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Zou T, Sugimoto K, Zhao Y, Li B, Zhou X, Peng C. Zhi-zi-chi decoction mitigates depression by enhancing lncRNA Six3os1 expression and promoting histone H3K4 methylation at the BDNF promoter. J Cell Mol Med 2024; 28:e18365. [PMID: 38818577 PMCID: PMC11140235 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.18365] [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: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Traditional Chinese medicine, particularly Zhi-zi-chi decoction (ZZCD), is gaining recognition as a potential treatment for depression. This study aimed to uncover the molecular mechanisms behind ZZCD's antidepressant effects, focusing on lncRNA Six3os1 and histone H3K4 methylation at the BDNF promoter. Network pharmacology and in vivo experiments were conducted to identify ZZCD targets and evaluate its impact on depression-related behaviours and neuron injury. The role of Six3os1 in recruiting KMT2A to the BDNF promoter and its effects on oxidative stress and neuron injury were investigated. ZZCD reduced depression-like behaviours and neuron injury in mice subjected to chronic stress. It upregulated Six3os1, which facilitated KMT2A recruitment to the BDNF promoter, leading to increased histone H3K4 methylation and enhanced BDNF expression. ZZCD also inhibited CORT-induced neuron injury, inflammatory response and oxidative stress in vitro. ZZCD's antidepressant properties involve Six3os1 upregulation, which exerts neuroprotective effects by inhibiting oxidative stress and neuron injury, thereby alleviating depressive symptoms. Targeting Six3os1 upregulation may offer a potential therapeutic intervention for depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyu Zou
- Department of EncephalopathyShenzhen Luohu District Hospital of Traditional Chinese MedicineShenzhenChina
- Department of EncephalopathyShenzhen Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShenzhenChina
| | - Kazuo Sugimoto
- Department of Neurology, Dongzhimen HospitalBeijing University of Chinese MedicineBeijingChina
- Institute for Brain DisordersBeijing University of Chinese MedicineBeijingChina
| | - Yu Zhao
- Department of Acupuncture, First Affiliated HospitalHeilongjiang University of Chinese MedicineHarbinChina
| | - Baitao Li
- Department of Acupuncture, First Affiliated HospitalHeilongjiang University of Chinese MedicineHarbinChina
| | - Xiaomao Zhou
- Department of EncephalopathyShenzhen Luohu District Hospital of Traditional Chinese MedicineShenzhenChina
- Department of EncephalopathyShenzhen Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShenzhenChina
| | - Cheng Peng
- Department of EncephalopathyShenzhen Luohu District Hospital of Traditional Chinese MedicineShenzhenChina
- Department of EncephalopathyShenzhen Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese MedicineShenzhenChina
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Liu SX, Calixto Mancipe N, Gisslen T, Georgieff MK, Tran PV. Identification of Genes Responding to Iron or Choline Treatment for Early-Life Iron Deficiency in the Male Rat Hippocampal Transcriptomes. J Nutr 2024; 154:1141-1152. [PMID: 38408730 PMCID: PMC11007743 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.02.021] [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: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Developmental iron deficiency (ID) is associated with long-term cognitive and affective behavioral impairments in humans. Preclinical studies have shown that developmental ID has short- and long-term effects on gene regulation. Prenatal choline supplementation partially rescues early-life ID-induced cognitive deficits in adult male rats. OBJECTIVES To identify acute and long-term changes in biological processes regulated by developmental ID and modifiable by choline. METHODS This study compares the hippocampal transcriptomes of postnatal day (P) 15 iron-deficient (acute) and P65 formerly ID (persistent) rats with or without prenatal choline treatment. Pregnant rats were fed an ID (4 mg/kg Fe) or iron-sufficient (IS) (200 mg/kg Fe) diet from gestational day (G) 2 to P7 with or without choline supplementation (5 g/kg choline) from G11 to G18. Hippocampi were collected from P15 or P65 offspring and analyzed for gene expression by RNA sequencing. RESULTS Developmental ID-induced changes suggested modified activity of oxidative phosphorylation and fatty acid metabolism. Prenatal choline supplementation induced robust changes in gene expression, particularly in iron-deficient animals, where it partially mitigated the early-life ID-dysregulated genes. Choline supplementation also altered the hippocampal transcriptome in the IS rats, with indications for both beneficial and adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS This study provided global assessments of gene expression regulated by iron and choline. Our new findings highlight genes responding to iron or choline treatments, including a potentially novel choline-regulated transporter (IPO7), with shared effects on neuroinflammation in the male rat hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirelle X Liu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Natalia Calixto Mancipe
- Research Informatic Solutions, Minnesota Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Tate Gisslen
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Michael K Georgieff
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Phu V Tran
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
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Liu SX, Ramakrishnan A, Shen L, Gewirtz JC, Georgieff MK, Tran PV. Chromatin accessibility and H3K9me3 landscapes reveal long-term epigenetic effects of fetal-neonatal iron deficiency in rat hippocampus. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:301. [PMID: 38515015 PMCID: PMC10956188 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10230-4] [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: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Iron deficiency (ID) during the fetal-neonatal period results in long-term neurodevelopmental impairments associated with pervasive hippocampal gene dysregulation. Prenatal choline supplementation partially normalizes these effects, suggesting an interaction between iron and choline in hippocampal transcriptome regulation. To understand the regulatory mechanisms, we investigated epigenetic marks of genes with altered chromatin accessibility (ATAC-seq) or poised to be repressed (H3K9me3 ChIP-seq) in iron-repleted adult rats having experienced fetal-neonatal ID exposure with or without prenatal choline supplementation. RESULTS Fetal-neonatal ID was induced by limiting maternal iron intake from gestational day (G) 2 through postnatal day (P) 7. Half of the pregnant dams were given supplemental choline (5.0 g/kg) from G11-18. This resulted in 4 groups at P65 (Iron-sufficient [IS], Formerly Iron-deficient [FID], IS with choline [ISch], and FID with choline [FIDch]). Hippocampi were collected from P65 iron-repleted male offspring and analyzed for chromatin accessibility and H3K9me3 enrichment. 22% and 24% of differentially transcribed genes in FID- and FIDch-groups, respectively, exhibited significant differences in chromatin accessibility, whereas 1.7% and 13% exhibited significant differences in H3K9me3 enrichment. These changes mapped onto gene networks regulating synaptic plasticity, neuroinflammation, and reward circuits. Motif analysis of differentially modified genomic sites revealed significantly stronger choline effects than early-life ID and identified multiple epigenetically modified transcription factor binding sites. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals genome-wide, stable epigenetic changes and epigenetically modifiable gene networks associated with specific chromatin marks in the hippocampus, and lays a foundation to further elucidate iron-dependent epigenetic mechanisms that underlie the long-term effects of fetal-neonatal ID, choline, and their interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirelle X Liu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | | | - Li Shen
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Jonathan C Gewirtz
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Michael K Georgieff
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Phu V Tran
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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LeVine SM. Examining the Role of a Functional Deficiency of Iron in Lysosomal Storage Disorders with Translational Relevance to Alzheimer's Disease. Cells 2023; 12:2641. [PMID: 37998376 PMCID: PMC10670892 DOI: 10.3390/cells12222641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The recently presented Azalea Hypothesis for Alzheimer's disease asserts that iron becomes sequestered, leading to a functional iron deficiency that contributes to neurodegeneration. Iron sequestration can occur by iron being bound to protein aggregates, such as amyloid β and tau, iron-rich structures not undergoing recycling (e.g., due to disrupted ferritinophagy and impaired mitophagy), and diminished delivery of iron from the lysosome to the cytosol. Reduced iron availability for biochemical reactions causes cells to respond to acquire additional iron, resulting in an elevation in the total iron level within affected brain regions. As the amount of unavailable iron increases, the level of available iron decreases until eventually it is unable to meet cellular demands, which leads to a functional iron deficiency. Normally, the lysosome plays an integral role in cellular iron homeostasis by facilitating both the delivery of iron to the cytosol (e.g., after endocytosis of the iron-transferrin-transferrin receptor complex) and the cellular recycling of iron. During a lysosomal storage disorder, an enzyme deficiency causes undigested substrates to accumulate, causing a sequelae of pathogenic events that may include cellular iron dyshomeostasis. Thus, a functional deficiency of iron may be a pathogenic mechanism occurring within several lysosomal storage diseases and Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven M LeVine
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
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Rudy MJ, Salois G, Cubello J, Newell R, Mayer-Proschel M. Gestational iron deficiency affects the ratio between interneuron subtypes in the postnatal cerebral cortex in mice. Development 2023; 150:dev201068. [PMID: 36805633 PMCID: PMC10110419 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201068] [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: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
Gestational iron deficiency (gID) is highly prevalent and associated with an increased risk of intellectual and developmental disabilities in affected individuals that are often defined by a disrupted balance of excitation and inhibition (E/I) in the brain. Using a nutritional mouse model of gID, we previously demonstrated a shift in the E/I balance towards increased inhibition in the brains of gID offspring that was refractory to postnatal iron supplementation. We thus tested whether gID affects embryonic progenitor cells that are fated towards inhibitory interneurons. We quantified relevant cell populations during embryonic inhibitory neuron specification and found an increase in the proliferation of Nkx2.1+ interneuron progenitors in the embryonic medial ganglionic eminence at E14 that was associated with increased Shh signaling in gID animals at E12. When we quantified the number of mature inhibitory interneurons that are known to originate from the MGE, we found a persistent disruption of differentiated interneuron subtypes in early adulthood. Our data identify a cellular target that links gID with a disruption of cortical interneurons which play a major role in the establishment of the E/I balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Rudy
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Colorado Denver – Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 East 17th Place, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Garrick Salois
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Janine Cubello
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Robert Newell
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Margot Mayer-Proschel
- Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
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Liu SX, Fredrickson TK, Calixto Mancipe N, Georgieff MK, Tran PV. Sex-Specific Effects of Early-Life Iron Deficiency and Prenatal Choline Treatment on Adult Rat Hippocampal Transcriptome. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15061316. [PMID: 36986048 PMCID: PMC10055746 DOI: 10.3390/nu15061316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Fetal-neonatal iron deficiency (ID) causes long-term neurocognitive and affective dysfunctions. Clinical and preclinical studies have shown that early-life ID produces sex-specific effects. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying these early-life ID-induced sex-specific effects on neural gene regulation. Objective: To illustrate sex-specific transcriptome alterations in adult rat hippocampus induced by fetal-neonatal ID and prenatal choline treatment. Methods: Pregnant rats were fed an iron-deficient (4 mg/kg Fe) or iron-sufficient (200 mg/kg Fe) diet from gestational day (G) 2 to postnatal day (P) 7 with or without choline supplementation (5 g/kg choline) from G11–18. Hippocampi were collected from P65 offspring of both sexes and analyzed for changes in gene expression. Results: Both early-life ID and choline treatment induced transcriptional changes in adult female and male rat hippocampi. Both sexes showed ID-induced alterations in gene networks leading to enhanced neuroinflammation. In females, ID-induced changes indicated enhanced activity of oxidative phosphorylation and fatty acid metabolism, which were contrary to the ID effects in males. Prenatal choline supplementation induced the most robust changes in gene expression, particularly in iron-deficient animals where it partially rescued ID-induced dysregulation. Choline supplementation also altered hippocampal transcriptome in iron-sufficient rats with indications for both beneficial and adverse effects. Conclusions: This study provided unbiased global assessments of gene expression regulated by iron and choline in a sex-specific manner, with greater effects in female than male rats. Our new findings highlight potential sex-specific gene networks regulated by iron and choline for further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirelle X. Liu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | | | - Natalia Calixto Mancipe
- Research Informatic Solutions, Minnesota Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | | | - Phu V. Tran
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +01-612-626-7964
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