mediates the relationship between physical, cognitive and social anxiety sensitivity and positive expectations with perceived pressure to drink alcohol in adolescence. CONCLUSIONS Given the strong need for affiliation during youth, it is hard to control grouping and peer influence on drinking behavior. However, knowledge of the role of individual variables, such as those described here, in perceived pressure could improve the prevention and intervention of such behaviors.
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Salmanzadeh H, Ahmadi-Soleimani SM, Pachenari N, Azadi M, Halliwell RF, Rubino T, Azizi H. Adolescent drug exposure: A review of evidence for the development of persistent changes in brain function. Brain Res Bull 2020; 156:105-117. [PMID: 31926303 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2020.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 12/28/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Over the past decade, many studies have indicated that adolescence is a critical period of brain development and maturation. The refinement and maturation of the central nervous system over this prolonged period, however, makes the adolescent brain highly susceptible to perturbations from acute and chronic drug exposure. Here we review the preclinical literature addressing the long-term consequences of adolescent exposure to common recreational drugs and drugs-of-abuse. These studies on adolescent exposure to alcohol, nicotine, opioids, cannabinoids and psychostimulant drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamine, reveal a variety of long-lasting behavioral and neurobiological consequences. These agents can affect development of the prefrontal cortex and mesolimbic dopamine pathways and modify the reward systems, socio-emotional processing and cognition. Other consequences include disruption in working memory, anxiety disorders and an increased risk of subsequent drug abuse in adult life. Although preventive and control policies are a valuable approach to reduce the detrimental effects of drugs-of-abuse on the adolescent brain, a more profound understanding of their neurobiological impact can lead to improved strategies for the treatment and attenuation of the detrimental neuropsychiatric sequelae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamed Salmanzadeh
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran; TJ Long School of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, USA
| | | | - Narges Pachenari
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Azadi
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Robert F Halliwell
- TJ Long School of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, USA
| | - Tiziana Rubino
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Busto Arsizio, VA, Italy
| | - Hossein Azizi
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
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MicroRNA-137 Drives Epigenetic Reprogramming in the Adult Amygdala and Behavioral Changes after Adolescent Alcohol Exposure. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0401-19.2019. [PMID: 31740576 PMCID: PMC6917896 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0401-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescent binge drinking is a serious public health concern and a risk factor for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and comorbid anxiety in adulthood. Chromatin remodeling mediated by epigenetic enzymes including lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) due to adolescent alcohol exposure may play a role in adult psychopathology. The mechanism by which adolescent alcohol exposure mechanistically regulates epigenetic reprogramming and behavioral changes in adulthood is unknown. We investigated the role of microRNA-137 (miR-137), which is crucial for normal neurodevelopment and targets LSD1, in adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure-induced anxiety-like and alcohol-drinking behaviors and related epigenetic reprogramming in the amygdala in adulthood. Adolescent rats were exposed to 2 g/kg ethanol (2 d on/off; AIE) or adolescent intermittent saline (AIS) during postnatal days (PND)28-PND41 and allowed to grow to adulthood for analysis of behavior, miRNA expression, and epigenetic measures in the amygdala. Interestingly, miR-137 was increased and its target genes Lsd1 and Lsd1 + 8a were decreased in the AIE adult amygdala. Infusion of miR-137 antagomir directly into the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) rescues AIE-induced alcohol-drinking and anxiety-like behaviors via normalization of decreased Lsd1 expression, decreased LSD1 occupancy, and decreased Bdnf IV expression due to increased H3K9 dimethylation in AIE adult rats. Further, concomitant Lsd1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) infusion into the CeA prevents the miR-137-mediated reversal of AIE-induced adult anxiety and chromatin remodeling at the Bdnf IV promoter. These novel results highlight miR-137 as a potential therapeutic target for anxiety and AUD susceptibility after adolescent alcohol exposure in adulthood.
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