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Machado-Vieira R, Courtes AC, Zarate CA, Henter ID, Manji HK. Non-canonical pathways in the pathophysiology and therapeutics of bipolar disorder. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1228455. [PMID: 37592949 PMCID: PMC10427509 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1228455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by extreme mood swings ranging from manic/hypomanic to depressive episodes. The severity, duration, and frequency of these episodes can vary widely between individuals, significantly impacting quality of life. Individuals with BD spend almost half their lives experiencing mood symptoms, especially depression, as well as associated clinical dimensions such as anhedonia, fatigue, suicidality, anxiety, and neurovegetative symptoms. Persistent mood symptoms have been associated with premature mortality, accelerated aging, and elevated prevalence of treatment-resistant depression. Recent efforts have expanded our understanding of the neurobiology of BD and the downstream targets that may help track clinical outcomes and drug development. However, as a polygenic disorder, the neurobiology of BD is complex and involves biological changes in several organelles and downstream targets (pre-, post-, and extra-synaptic), including mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, altered monoaminergic and glutamatergic systems, lower neurotrophic factor levels, and changes in immune-inflammatory systems. The field has thus moved toward identifying more precise neurobiological targets that, in turn, may help develop personalized approaches and more reliable biomarkers for treatment prediction. Diverse pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches targeting neurobiological pathways other than neurotransmission have also been tested in mood disorders. This article reviews different neurobiological targets and pathophysiological findings in non-canonical pathways in BD that may offer opportunities to support drug development and identify new, clinically relevant biological mechanisms. These include: neuroinflammation; mitochondrial function; calcium channels; oxidative stress; the glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) pathway; protein kinase C (PKC); brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF); histone deacetylase (HDAC); and the purinergic signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Machado-Vieira
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Alan C. Courtes
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Carlos A. Zarate
- Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Ioline D. Henter
- Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Husseini K. Manji
- Deparment of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Meyers KT, Damphousse CC, Ozols AB, Campbell JM, Newbern JM, Hu C, Marrone DF, Gallitano AL. Serial electroconvulsive Seizure alters dendritic complexity and promotes cellular proliferation in the mouse dentate gyrus; a role for Egr3. Brain Stimul 2023; 16:889-900. [PMID: 37146791 PMCID: PMC10776161 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite being one of the safest, most effective treatments for severe mood disorders, the therapeutic mechanisms of electroconvulsive therapy remain unknown. Electroconvulsive seizure (ECS) induces rapid, high-level expression of immediate early genes (IEGs) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in addition to stimulation of neurogenesis and dendritic remodeling of dentate gyrus (DG) neurons. We have previously shown that this upregulation of BDNF fails to occur in the hippocampus of mice lacking the IEG Egr3. Since BDNF influences neurogenesis and dendritic remodeling, we hypothesized that Egr3-/- mice will exhibit deficits in neurogenesis and dendritic remodeling in response to ECS. OBJECTIVE To test this hypothesis, we examined dendritic remodeling and cellular proliferation in the DG of Egr3-/- and wild-type mice following repeated ECS. METHODS Mice received 10 daily ECSs. Dendritic morphology was examined in Golgi-Cox-stained tissue and cellular proliferation was analyzed through bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) immunohistochemistry and confocal imaging. RESULTS Serial ECS in mice results in dendritic remodeling, increased spine density, and cellular proliferation in the DG. Loss of Egr3 alters the dendritic remodeling induced by serial ECS but does not change the number of dendritic spines or cellular proliferation consequences of ECS. CONCLUSION Egr3 influences the dendritic remodeling induced by ECS but is not required for ECS-induced proliferation of hippocampal DG cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- K T Meyers
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA; Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA
| | - C C Damphousse
- Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5, Canada
| | - A B Ozols
- Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA
| | - J M Campbell
- Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA
| | - J M Newbern
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - C Hu
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health - Phoenix, 714 E Van Buren St #119, Phoenix, AZ, 85006, USA
| | - D F Marrone
- Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5, Canada.
| | - A L Gallitano
- Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA.
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von Mengden L, De Bastiani MA, Grun LK, Barbé-Tuana F, Adriaenssens T, Smitz J, Arruda LS, Link CA, Klamt F. Bioinformatic Analysis of Human Cumulus Cells to Unravel Cellular's Processes that Could Be Used to Establish Oocyte Quality Biomarkers with Clinical Application. Reprod Sci 2023; 30:642-55. [PMID: 35882717 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-022-01046-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Metadata analysis of public microarray datasets using bioinformatics tools has been successfully used in several biomedical fields in the search for biomarkers. In reproductive science, there is an urgent need for the establishment of oocyte quality biomarkers that could be used in the clinical environment to increase the chances of successful outcomes in treatment cycles. Adaptive cellular processes observed in cumulus oophorus cells reflect the conditions of the follicular microenvironment and may thus bring relevant information of oocyte's conditions. Here we analyzed human cumulus cells gene expression datasets in search of predictors of oocyte quality, a strategy which uncovered several cellular processes positively and negatively associated with embryo development and pregnancy potential. Secondly, the expression levels of genes that were present in the majority of processes observed were validated in house with clinical samples. Our data confirmed the association of the selected biomarkers with blastocyst formation and pregnancy potential rates, independently of patients' clinical characteristics such as diagnosis, age, BMI, and stimulation protocol applied. This study shows that bioinformatic analysis of cellular processes can be successfully used to elucidate possible oocyte quality biomarkers. Our data reinforces the need to consider clinical characteristics of patients when selecting relevant biomarkers to be used in the clinical environment and suggests a combination of positive (PTGS2) and negative (CYPB1) quality biomarkers as a robust strategy for a complementary oocyte selection tool, potentially increasing assisted reproduction success rates. Also, GPX4 expression as pregnancy potential biomarker is indicated here as a possibility for further investigations.
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Mitra S, Thomas SA, Martin JA, Williams J, Woodhouse K, Chandra R, Li JX, Lobo MK, Sim FJ, Dietz DM. EGR3 regulates opioid-related nociception and motivation in male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:3539-3550. [PMID: 36098762 PMCID: PMC10094589 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06226-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Chronic pain can be a debilitating condition, leading to profound changes in nearly every aspect of life. However, the reliance on opioids such as oxycodone for pain management is thought to initiate dependence and addiction liability. The neurobiological intersection at which opioids relieve pain and possibly transition to addiction is poorly understood. Using RNA sequencing pathway analysis in rats with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced chronic inflammation, we found that the transcriptional signatures in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC; a brain region where pain and reward signals integrate) elicited by CFA in combination with oxycodone differed from those elicited by CFA or oxycodone alone. However, the expression of Egr3 was augmented in all animals receiving oxycodone. Furthermore, virus-mediated overexpression of EGR3 in the mPFC increased mechanical pain relief but not the affective aspect of pain in animals receiving oxycodone, whereas pharmacological inhibition of EGR3 via NFAT attenuated mechanical pain relief. Egr3 overexpression also increased the motivation to obtain oxycodone infusions in a progressive ratio test without altering the acquisition or maintenance of oxycodone self-administration. Taken together, these data suggest that EGR3 in the mPFC is at the intersection of nociceptive and addictive-like behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swarup Mitra
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The State University of New York at Buffalo, 955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, John C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, 1700, 3rd Avenue, Huntington, WV, 25755, USA.
| | - Shruthi A Thomas
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The State University of New York at Buffalo, 955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Jennifer A Martin
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The State University of New York at Buffalo, 955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Jamal Williams
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The State University of New York at Buffalo, 955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Kristen Woodhouse
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The State University of New York at Buffalo, 955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Ramesh Chandra
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jun Xu Li
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The State University of New York at Buffalo, 955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - Mary Kay Lobo
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Fraser J Sim
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The State University of New York at Buffalo, 955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA
| | - David M Dietz
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The State University of New York at Buffalo, 955 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA.
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Marballi KK, Alganem K, Brunwasser SJ, Barkatullah A, Meyers KT, Campbell JM, Ozols AB, Mccullumsmith RE, Gallitano AL. Identification of activity-induced Egr3-dependent genes reveals genes associated with DNA damage response and schizophrenia. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:320. [PMID: 35941129 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02069-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Bioinformatics and network studies have identified the immediate early gene transcription factor early growth response 3 (EGR3) as a master regulator of genes differentially expressed in the brains of patients with neuropsychiatric illnesses ranging from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to Alzheimer's disease. However, few studies have identified and validated Egr3-dependent genes in the mammalian brain. We have previously shown that Egr3 is required for stress-responsive behavior, memory, and hippocampal long-term depression in mice. To identify Egr3-dependent genes that may regulate these processes, we conducted an expression microarray on hippocampi from wildtype (WT) and Egr3-/- mice following electroconvulsive seizure (ECS), a stimulus that induces maximal expression of immediate early genes including Egr3. We identified 69 genes that were differentially expressed between WT and Egr3-/- mice one hour following ECS. Bioinformatic analyses showed that many of these are altered in, or associated with, schizophrenia, including Mef2c and Calb2. Enrichr pathway analysis revealed the GADD45 (growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible) family (Gadd45b, Gadd45g) as a leading group of differentially expressed genes. Together with differentially expressed genes in the AP-1 transcription factor family genes (Fos, Fosb), and the centromere organization protein Cenpa, these results revealed that Egr3 is required for activity-dependent expression of genes involved in the DNA damage response. Our findings show that EGR3 is critical for the expression of genes that are mis-expressed in schizophrenia and reveal a novel requirement for EGR3 in the expression of genes involved in activity-induced DNA damage response.
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Zuo Y, Wei D, Zhu C, Naveed O, Hong W, Yang X. Unveiling the Pathogenesis of Psychiatric Disorders Using Network Models. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1101. [PMID: 34356117 PMCID: PMC8304351 DOI: 10.3390/genes12071101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Psychiatric disorders are complex brain disorders with a high degree of genetic heterogeneity, affecting millions of people worldwide. Despite advances in psychiatric genetics, the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of psychiatric disorders are still largely elusive, which impedes the development of novel rational therapies. There has been accumulating evidence suggesting that the genetics of complex disorders can be viewed through an omnigenic lens, which involves contextualizing genes in highly interconnected networks. Thus, applying network-based multi-omics integration methods could cast new light on the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. In this review, we first provide an overview of the recent advances in psychiatric genetics and highlight gaps in translating molecular associations into mechanistic insights. We then present an overview of network methodologies and review previous applications of network methods in the study of psychiatric disorders. Lastly, we describe the potential of such methodologies within a multi-tissue, multi-omics approach, and summarize the future directions in adopting diverse network approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanning Zuo
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (Y.Z.); (D.W.); (W.H.)
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (C.Z.); (O.N.)
| | - Don Wei
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (Y.Z.); (D.W.); (W.H.)
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Semel Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Carissa Zhu
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (C.Z.); (O.N.)
| | - Ormina Naveed
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (C.Z.); (O.N.)
| | - Weizhe Hong
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (Y.Z.); (D.W.); (W.H.)
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Xia Yang
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; (C.Z.); (O.N.)
- Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Abstract
Bipolar spectrum disorders carry a significant public health burden. Disproportionately high rates of suicide, incarceration, and comorbid medical conditions necessitate an extraordinary focus on understanding the intricacies of this disease. Elucidating granular, intracellular details seems to be a necessary preamble to advancing promising therapeutic opportunities. In this chapter, we review a wide range of intracellular mechanisms including mitochondrial energetics, calcium signaling, neuroinflammation, the microbiome, neurotransmitter metabolism, glycogen synthase kinase 3-beta (GSK3β), protein kinase C (PKC) and diacylglycerol (DAG), and neurotrophins (especially BDNF), as well as the glutamatergic, dopaminergic, purinergic, and neurohormonal systems. Owing to the relative lack of understanding and effective therapeutic options compared to the rest of the spectrum, special attention is paid in the chapter to the latest developments in bipolar depression. Likewise, from a therapeutic standpoint, special attention should be paid to the pervasive mechanistic actions of lithium as a means of amalgamating numerous, disparate cascades into a digestible cognitive topology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory H Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Carola Rong
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Aisha S Shariq
- Department of Psychiatry, Texas Tech University Health Science Center, El Paso, TX, USA
- Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Abhinav Mishra
- Texas Tech University Health Science Center, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Rodrigo Machado-Vieira
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
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Vargas DM, De Bastiani MA, Parsons RB, Klamt F. Parkinson's Disease Master Regulators on Substantia Nigra and Frontal Cortex and Their Use for Drug Repositioning. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:1517-34. [PMID: 33211252 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-020-02203-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is among the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases. Available evidences support the view of PD as a complex disease, being the outcome of interactions between genetic and environmental factors. In face of diagnosis and therapy challenges, and the elusive PD etiology, the use of alternative methodological approaches for the elucidation of the disease pathophysiological mechanisms and proposal of novel potential therapeutic interventions has become increasingly necessary. In the present study, we first reconstructed the transcriptional regulatory networks (TN), centered on transcription factors (TF), of two brain regions affected in PD, the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and the frontal cortex (FCtx). Then, we used case-control studies data from these regions to identify TFs working as master regulators (MR) of the disease, based on region-specific TNs. Twenty-nine regulatory units enriched with differentially expressed genes were identified for the SNc, and twenty for the FCtx, all of which were considered MR candidates for PD. Three consensus MR candidates were found for SNc and FCtx, namely ATF2, SLC30A9, and ZFP69B. In order to search for novel potential therapeutic interventions, we used these consensus MR candidate signatures as input to the Connectivity Map (CMap), a computational drug repositioning webtool. This analysis resulted in the identification of four drugs that reverse the expression pattern of all three MR consensus simultaneously, benperidol, harmaline, tubocurarine chloride, and vorinostat, thus suggested as novel potential PD therapeutic interventions.
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Tan H, Lv M, Tan X, Su G, Chang R, Yang P. Sharing of Genetic Association Signals by Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Alzheimer's Disease at Multiple Levels. Mol Neurobiol 2020; 57:4488-4499. [PMID: 32748369 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-020-02024-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration and Alzheimer's disease are closely related complex diseases that may share overlapping pathogenesis in gene networks. This study was conducted to investigate the genetic factors shared by both diseases. We analyzed genome-wide association studies' summary statistics from both diseases using a new platform known as functional mapping and annotation (FUMA) and a co-localization analysis. We obtained disease-related gene expression profile data from the Gene Expression Omnibus and analyzed these data using weighted gene co-expression network analysis. FUMA analysis and Bayesian co-localization analysis showed that ten genes on chromosome 7, one pathway (complement and coagulation cascade), and forty-two biological processes were common for both diseases. Among these ten genes, two protein-coding genes, two pseudogenes, and two RNA genes were, for the first time, identified to be associated with both diseases. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified 19 age-related macular degeneration hub genes and 19 Alzheimer's disease hub genes and revealed that these two diseases shared nine pathways and 63 biological processes. Using FUMA, co-localization analysis, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis, 10 genes on chromosome 7, 10 pathways, and 105 biological processes were found to be associated with the two degenerative diseases. This suggests that these10 genes and the hub genes of these modules associated with the shared pathways are potential diagnostic markers for both diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Handan Tan
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Chongqing Eye Institute, Youyi Road 1, Chongqing, 400016, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Lv
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Chongqing Eye Institute, Youyi Road 1, Chongqing, 400016, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao Tan
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Chongqing Eye Institute, Youyi Road 1, Chongqing, 400016, People's Republic of China
| | - Guannan Su
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Chongqing Eye Institute, Youyi Road 1, Chongqing, 400016, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Chang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Chongqing Eye Institute, Youyi Road 1, Chongqing, 400016, People's Republic of China
| | - Peizeng Yang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Chongqing Eye Institute, Youyi Road 1, Chongqing, 400016, People's Republic of China.
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Najafi H, Naseri M, Zahiri J, Totonchi M, Sadeghizadeh M. Identification of the Molecular Events Involved in the Development of Prefrontal Cortex Through the Analysis of RNA-Seq Data From BrainSpan. ASN Neuro 2020; 11:1759091419854627. [PMID: 31213068 PMCID: PMC6582306 DOI: 10.1177/1759091419854627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Human brain development is a complex process that follows sequential
orchestration of gene expression, begins at conceptual stages, and continues
into adulthood. Altered profile of gene expression drives many cellular and
molecular events required for development. Here, the molecular events during
development of human prefrontal cortex (PFC) (as an important executive part of
the brain) were investigated. First, the RNA-sequencing data of BrainSpan were
used to obtain differentially expressed genes between each two developmental
stages and then, the relevant biological processes and signaling pathways were
deduced by gene set enrichment analysis. In addition, the changes in
transcriptome landscape of PFC during development were analyzed and the
potential biological processes underlie the changes were found. Comparison of
the four regions of PFC based on their biological processes showed that
additional to common biological processes and signaling pathways, each PFC
region had its own molecular characteristics, conforming their previously
reported functional roles in brain physiology. The most heterogeneity in
transcriptome between the PFC regions was observed at the time of birth which
was concurrent with the activity of some region-specific regulatory systems such
as DNA methylation, transcription regulation, RNA splicing, and presence of
different transcription factors and microRNAs. In conclusion, this study used
bioinformatics to present a comprehensive molecular overview on PFC development
which may explain the etiology of brain neuropsychiatric disorders originated
from malfunctioning of PFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadi Najafi
- 1 Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohadeseh Naseri
- 2 Department of Biophysics, Bioinformatics and Computational Omics Lab (BioCOOL), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Javad Zahiri
- 2 Department of Biophysics, Bioinformatics and Computational Omics Lab (BioCOOL), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehdi Totonchi
- 3 Department of Genetics and Stem Cell, Royan Institute, Tehran, Iran
| | - Majid Sadeghizadeh
- 1 Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
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Ota VK, Santoro ML, Spindola LM, Pan PM, Simabucuro A, Xavier G, Vieira-Fonseca T, Zanardo EA, Dos Santos FRC, Schäfer JL, Kulikowski LD, Galante PAF, Asprino PF, Brietzke E, Grassi-Oliveira R, Rohde LA, Miguel EC, Gadelha A, Mari JJ, Bressan RA, Salum GA, Belangero SI. Gene expression changes associated with trajectories of psychopathology in a longitudinal cohort of children and adolescents. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:99. [PMID: 32184383 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-0772-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
We aimed to identify blood gene expression patterns associated to psychopathological trajectories retrieved from a large community, focusing on the emergence and remission of general psychiatric symptoms. Hundred and three individuals from the Brazilian High-Risk Cohort Study (BHRCS) for mental disorders were classified in four groups according to Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) total score at the baseline (w0) and after 3 years (w1): low-high (L-H) (N = 27), high-low (H-L) (N = 12), high-high (H-H) (N = 34) and low-low (L-L) groups (N = 30). Blood gene expression profile was measured using Illumina HT-12 Beadchips, and paired analyses comparing w0 and w1 were performed for each group. Results: 98 transcripts were differentially expressed comparing w0 and w1 in the L-H, 33 in the H-L, 177 in the H-H and 273 in the L-L. Of these, 66 transcripts were differentially expressed exclusively in the L-H; and 6 only in the H-L. Cross-Lagged Panel Models analyses revealed that RPRD2 gene expression at w1 might be influenced by the CBCL score at w0. Moreover, COX5B, SEC62, and NDUFA2 were validated with another technique and were also differentially regulated in postmortem brain of subjects with mental disorders, indicating that they might be important not only to specific disorders, but also to general psychopathology and symptoms trajectories. Whereas genes related to metabolic pathways seem to be associated with the emergence of psychiatric symptoms, mitochondrial inner membrane genes might be important over the course of normal development. These results suggest that changes in gene expression can be detected in blood in different psychopathological trajectories.
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Bristot G, De Bastiani MA, Pfaffenseller B, Kapczinski F, Kauer-Sant'Anna M. Gene Regulatory Network of Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex: a Master Regulator Analysis of Major Psychiatric Disorders. Mol Neurobiol 2020; 57:1305-16. [PMID: 31728928 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-01815-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Despite the strong genetic component of psychiatric disorders, traditional genetic studies have failed to find individual genes of large effect size. Thus, alternative methods, using bioinformatics, have been proposed to solve these biological puzzles. Of these, here we employ systems biology-based approaches to identify potential master regulators (MRs) of bipolar disorder (BD), schizophrenia (SZ), and major depressive disorder (MDD), their association with biological processes and their capacity to differentiate disorders' phenotypes. High-throughput gene expression data was used to reconstruct standard human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex regulatory transcriptional network, which was then queried for regulatory units and MRs associated with the psychiatric disorders of interest. Furthermore, the activity status (active or repressed) of MR candidates was obtained and used in cluster analysis to characterize disease phenotypes. Finally, we explored the biological processes modulated by the MRs using functional enrichment analysis. Thirty-one, thirty-four, and fifteen MR candidates were identified in BD, SZ, and MDD, respectively. The activity state of these MRs grouped the illnesses in three clusters: MDD only, mostly BD, and a third one with BD and SZ. While BD and SZ share several biological processes related to ion transport and homeostasis, synapse, and immune function, SZ showed peculiar enrichment of processes related to cytoskeleton and neuronal structure. Meanwhile, MDD presented mostly processes related to glial development and fatty acid metabolism. Our findings suggest notable differences in functional enrichment between MDD and BD/SZ. Furthermore, similarities between BD and SZ may impose particular challenges in attempts to discriminate these pathologies based solely on their transcriptional profiles. Nevertheless, we believe that systems-oriented approaches are promising strategies to unravel the pathophysiology peculiarities underlying mental illnesses and reveal therapeutic targets.
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Rizzardi LF, Hickey PF, Rodriguez DiBlasi V, Tryggvadóttir R, Callahan CM, Idrizi A, Hansen KD, Feinberg AP. Neuronal brain-region-specific DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility are associated with neuropsychiatric trait heritability. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:307-316. [PMID: 30643296 PMCID: PMC6348048 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-018-0297-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic modifications confer stable transcriptional patterns in the brain and both normal and abnormal brain function involve specialized brain regions. We examined DNA methylation by whole genome bisulfite sequencing in neuronal and non-neuronal populations from four brain regions (anterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens) as well as chromatin accessibility in the latter two. We find pronounced differences in CpG and non-CpG differentially methylated regions (CG- and CH-DMRs) only in neuronal cells across regions. While neuronal CH-DMRs were highly associated with differential gene expression, CG-DMRs were consistent with chromatin accessibility and enriched for regulatory regions. These CG-DMRs comprise ~12 Mb of the genome that is highly enriched for genomic regions associated with heritability of neuropsychiatric traits including addictive behavior, schizophrenia, and neuroticism, suggesting a mechanistic link between pathology and differential neuron-specific epigenetic regulation in distinct brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay F Rizzardi
- Center for Epigenetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Peter F Hickey
- Department of Biostatistics, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Varenka Rodriguez DiBlasi
- Center for Epigenetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rakel Tryggvadóttir
- Center for Epigenetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Colin M Callahan
- Center for Epigenetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Adrian Idrizi
- Center for Epigenetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kasper D Hansen
- Center for Epigenetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Department of Biostatistics, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Andrew P Feinberg
- Center for Epigenetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. .,Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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De Bastiani MA, Pfaffenseller B, Klamt F. Master Regulators Connectivity Map: A Transcription Factors-Centered Approach to Drug Repositioning. Front Pharmacol 2018; 9:697. [PMID: 30034338 PMCID: PMC6043797 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug discovery is a very expensive and time-consuming endeavor. Fortunately, recent omics technologies and Systems Biology approaches introduced interesting new tools to achieve this task, facilitating the repurposing of already known drugs to new therapeutic assignments using gene expression data and bioinformatics. The inherent role of transcription factors in gene expression modulation makes them strong candidates for master regulators of phenotypic transitions. However, transcription factors expression itself usually does not reflect its activity changes due to post-transcriptional modifications and other complications. In this aspect, the use of high-throughput transcriptomic data may be employed to infer transcription factors-targets interactions and assess their activity through co-expression networks, which can be further used to search for drugs capable of reverting the gene expression profile of pathological phenotypes employing the connectivity maps paradigm. Following this idea, we argue that a module-oriented connectivity map approach using transcription factors-centered networks would aid the query for new repositioning candidates. Through a brief case study, we explored this idea in bipolar disorder, retrieving known drugs used in the usual clinical scenario as well as new candidates with potential therapeutic application in this disease. Indeed, the results of the case study indicate just how promising our approach may be to drug repositioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco A De Bastiani
- Laboratory of Cellular Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology for Translational Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Bianca Pfaffenseller
- Laboratory of Cellular Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Clinicas Hospital of Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Fabio Klamt
- Laboratory of Cellular Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology for Translational Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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Vargas DM, De Bastiani MA, Zimmer ER, Klamt F. Alzheimer's disease master regulators analysis: search for potential molecular targets and drug repositioning candidates. Alzheimers Res Ther 2018; 10:59. [PMID: 29935546 PMCID: PMC6015462 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-018-0394-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial and complex neuropathology that involves impairment of many intricate molecular mechanisms. Despite recent advances, AD pathophysiological characterization remains incomplete, which hampers the development of effective treatments. In fact, currently, there are no effective pharmacological treatments for AD. Integrative strategies such as transcription regulatory network and master regulator analyses exemplify promising new approaches to study complex diseases and may help in the identification of potential pharmacological targets. Methods In this study, we used transcription regulatory network and master regulator analyses on transcriptomic data of human hippocampus to identify transcription factors (TFs) that can potentially act as master regulators in AD. All expression profiles were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database using the GEOquery package. A normal hippocampus transcription factor-centered regulatory network was reconstructed using the ARACNe algorithm. Master regulator analysis and two-tail gene set enrichment analysis were employed to evaluate the inferred regulatory units in AD case-control studies. Finally, we used a connectivity map adaptation to prospect new potential therapeutic interventions by drug repurposing. Results We identified TFs with already reported involvement in AD, such as ATF2 and PARK2, as well as possible new targets for future investigations, such as CNOT7, CSRNP2, SLC30A9, and TSC22D1. Furthermore, Connectivity Map Analysis adaptation suggested the repositioning of six FDA-approved drugs that can potentially modulate master regulator candidate regulatory units (Cefuroxime, Cyproterone, Dydrogesterone, Metrizamide, Trimethadione, and Vorinostat). Conclusions Using a transcription factor-centered regulatory network reconstruction we were able to identify several potential molecular targets and six drug candidates for repositioning in AD. Our study provides further support for the use of bioinformatics tools as exploratory strategies in neurodegenerative diseases research, and also provides new perspectives on molecular targets and drug therapies for future investigation and validation in AD. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13195-018-0394-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Vargas
- Laboratory of Cellular Biochemistry, Biochemistry Department, Institute of Health Sciences (ICBS), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-003, Brazil.
| | - M A De Bastiani
- Laboratory of Cellular Biochemistry, Biochemistry Department, Institute of Health Sciences (ICBS), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-003, Brazil
| | - E R Zimmer
- Pharmacology Department, Institute of Health Sciences (ICBS), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-003, Brazil.,Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil
| | - F Klamt
- Laboratory of Cellular Biochemistry, Biochemistry Department, Institute of Health Sciences (ICBS), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, 90035-003, Brazil.,National Science Technology Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Porto Alegre, Brazil
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Meyers KT, Marballi KK, Brunwasser SJ, Renda B, Charbel M, Marrone DF, Gallitano AL. The Immediate Early Gene Egr3 Is Required for Hippocampal Induction of Bdnf by Electroconvulsive Stimulation. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:92. [PMID: 29867393 PMCID: PMC5958205 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Early growth response 3 (Egr3) is an immediate early gene (IEG) that is regulated downstream of a cascade of genes associated with risk for psychiatric disorders, and dysfunction of Egr3 itself has been implicated in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. As an activity-dependent transcription factor, EGR3 is poised to regulate the neuronal expression of target genes in response to environmental events. In the current study, we sought to identify a downstream target of EGR3 with the goal of further elucidating genes in this biological pathway relevant for psychiatric illness risk. We used electroconvulsive stimulation (ECS) to induce high-level expression of IEGs in the brain, and conducted expression microarray to identify genes differentially regulated in the hippocampus of Egr3-deficient (-/-) mice compared to their wildtype (WT) littermates. Our results replicated previous work showing that ECS induces high-level expression of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) in the hippocampus of WT mice. However, we found that this induction is absent in Egr3-/- mice. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) validated the microarray results (performed in males) and replicated the findings in two separate cohorts of female mice. Follow-up studies of activity-dependent Bdnf exons demonstrated that ECS-induced expression of both exons IV and VI requires Egr3. In situ hybridization demonstrated high-level cellular expression of Bdnf in the hippocampal dentate gyrus following ECS in WT, but not Egr3-/-, mice. Bdnf promoter analysis revealed eight putative EGR3 binding sites in the Bdnf promoter, suggesting a mechanism through which EGR3 may directly regulate Bdnf gene expression. These findings do not appear to result from a defect in the development of hippocampal neurons in Egr3-/- mice, as cell counts in tissue sections stained with anti-NeuN antibodies, a neuron-specific marker, did not differ between Egr3-/- and WT mice. In addition, Sholl analysis and counts of dendritic spines in golgi-stained hippocampal sections revealed no difference in dendritic morphology or synaptic spine density in Egr3-/-, compared to WT, mice. These findings indicate that Egr3 is required for ECS-induced expression of Bdnf in the hippocampus and suggest that Bdnf may be a downstream gene in our previously identified biologically pathway for psychiatric illness susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly T Meyers
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, United States.,Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Ketan K Marballi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, United States
| | - Samuel J Brunwasser
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, United States.,Medical Scientist Training Program, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Briana Renda
- Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Milad Charbel
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, United States.,Barrett, The Honors college, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Diano F Marrone
- Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada.,Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Amelia L Gallitano
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine Phoenix, University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, United States
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Marballi KK, Gallitano AL. Immediate Early Genes Anchor a Biological Pathway of Proteins Required for Memory Formation, Long-Term Depression and Risk for Schizophrenia. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:23. [PMID: 29520222 PMCID: PMC5827560 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
While the causes of myriad medical and infectious illnesses have been identified, the etiologies of neuropsychiatric illnesses remain elusive. This is due to two major obstacles. First, the risk for neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, is determined by both genetic and environmental factors. Second, numerous genes influence susceptibility for these illnesses. Genome-wide association studies have identified at least 108 genomic loci for schizophrenia, and more are expected to be published shortly. In addition, numerous biological processes contribute to the neuropathology underlying schizophrenia. These include immune dysfunction, synaptic and myelination deficits, vascular abnormalities, growth factor disruption, and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction. However, the field of psychiatric genetics lacks a unifying model to explain how environment may interact with numerous genes to influence these various biological processes and cause schizophrenia. Here we describe a biological cascade of proteins that are activated in response to environmental stimuli such as stress, a schizophrenia risk factor. The central proteins in this pathway are critical mediators of memory formation and a particular form of hippocampal synaptic plasticity, long-term depression (LTD). Each of these proteins is also implicated in schizophrenia risk. In fact, the pathway includes four genes that map to the 108 loci associated with schizophrenia: GRIN2A, nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFATc3), early growth response 1 (EGR1) and NGFI-A Binding Protein 2 (NAB2); each of which contains the "Index single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)" (most SNP) at its respective locus. Environmental stimuli activate this biological pathway in neurons, resulting in induction of EGR immediate early genes: EGR1, EGR3 and NAB2. We hypothesize that dysfunction in any of the genes in this pathway disrupts the normal activation of Egrs in response to stress. This may result in insufficient electrophysiologic, immunologic, and neuroprotective, processes that these genes normally mediate. Continued adverse environmental experiences, over time, may thereby result in neuropathology that gives rise to the symptoms of schizophrenia. By combining multiple genes associated with schizophrenia susceptibility, in a functional cascade triggered by neuronal activity, the proposed biological pathway provides an explanation for both the polygenic and environmental influences that determine the complex etiology of this mental illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ketan K. Marballi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, United States
| | - Amelia L. Gallitano
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, United States
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Pfaffenseller B, Kapczinski F, Gallitano AL, Klamt F. EGR3 Immediate Early Gene and the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Bipolar Disorder. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:15. [PMID: 29459824 PMCID: PMC5807664 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe psychiatric illness with a consistent genetic influence, involving complex interactions between numerous genes and environmental factors. Immediate early genes (IEGs) are activated in the brain in response to environmental stimuli, such as stress. The potential to translate environmental stimuli into long-term changes in brain has led to increased interest in a potential role for these genes influencing risk for psychiatric disorders. Our recent finding using network-based approach has shown that the regulatory unit of early growth response gene 3 (EGR3) of IEGs family was robustly repressed in postmortem prefrontal cortex of BD patients. As a central transcription factor, EGR3 regulates an array of target genes that mediate critical neurobiological processes such as synaptic plasticity, memory and cognition. Considering that EGR3 expression is induced by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) that has been consistently related to BD pathophysiology, we suggest a link between BDNF and EGR3 and their potential role in BD. A growing body of data from our group and others has shown that peripheral BDNF levels are reduced during mood episodes and also with illness progression. In this same vein, BDNF has been proposed as an important growth factor in the impaired cellular resilience related to BD. Taken together with the fact that EGR3 regulates the expression of the neurotrophin receptor p75NTR and may also indirectly induce BDNF expression, here we propose a feed-forward gene regulatory network involving EGR3 and BDNF and its potential role in BD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Pfaffenseller
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Flavio Kapczinski
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Amelia L Gallitano
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, United States
| | - Fábio Klamt
- Laboratory of Cellular Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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Abstract
Over the past three decades, it has become clear that aberrant function of the network of interconnected brain regions responsible for reward processing and motivated behavior underlies a variety of mood disorders, including depression and anxiety. It is also clear that stress-induced changes in reward network activity underlying both normal and pathological behavior also cause changes in gene expression. Here, we attempt to define the reward circuitry and explore the known and potential contributions of activity-dependent changes in gene expression within this circuitry to stress-induced changes in behavior related to mood disorders, and contrast some of these effects with those induced by exposure to drugs of abuse. We focus on a series of immediate early genes regulated by stress within this circuitry and their connections, both well-explored and relatively novel, to circuit function and subsequent reward-related behaviors. We conclude that IEGs play a crucial role in stress-dependent remodeling of reward circuitry, and that they may serve as inroads to the molecular, cellular, and circuit-level mechanisms of mood disorder etiology and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire E Manning
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI, USA
| | | | - Alfred J Robison
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI, USA
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Kapczinski NS, Mwangi B, Cassidy RM, Librenza-Garcia D, Bermudez MB, Kauer-Sant’anna M, Kapczinski F, Passos IC. Neuroprogression and illness trajectories in bipolar disorder. Expert Rev Neurother 2016; 17:277-285. [DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2017.1240615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Natália S Kapczinski
- Bipolar Disorder Program, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduation Program in Psychiatry and Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Benson Mwangi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ryan M Cassidy
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Diego Librenza-Garcia
- Graduation Program in Psychiatry, Universidade Federal das Ciências da Saúde, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Mariane Bagatin Bermudez
- Graduation Program in Psychiatry, Universidade Federal das Ciências da Saúde, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Márcia Kauer-Sant’anna
- Bipolar Disorder Program, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduation Program in Psychiatry and Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Flávio Kapczinski
- Bipolar Disorder Program, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduation Program in Psychiatry and Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Ives Cavalcante Passos
- Bipolar Disorder Program, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduation Program in Psychiatry and Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
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