1
|
Cintado E, Tezanos P, De Las Casas M, Muela P, McGreevy KR, Fontán-Lozano Á, Sacristán-Horcajada E, Pignatelli J, de Ceballos ML, Del Hierro MJ, Fernández-Punzano J, Montoliu L, Trejo JL. Grandfathers-to-Grandsons Transgenerational Transmission of Exercise Positive Effects on Cognitive Performance. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e2061232024. [PMID: 38719448 PMCID: PMC11154851 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2061-23.2024] [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: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Physical exercise is a robust lifestyle intervention known for its enhancement of cognitive abilities. Nevertheless, the extent to which these benefits can be transmitted across generations (intergenerational inheritance to F1, and transgenerational to F2 and beyond) remains a topic of limited comprehension. We have already shown that cognitive improvements resulting from physical exercise can be inherited from parents to their offspring, proving intergenerational effects. So, we set out to explore whether these enhancements might extend transgenerationally, impacting the F2 generation. In this study, we initially examined the behavioral traits of second generation (F2) male mice, whose grandfathers (F0) had an exercise intervention. Our findings revealed that F2 mice with physically active grandpaternal F0 progenitors displayed significantly improved memory recall, encompassing both spatial and non-spatial information when compared to their counterparts from sedentary F0 progenitors, and proving for the first time the transgenerational inheritance of physical exercise induced cognitive enhancement. Surprisingly, while F2 memory improved (as was the case with F1), adult hippocampal neurogenesis remained unchanged between experimental and control groups (unlike in F1). Additionally, our analysis of small RNA sequences in the hippocampus identified 35 differentially expressed miRNAs linked to important brain function categories. Notably, two of these miRNAs, miRNA-144 and miRNA-298, displayed a robust negative correlation with cognitive performance. These findings highlight the enduring transgenerational transmission of cognitive benefits associated with exercise, even after two generations, suggesting that moderate exercise training can have lasting positive effects, possibly orchestrated by a specific set of miRNAs that exert their influence across multiple generations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Cintado
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid 28002, Spain
- PhD Program in Neuroscience, Autónoma de Madrid University-Cajal Institute, Madrid 28002, Spain
| | - Patricia Tezanos
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid 28002, Spain
- PhD Program in Neuroscience, Autónoma de Madrid University-Cajal Institute, Madrid 28002, Spain
| | - Manuela De Las Casas
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid 28002, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, CSIC-UMH, Alicante 03550, Spain
| | - Pablo Muela
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid 28002, Spain
- PhD Program in Neuroscience, Autónoma de Madrid University-Cajal Institute, Madrid 28002, Spain
| | - Kerry R McGreevy
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid 28002, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid 28049, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Ángela Fontán-Lozano
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid 28002, Spain
- Department of Physiology, School of Biology, University of Sevilla, Sevilla 41012, Spain
| | - Eva Sacristán-Horcajada
- Laboratory of Omic Technologies and Bioinformatics, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid 28002, Spain
| | - Jaime Pignatelli
- Laboratory of Omic Technologies and Bioinformatics, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid 28002, Spain
| | - María L de Ceballos
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid 28002, Spain
| | - María Jesús Del Hierro
- National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Madrid 28049, Spain
- Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER-ISCIII), Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Julia Fernández-Punzano
- National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Madrid 28049, Spain
- Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER-ISCIII), Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Lluís Montoliu
- National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Madrid 28049, Spain
- Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER-ISCIII), Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - José Luis Trejo
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid 28002, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Rice RC, Gil DV, Baratta AM, Frawley RR, Hill SY, Farris SP, Homanics GE. Inter- and transgenerational heritability of preconception chronic stress or alcohol exposure: Translational outcomes in brain and behavior. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 29:100603. [PMID: 38234394 PMCID: PMC10792982 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic stress and alcohol (ethanol) use are highly interrelated and can change an individual's behavior through molecular adaptations that do not change the DNA sequence, but instead change gene expression. A recent wealth of research has found that these nongenomic changes can be transmitted across generations, which could partially account for the "missing heritability" observed in genome-wide association studies of alcohol use disorder and other stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. In this review, we summarize the molecular and behavioral outcomes of nongenomic inheritance of chronic stress and ethanol exposure and the germline mechanisms that could give rise to this heritability. In doing so, we outline the need for further research to: (1) Investigate individual germline mechanisms of paternal, maternal, and biparental nongenomic chronic stress- and ethanol-related inheritance; (2) Synthesize and dissect cross-generational chronic stress and ethanol exposure; (3) Determine cross-generational molecular outcomes of preconception ethanol exposure that contribute to alcohol-related disease risk, using cancer as an example. A detailed understanding of the cross-generational nongenomic effects of stress and/or ethanol will yield novel insight into the impact of ancestral perturbations on disease risk across generations and uncover actionable targets to improve human health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel C. Rice
- Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Daniela V. Gil
- Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Annalisa M. Baratta
- Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Remy R. Frawley
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Shirley Y. Hill
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Sean P. Farris
- Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Gregg E. Homanics
- Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Guzman DM, Chakka K, Shi T, Marron A, Fiorito AE, Rahman NS, Ro S, Sucich DG, Pierce JT. Transgenerational effects of alcohol on behavioral sensitivity to alcohol in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0271849. [PMID: 36256641 PMCID: PMC9578632 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol abuse and dependence have a substantial heritable component. Although the genome has been considered the sole vehicle of heritable phenotypes, recent studies suggest that drug or alcohol exposure may induce alterations in gene expression that are transmitted across generations. Still, the transgenerational impact of alcohol use (and abuse) remains largely unexplored in part because multigenerational studies using rodent models present challenges for time, sample size, and genetic heterogeneity. Here, we took advantage of the extremely short generation time, large broods, and clonal form of reproduction of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We developed a model of pre-fertilization parental alcohol exposure to test alterations in behavioral responses to acute alcohol treatment (referred to in short as intoxication) in subsequent F1, F2 and F3 generations. We found that chronic and intermittent alcohol-treatment paradigms resulted in opposite changes to intoxication sensitivity of F3 progeny that were only apparent when controlling for yoked trials. Chronic alcohol-treatment paradigm in the parental generation resulted in alcohol-naïve F3 progeny displaying moderate resistance to intoxication. Intermittent treatment resulted in alcohol-naïve F3 progeny displaying moderate hypersensitivity to intoxication. Further study of these phenomena using this new C. elegans model may yield mechanistic insights into how transgenerational effects may occur in other animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dawn M. Guzman
- Department of Neuroscience, Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, Center for Learning and Memory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Keerthana Chakka
- Department of Neuroscience, Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, Center for Learning and Memory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Ted Shi
- Department of Neuroscience, Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, Center for Learning and Memory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Alyssa Marron
- Department of Neuroscience, Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, Center for Learning and Memory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Ansley E. Fiorito
- Department of Neuroscience, Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, Center for Learning and Memory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Nima S. Rahman
- Department of Neuroscience, Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, Center for Learning and Memory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Stephanie Ro
- Department of Neuroscience, Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, Center for Learning and Memory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Dylan G. Sucich
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jonathan T. Pierce
- Department of Neuroscience, Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, Center for Learning and Memory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Pang TY. Cross Talk opposing view: The kids will be fine - a bit of parental stress won't affect them: Rodents are not good models for assessing transgenerational influences in humans. J Physiol 2022; 600:4413-4416. [PMID: 36184260 DOI: 10.1113/jp282410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Terence Y Pang
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Anatomy & Physiology, The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Reyes-Contreras M, Taborsky B. Stress axis programming generates long-term effects on cognitive abilities in a cooperative breeder. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220117. [PMID: 35582802 PMCID: PMC9114936 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to flexibly adjust behaviour to social and non-social challenges is important for successfully navigating variable environments. Social competence, i.e. adaptive behavioural flexibility in the social domain, allows individuals to optimize their expression of social behaviour. Behavioural flexibility outside the social domain aids in coping with ecological challenges. However, it is unknown if social and non-social behavioural flexibility share common underlying cognitive mechanisms. Support for such shared mechanism would be provided if the same neural mechanisms in the brain affected social and non-social behavioural flexibility similarly. We used individuals of the cooperatively breeding fish Neolamprologus pulcher that had undergone early-life programming of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis by exposure to (i) cortisol, (ii) the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist mifepristone, or (iii) control treatments, and where effects of stress-axis programming on social flexibility occurred. One year after the treatments, adults learned a colour discrimination task and subsequently, a reversal-learning task testing for behavioural flexibility. Early-life mifepristone treatment marginally enhanced learning performance, whereas cortisol treatment significantly reduced behavioural flexibility. Thus, early-life cortisol treatment reduced both social and non-social behavioural flexibility, suggesting a shared cognitive basis of behavioural flexibility. Further our findings imply that early-life stress programming affects the ability of organisms to flexibly cope with environmental stressors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Reyes-Contreras
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50A, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Barbara Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50A, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rosa JM, Formolo DA, Yu J, Lee TH, Yau SY. The Role of MicroRNA and Microbiota in Depression and Anxiety. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:828258. [PMID: 35299696 PMCID: PMC8921933 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.828258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Depression and anxiety are devastating disorders. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie the development of depression and anxiety can provide new hints on novel treatments and preventive strategies. Here, we summarize the latest findings reporting the novel roles of gut microbiota and microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathophysiology of depression and anxiety. The crosstalk between gut microbiota and the brain has been reported to contribute to these pathologies. It is currently known that some miRNAs can regulate bacterial growth and gene transcription while also modulate the gut microbiota composition, suggesting the importance of miRNAs in gut and brain health. Treatment and prevention strategies for neuropsychiatric diseases, such as physical exercise, diet, and probiotics, can modulate the gut microbiota composition and miRNAs expressions. Nonetheless, there are critical questions to be addressed to understand further the mechanisms involved in the interaction between the gut microbiota and miRNAs in the brain. This review summarizes the recent findings of the potential roles of microbiota and miRNA on the neuropathology of depression and anxiety, and its potential as treatment strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia M. Rosa
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Mental Health Research Center (MHRC), Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Research Institute for Smart Aging (RISA), Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Douglas A. Formolo
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Mental Health Research Center (MHRC), Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Research Institute for Smart Aging (RISA), Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jiasui Yu
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Mental Health Research Center (MHRC), Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Research Institute for Smart Aging (RISA), Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Thomas H. Lee
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Neurocentre Magendie, INSERM U1215, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Suk-yu Yau
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Mental Health Research Center (MHRC), Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Research Institute for Smart Aging (RISA), Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
- *Correspondence: Suk-yu Yau,
| |
Collapse
|