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Vagnerová K, Jágr M, Mekadim C, Ergang P, Sechovcová H, Vodička M, Olša Fliegerová K, Dvořáček V, Mrázek J, Pácha J. Profiling of adrenal corticosteroids in blood and local tissues of mice during chronic stress. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7278. [PMID: 37142643 PMCID: PMC10160118 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34395-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress increases plasma concentrations of corticosteroids, however, their tissue levels are unclear. Using a repeated social defeat paradigm, we examined the impact of chronic stress on tissue levels of corticosterone (CORT), progesterone (PROG), 11-deoxycorticosterone (11DOC) and 11-dehydrocorticosterone (11DHC) and on gut microbiota, which may reshape the stress response. Male BALB/c mice, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and 16S RNA gene sequencing were used to screen steroid levels and fecal microbiome, respectively. Stress induced greater increase of CORT in the brain, liver, and kidney than in the colon and lymphoid organs, whereas 11DHC was the highest in the colon, liver and kidney and much lower in the brain and lymphoid organs. The CORT/11DHC ratio in plasma was similar to the brain but much lower in other organs. Stress also altered tissue levels of PROG and 11DOC and the PROG/11DOC ratio was much higher in lymphoid organs that in plasma and other organs. Stress impacted the β- but not the α-diversity of the gut microbiota and LEfSe analysis revealed several biomarkers associated with stress treatment. Our data indicate that social defeat stress modulates gut microbiota diversity and induces tissue-dependent changes in local levels of corticosteroids, which often do not reflect their systemic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla Vagnerová
- Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 142 00, Prague 4-Krč, Czech Republic.
| | - Michal Jágr
- Quality and Plant Products, Crop Research Institute, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Chahrazed Mekadim
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Peter Ergang
- Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 142 00, Prague 4-Krč, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Sechovcová
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Department of Microbiology, Nutrition and Dietetics, Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Vodička
- Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 142 00, Prague 4-Krč, Czech Republic
| | | | - Václav Dvořáček
- Quality and Plant Products, Crop Research Institute, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Mrázek
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Pácha
- Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 142 00, Prague 4-Krč, Czech Republic
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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Dhami M, Raj K, Singh S. Relevance of Gut Microbiota to Alzheimer's Disease (AD): Potential Effects of Probiotic in Management of AD. AGING AND HEALTH RESEARCH 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ahr.2023.100128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
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3
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Miller L, Bodemeier Loayza Careaga M, Handa RJ, Wu TJ. The Effects of Chronic Variable Stress and Photoperiod Alteration on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Response and Behavior of Mice. Neuroscience 2022; 496:105-118. [PMID: 35700818 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis mediates the physiological response to stressors and also synchronizes different physiological systems to environmental cues. Changes in day length (i.e., photoperiod) as well as chronic exposure to stressors are known to impact the HPA axis activity regulating the levels of glucocorticoid hormones. Over-exposure to inappropriate levels of glucocorticoids has been implicated in increased disease risk. In the present study, we examined the impact of chronic stress, using a chronic variable stress (CVS) paradigm, in combination with changes in photoperiod on physiological and behavioral measures, as well as on the reactivity and regulation of the HPA axis, in male and female mice. Six weeks of CVS, regardless of the photoperiod condition, decreased the body weight and attenuated the HPA axis reactivity to an acute stressor in both sexes. The attenuated HPA axis reactivity observed in stressed animals was related to reduced Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA levels in the pituitary of females. The gene expression analyses of key regulators of the HPA axis also indicated a sex-dependent effect with opposite patterns in the pituitary and adrenal glands. CVS effects on behavior were limited and related to an anxiety-like phenotype in both sexes, regardless of photoperiod condition. Our findings highlight sex-specific differences in the HPA axis and also sex-dependent effects of CVS on physiological parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Miller
- Department of Gynecologic Surgery and Obstetrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States; Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Mariella Bodemeier Loayza Careaga
- Department of Gynecologic Surgery and Obstetrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States; Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Robert J Handa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - T John Wu
- Department of Gynecologic Surgery and Obstetrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States; Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States.
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4
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Moravcová S, Červená K, Míková H, Pačesová D, Pallag G, Novotný J, Bendová Z. Social defeat stress affects resident's clock gene and bdnf expression in the brain. Stress 2021; 24:206-212. [PMID: 32323597 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2020.1759548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Social defeat stress affects behavior and changes the expression of the genes underlying neuronal plasticity in the brain. The circadian clock regulates most neuronal processes in the brain, which results in daily variations of complex behavior, and any disturbance in circadian clock oscillations increases the risk of mood and cognitive disbalance. In this study, we assessed the effect of acute and repeated social defeat stress on Per2 and Nr1d1 expression in prefrontal cortexes, hippocampi, pineal glands, olfactory bulbs, cerebella, and pituitary glands. We also evaluated the effect of our experimental setting on levels of Bdnf and plasma corticosterone, two markers widely used to asses the impact of stress on mammalian physiology. Our data show that single and repeated social defeat stress upregulates the expression of both clock genes and Bdnf in all brain structures, and corticosterone in the blood. While the general pattern of Bdnf upregulation suggests higher sensitivity in the intruder group, the clock genes are induced more significantly in residents, especially by repeated stress sessions. Our work thus suggests that the model of stress-induced anxiety and depression should consider a group of residents because, for some parameters, they may respond more distinctively than intruders.LAY SUMMARYThe resident/intruder experimental paradigm affects the expression of clock genes Per2, Nr1d1and Bdnf in the brain structures and plasma corticosterone level. The induction of clock genes is evident in both experimental groups; however, it is more marked in residents. Together with the significant increase in Bdnf levels in the majority of brain structures and plasma corticosterone in residents, our data suggest that in the model of social defeat stress, the utility of an experimental group of residents could be contributive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Moravcová
- Faculty of Science, Department of Physiology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Červená
- Faculty of Science, Department of Physiology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Míková
- Faculty of Science, Department of Physiology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Dominika Pačesová
- Faculty of Science, Department of Physiology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Gergely Pallag
- Faculty of Science, Department of Physiology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Novotný
- Faculty of Science, Department of Physiology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Zdeňka Bendová
- Faculty of Science, Department of Physiology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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5
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Vodička M, Ergang P, Hrnčíř T, Mikulecká A, Kvapilová P, Vagnerová K, Šestáková B, Fajstová A, Hermanová P, Hudcovic T, Kozáková H, Pácha J. Microbiota affects the expression of genes involved in HPA axis regulation and local metabolism of glucocorticoids in chronic psychosocial stress. Brain Behav Immun 2018; 73:615-624. [PMID: 29990567 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2018.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The commensal microbiota affects brain functioning, emotional behavior and ACTH and corticosterone responses to acute stress. However, little is known about the role of the microbiota in shaping the chronic stress response in the peripheral components of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis and in the colon. Here, we studied the effects of the chronic stress-microbiota interaction on HPA axis activity and on the expression of colonic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) system, cytokines and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11HSD1), an enzyme that determines locally produced glucocorticoids. Using specific pathogen-free (SPF) and germ-free (GF) BALB/c mice, we showed that the microbiota modulates emotional behavior in social conflicts and the response of the HPA axis, colon and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) to chronic psychosocial stress. In the pituitary gland, microbiota attenuated the expression of Fkbp5, a gene regulating glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity, while in the adrenal gland, it attenuated the expression of genes encoding steroidogenesis (MC2R, StaR, Cyp11a1) and catecholamine synthesis (TH, PNMT). The pituitary expression of CRH receptor type 1 (CRHR1) and of proopiomelanocortin was not influenced by microbiota. In the colon, the microbiota attenuated the expression of 11HSD1, CRH, urocortin UCN2 and its receptor, CRHR2, but potentiated the expression of cytokines TNFα, IFNγ, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13 and IL-17, with the exception of IL-1β. Compared to GF mice, chronic stress upregulated in SPF animals the expression of pituitary Fkbp5 and colonic CRH and UCN2 and downregulated the expression of colonic cytokines. Differences in the stress responses of both GF and SPF animals were also observed when immunophenotype of MLN cells and their secretion of cytokines were analyzed. The data suggest that the presence of microbiota/intestinal commensals plays an important role in shaping the response of peripheral tissues to stress and indicates possible pathways by which the environment can interact with glucocorticoid signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Vodička
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - P Ergang
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - T Hrnčíř
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Nový Hrádek, Czech Republic
| | - A Mikulecká
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - P Kvapilová
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - K Vagnerová
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - B Šestáková
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Nový Hrádek, Czech Republic
| | - A Fajstová
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - P Hermanová
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Nový Hrádek, Czech Republic
| | - T Hudcovic
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Nový Hrádek, Czech Republic
| | - H Kozáková
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Nový Hrádek, Czech Republic
| | - J Pácha
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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6
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Almanzar G, Mayerl C, Seitz JC, Höfner K, Brunner A, Wild V, Jahn D, Geier A, Fassnacht M, Prelog M. Expression of 11beta-hydroxysteroid-dehydrogenase type 2 in human thymus. Steroids 2016; 110:35-40. [PMID: 27025972 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2016.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2015] [Revised: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
11beta-hydroxysteroid-dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD2) is a high affinity dehydrogenase which rapidly inactivates physiologically-active glucocorticoids to protect key tissues. 11β-HSD2 expression has been described in peripheral cells of the innate and the adaptive immune system as well as in murine thymus. In absence of knowledge of 11β-HSD2 expression in human thymus, the study aimed to localize 11β-HSD2 in human thymic tissue. Thymic tissue was taken of six healthy, non-immunologically impaired male infants below 12months of age with congenital heart defects who had to undergo correction surgery. 11β-HSD2 protein expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Kidney tissue, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were taken as positive controls. Significant expression of 11β-HSD2 protein was found at single cell level in thymus parenchyma, at perivascular sites of capillaries and small vessels penetrating the thymus lobuli and within Hassall's bodies. The present study demonstrates that 11β-HSD2 is expressed in human thymus with predominant perivascular expression and also within Hassall's bodies. To our knowledge, this is the first report confirming 11β-HSD2 expression at the protein level in human thymic tissue underlining a potential role of this enzyme in regulating glucocorticoid function at the thymic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Almanzar
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 2, 97080 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Christina Mayerl
- University Clinic of Internal Medicine III, Cardiology and Angiology, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstr. 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Jan-Christoph Seitz
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 2, 97080 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Höfner
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 2, 97080 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Andrea Brunner
- Department of Pathology, Medical University Innsbruck, Muellerstr. 41, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Vanessa Wild
- Institute of Pathology, University of Wuerzburg, and Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, Josef-Schneider-Str. 2, 97080 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Jahn
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 2, 97080 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Geier
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 2, 97080 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Martin Fassnacht
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 2, 97080 Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Martina Prelog
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 2, 97080 Wuerzburg, Germany.
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7
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Bray B, Scholl JL, Tu W, Watt MJ, Renner KJ, Forster GL. Amphetamine withdrawal differentially affects hippocampal and peripheral corticosterone levels in response to stress. Brain Res 2016; 1644:278-87. [PMID: 27208490 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Revised: 04/20/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Amphetamine withdrawal is associated with heightened anxiety-like behavior, which is directly driven by blunted stress-induced glucocorticoid receptor-dependent serotonin release in the ventral hippocampus. This suggests that glucocorticoid availability in the ventral hippocampus during stress may be reduced during amphetamine withdrawal. Therefore, we tested whether amphetamine withdrawal alters either peripheral or hippocampal corticosterone stress responses. Adult male rats received amphetamine (2.5mg/kg, ip) or saline for 14 days followed by 2 weeks of withdrawal. Contrary to our prediction, microdialysis samples from freely-moving rats revealed that restraint stress-induced corticosterone levels in the ventral hippocampus are enhanced by amphetamine withdrawal relative to controls. In separate groups of rats, plasma corticosterone levels increased immediately after 20min of restraint and decreased to below stress-naïve levels after 1h, indicating negative feedback regulation of corticosterone following stress. However, plasma corticosterone responses were similar in amphetamine-withdrawn and control rats. Neither amphetamine nor stress exposure significantly altered protein expression or enzyme activity of the steroidogenic enzymes 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD1) or hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (H6PD) in the ventral hippocampus. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that amphetamine withdrawal potentiates stress-induced corticosterone in the ventral hippocampus, which may contribute to increased behavioral stress sensitivity previously observed during amphetamine withdrawal. However, this is not mediated by either changes in plasma corticosterone or hippocampal steroidogenic enzymes. Establishing enhanced ventral hippocampal corticosterone as a direct cause of greater stress sensitivity may identify the glucocorticoid system as a novel target for treating behavioral symptoms of amphetamine withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenna Bray
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark St, Vermillion, SD, United States.
| | - Jamie L Scholl
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark St, Vermillion, SD, United States.
| | - Wenyu Tu
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark St, Vermillion, SD, United States.
| | - Michael J Watt
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark St, Vermillion, SD, United States.
| | - Kenneth J Renner
- Department of Biology, Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark St, Vermillion, SD, United States.
| | - Gina L Forster
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark St, Vermillion, SD, United States.
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Soták M, Bryndová J, Ergang P, Vagnerová K, Kvapilová P, Vodička M, Pácha J, Sumová A. Peripheral circadian clocks are diversely affected by adrenalectomy. Chronobiol Int 2016; 33:520-9. [PMID: 27031999 DOI: 10.3109/07420528.2016.1161643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are considered to synchronize the rhythmicity of clock genes in peripheral tissues; however, the role of circadian variations of endogenous glucocorticoids is not well defined. In the present study, we examined whether peripheral circadian clocks were impaired by adrenalectomy. To achieve this, we tested the circadian rhythmicity of core clock genes (Bmal1, Per1-3, Cry1, RevErbα, Rora), clock-output genes (Dbp, E4bp4) and a glucocorticoid- and clock-controlled gene (Gilz) in liver, jejunum, kidney cortex, splenocytes and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Adrenalectomy did not affect the phase of clock gene rhythms but distinctly modulated clock gene mRNA levels, and this effect was partially tissue-dependent. Adrenalectomy had a significant inhibitory effect on the level of Per1 mRNA in VAT, liver and jejunum, but not in kidney and splenocytes. Similarly, adrenalectomy down-regulated mRNA levels of Per2 in splenocytes and VAT, Per3 in jejunum, RevErbα in VAT and Dbp in VAT, kidney and splenocytes, whereas the mRNA amounts of Per1 and Per2 in kidney and Per3 in VAT and splenocytes were up-regulated. On the other hand, adrenalectomy had minimal effects on Rora and E4bp4 mRNAs. Adrenalectomy also resulted in decreased level of Gilz mRNA but did not alter the phase of its diurnal rhythm. Collectively, these findings suggest that adrenalectomy alters the mRNA levels of core clock genes and clock-output genes in peripheral organs and may cause tissue-specific modulations of their circadian profiles, which are reflected in changes of the amplitudes but not phases. Thus, the circulating corticosteroids are necessary for maintaining the high-amplitude rhythmicity of the peripheral clocks in a tissue-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Soták
- a Department of Epithelial Physiology
| | | | - P Ergang
- a Department of Epithelial Physiology
| | | | | | - M Vodička
- a Department of Epithelial Physiology
| | - J Pácha
- a Department of Epithelial Physiology
| | - A Sumová
- b Department of Neurohumoral Regulations , Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences , Prague , Czech Republic
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Ergang P, Vodička M, Soták M, Klusoňová P, Behuliak M, Řeháková L, Zach P, Pácha J. Differential impact of stress on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: gene expression changes in Lewis and Fisher rats. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2015; 53:49-59. [PMID: 25591115 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2014] [Revised: 12/18/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the present work was to study the influence of variable stress on the expression of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11HSD1) and the neuropeptides corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), urocortins 2 and 3(UCN2, UCN3), arginine vasopressin (AVP), oxytocin (OXT) and adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) in two inbred rat strains: stress hypo-responsive Lewis (LEW) and hyper-responsive Fisher 344 (F344) rats. We found site-specific and strain-dependent differences in the basal and stress-stimulated expression of 11HSD1, CRH, UCN2, UCN3 and PACAP. In LEW rats, stress upregulated 11HSD1 in the prefrontal cortex and lateral amygdala, whereas in F344 rats 11HSD1 was upregulated in the central amygdala and hippocampal CA2 and ventral but not dorsal CA1 region; no effect was observed in the paraventricular nucleus, pituitary gland and adrenal cortex of both strains. The expression of glucocorticoid receptors did not parallel the upregulation of 11HSD1. Stress also stimulated the expression of paraventricular OXT, CRH, UCN3 and PACAP in both strains but amygdalar CRH only in LEW and UCN2/UCN3 in F344 rats, respectively. The upregulation of PACAP and CRH was paralleled only by increased expression of PACAP receptor PAC1 but not CRH receptor type 1. These observations provide evidence that inbred F344 and LEW rats exhibit not only the well-known phenotypic differences in the activity of the HPA axis but also strain- and stress-dependent differences in the expression of genes encoding 11HSD1 and neuropeptides associated with the HPA axis activity. Moreover, the differences in 11HSD1 expression suggest different local concentration of corticosterone and access to GR in canonical and noncanonical structures of the HPA axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Ergang
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, CZ-14220 Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Vodička
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, CZ-14220 Prague 4, Czech Republic; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Science, Viničná 7, CZ-12844 Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Matúš Soták
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, CZ-14220 Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Klusoňová
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, CZ-14220 Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Behuliak
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, CZ-14220 Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Lenka Řeháková
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, CZ-14220 Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Zach
- Institute of Anatomy, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská 87, CZ-10000 Prague 10, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Pácha
- Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, CZ-14220 Prague 4, Czech Republic; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Science, Viničná 7, CZ-12844 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
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