scholarly journals The effect of alcohol and nicotine abuse on gene expression in the brain

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Traute Flatscher-Bader ◽  
Peter A. Wilce
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Drugs Of Abuse ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Common Mental Disorder ◽  
Tobacco Consumption ◽  
Western World ◽  
Mesocorticolimbic System ◽  
The Brain

Alcohol intake at levels posing an acute heath risk is common amongst teenagers. Alcohol abuse is the second most common mental disorder worldwide. The incidence of smoking is decreasing in the Western world but increasing in developing countries and is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Considering the longstanding history of alcohol and tobacco consumption in human societies, it might be surprising that the molecular mechanisms underlying alcohol and smoking dependence are still incompletely understood. Effective treatments against the risk of relapse are lacking. Drugs of abuse exert their effect manipulating the dopaminergic mesocorticolimbic system. In this brain region, alcohol has many potential targets including membranes and several ion channels, while other drugs, for example nicotine, act via specific receptors or binding proteins. Repeated consumption of drugs of abuse mediates adaptive changes within this region, resulting in addiction. The high incidence of alcohol and nicotine co-abuse complicates analysis of the molecular basis of the disease. Gene expression profiling is a useful approach to explore novel drug targets in the brain. Several groups have utilised this technology to reveal drug-sensitive pathways in the mesocorticolimbic system of animal models and in human subjects. These studies are the focus of the present review.

scholarly journals Transcriptional mechanisms of drug addiction

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-387 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Drugs Of Abuse ◽  
Noncoding Rnas ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Chromatin Modifications ◽  
Addictive Drugs ◽  
Functional Remodeling ◽  
Brain Reward ◽  
The Brain

Drugs of abuse can modify gene expression in brain reward and motivation centers, which contribute to the structural and functional remodeling of these circuits that impacts the emergence of a state of addiction. Our understanding of how addictive drugs induce transcriptomic plasticity in addiction-relevant brain regions, particularly in the striatum, has increased dramatically in recent years. 􀀬ntracellular signaling machineries, transcription factors, chromatin modifications, and regulatory noncoding RNAs have all been implicated in the mechanisms through which addictive drugs act in the brain. 􀀫ere, we briefly summarize some of the molecular mechanisms through which drugs of abuse can exert their transcriptional effects in the brain region, with an emphasis on the role for microRNAs in this process.

scholarly journals Expression of NMDA receptor and microRNA-219 in rats submitted to cerebral ischemia associated with alcoholism

2017 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristiane Iozzi Silva ◽  
Paulo Cézar Novais ◽  
Andressa Romualdo Rodrigues ◽  
Camila A.M. Carvalho ◽  
Benedicto Oscar Colli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cerebral Ischemia ◽  
Brain Tissue ◽  
Wistar Rats ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Lower Expression ◽  
Control Sham

ABSTRACT Alcohol consumption aggravates injuries caused by ischemia. Many molecular mechanisms are involved in the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia, including neurotransmitter expression, which is regulated by microRNAs. Objective: To evaluate the microRNA-219 and NMDA expression in brain tissue and blood of animals subjected to cerebral ischemia associated with alcoholism. Methods: Fifty Wistar rats were divided into groups: control, sham, ischemic, alcoholic, and ischemic plus alcoholic. The expression of microRNA-219 and NMDA were analyzed by real-time PCR. Results: When compared to the control group, the microRNA-219 in brain tissue was less expressed in the ischemic, alcoholic, and ischemic plus alcoholic groups. In the blood, this microRNA had lower expression in alcoholic and ischemic plus alcoholic groups. In the brain tissue the NMDA gene expression was greater in the ischemic, alcoholic, and ischemic plus alcoholic groups. Conclusion: A possible modulation of NMDA by microRNA-219 was observed with an inverse correlation between them.

scholarly journals Transcriptomic analysis of frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 pathology reveals cellular alterations across multiple brain regions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahat Hasan ◽  
Jack Humphrey ◽  
Conceicao Bettencourt ◽  
Tammaryn Lashley ◽  
Pietro Fratta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Neuronal Loss ◽  
Underlying Disease ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neuronal Markers ◽  
The Brain

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a group of heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorders affecting the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Nuclear loss and cytoplasmic aggregation of the RNA-binding protein TDP-43 represents the major FTLD pathology, known as FTLD-TDP. To date, there is no effective treatment for FTLD-TDP due to an incomplete understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying disease development. Here we compared post-mortem tissue RNA-seq transcriptomes from the frontal cortex, temporal cortex and cerebellum between 28 controls and 30 FTLD-TDP patients to profile changes in cell-type composition, gene expression and transcript usage. We observed downregulation of neuronal markers in all three regions of the brain, accompanied by upregulation of microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, as well as endothelial cells and pericytes, suggesting shifts in both immune activation and within the vasculature. We validate our estimates of neuronal loss using neuropathological atrophy scores and show that neuronal loss in the cortex can be mainly attributed to excitatory neurons, and that increases in microglial and endothelial cell expression are highly correlated with neuronal loss. All our analyses identified a strong involvement of the cerebellum in the neurodegenerative process of FTLD-TDP. Altogether, our data provides a detailed landscape of gene expression alterations to help unravel relevant disease mechanisms in FTLD.

Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Addiction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn J. Reissner ◽  
Peter W. Kalivas
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Drugs Of Abuse ◽  
Drug Seeking ◽  
Molecular Changes ◽  
Cellular Changes ◽  
Continued Use ◽  
Brain Reward ◽  
Social Use ◽  
The Brain

Exposure to drugs of abuse can be a reinforcing experience that, in vulnerable individuals, can lead to continued use and the development of an addiction disorder. Evidence indicates that the escalation in use and compulsive motivation to obtain the drug is linked to long-lasting cellular changes within the brain reward neurocircuitry. In this chapter we describe the stages of transition in use from social use to habitual relapse, and within that context we describe the implicated neurocircuitry, and the enduring cellular and molecular changes that occur within that circuitry, that may mediate the preoccupation with drug seeking in addiction-vulnerable individuals.

scholarly journals Curcumin as a therapeutic agent: the evidence fromin vitro, animal and human studies

2010 ◽  
Vol 103 (11) ◽  
pp. 1545-1557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Epstein ◽  
Ian R. Sanderson ◽  
Thomas T. MacDonald
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Complex Molecule ◽  
Dietary Factors ◽  
Major Constituent ◽  
Western World ◽  
Yellow Colour ◽  
Biological Targets

Curcumin is the active ingredient of turmeric. It is widely used as a kitchen spice and food colorant throughout India, Asia and the Western world. Curcumin is a major constituent of curry powder, to which it imparts its characteristic yellow colour. For over 4000 years, curcumin has been used in traditional Asian and African medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments. There is a strong current public interest in naturally occurring plant-based remedies and dietary factors related to health and disease. Curcumin is non-toxic to human subjects at high doses. It is a complex molecule with multiple biological targets and different cellular effects. Recently, its molecular mechanisms of action have been extensively investigated. It has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Under some circumstances its effects can be contradictory, with uncertain implications for human treatment. While more studies are warranted to further understand these contradictions, curcumin holds promise as a disease-modifying and chemopreventive agent. We review the evidence for the therapeutic potential of curcumin fromin vitrostudies, animal models and human clinical trials.

scholarly journals Effect of Metallothionein-III on Mercury-Induced Chemokine Gene Expression

Toxics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Yong Lee ◽  
Maki Tokumoto ◽  
Gi-Wook Hwang ◽  
Min-Seok Kim ◽  
Tsutomu Takahashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Mercury Vapor ◽  
Brain Diseases ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Chemokine Gene ◽  
Mercury Compounds ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Chemokine Gene Expression

Mercury compounds are known to cause central nervous system disorders; however the detailed molecular mechanisms of their actions remain unclear. Methylmercury increases the expression of several chemokine genes, specifically in the brain, while metallothionein-III (MT-III) has a protective role against various brain diseases. In this study, we investigated the involvement of MT-III in chemokine gene expression changes in response to methylmercury and mercury vapor in the cerebrum and cerebellum of wild-type mice and MT-III null mice. No difference in mercury concentration was observed between the wild-type mice and MT-III null mice in any brain tissue examined. The expression of Ccl3 in the cerebrum and of Cxcl10 in the cerebellum was increased by methylmercury in the MT-III null but not the wild-type mice. The expression of Ccl7 in the cerebellum was increased by mercury vapor in the MT-III null mice but not the wild-type mice. However, the expression of Ccl12 and Cxcl12 was increased in the cerebrum by methylmercury only in the wild-type mice and the expression of Ccl3 in the cerebellum was increased by mercury vapor only in the wild-type mice. These results indicate that MT-III does not affect mercury accumulation in the brain, but that it affects the expression of some chemokine genes in response to mercury compounds.

scholarly journals Gene expression levels of DNA methyltransferase enzymes in Shank3-deficient mouse model of autism during early development

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 234-237
Author(s):  
Annamaria Srancikova ◽  
Alexandra Reichova ◽  
Zuzana Bacova ◽  
Jan Bakos
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Early Development ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Altered Expression ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Deficient Mice ◽  
Gene Expression Levels

Abstract Objectives. The balance between DNA methylation and demethylation is crucial for the brain development. Therefore, alterations in the expression of enzymes controlling DNA methylation patterns may contribute to the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains 3 (Shank3)-deficient mice are commonly used as a well-characterized transgenic model to investigate the molecular mechanisms of autistic symptoms. DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), which modulate several cellular processes in neurodevelopment, are implicated in the pathophysiology of autism. In this study, we aimed to describe the gene expression changes of major Dnmts in the brain of Shank3-deficient mice during early development. Methods and Results. The Dnmts gene expression was analyzed by qPCR in 5-day-old homo-zygous Shank3-deficient mice. We found significantly lower Dnmt1 and Dnmt3b gene expression levels in the frontal cortex. However, no such changes were observed in the hippocampus. However, significant increase was observed in the expression of Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b genes in the hypothalamus of Shank3-deficient mice. Conclusions. The present data indicate that abnormalities in the Shank3 gene are accompanied by an altered expression of DNA methylation enzymes in the early brain development stages, therefore, specific epigenetic control mechanisms in autism-relevant models should be more extensively investigated.

scholarly journals Transcriptomics identifies STAT3 as a key regulator of hippocampal gene expression and anhedonia during withdrawal from chronic alcohol exposure

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Yang Chen ◽  
Hu Chen ◽  
Kana Hamada ◽  
Eleonora Gatta ◽  
Ying Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Alcohol Drinking ◽  
Alcohol Withdrawal ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Immune Gene ◽  
Chronic Alcohol ◽  
Chronic Alcohol Exposure

AbstractAlcohol use disorder (AUD) is highly comorbid with depression. Withdrawal from chronic alcohol drinking results in depression and understanding brain molecular mechanisms that drive withdrawal-related depression is important for finding new drug targets to treat these comorbid conditions. Here, we performed RNA sequencing of the rat hippocampus during withdrawal from chronic alcohol drinking to discover key signaling pathways involved in alcohol withdrawal-related depressive-like behavior. Data were analyzed by weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify several modules of co-expressed genes that could have a common underlying regulatory mechanism. One of the hub, or highly interconnected, genes in module 1 that increased during alcohol withdrawal was the transcription factor, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3), a known regulator of immune gene expression. Total and phosphorylated (p)STAT3 protein levels were also increased in the hippocampus during withdrawal after chronic alcohol exposure. Further, pSTAT3 binding was enriched at the module 1 genes Gfap, Tnfrsf1a, and Socs3 during alcohol withdrawal. Notably, pSTAT3 and its target genes were elevated in the postmortem hippocampus of human subjects with AUD when compared with control subjects. To determine the behavioral relevance of STAT3 activation during alcohol withdrawal, we treated rats with the STAT3 inhibitor stattic and tested for sucrose preference as a measure of anhedonia. STAT3 inhibition alleviated alcohol withdrawal-induced anhedonia. These results demonstrate activation of STAT3 signaling in the hippocampus during alcohol withdrawal in rats and in human AUD subjects, and suggest that STAT3 could be a therapeutic target for reducing comorbid AUD and depression.

scholarly journals Age-related changes of gene expression in the neocortex: Preliminary data on RNA-Seq of the transcriptome in three functionally distinct cortical areas

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 1427-1442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oksana Yu. Naumova ◽  
Dean Palejev ◽  
Natalia V. Vlasova ◽  
Maria Lee ◽  
Sergei Yu. Rychkov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Signaling Systems ◽  
Cortical Areas ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Transcriptional Changes ◽  
Atypical Development ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Age Related Changes

AbstractThe study of gene expression (i.e., the study of the transcriptome) in different cells and tissues allows us to understand the molecular mechanisms of their differentiation, development and functioning. In this article, we describe some studies of gene-expression profiling for the purposes of understanding developmental (age-related) changes in the brain using different technologies (e.g., DNA-Microarray) and the new and increasingly popular RNA-Seq. We focus on advancements in studies of gene expression in the human brain, which have provided data on the structure and age-related variability of the transcriptome in the brain. We present data on RNA-Seq of the transcriptome in three distinct areas of the neocortex from different ages: mature and elderly individuals. We report that most age-related transcriptional changes affect cellular signaling systems, and, as a result, the transmission of nerve impulses. In general, the results demonstrate the high potential of RNA-Seq for the study of distinctive features of gene expression among cortical areas and the changes in expression through normal and atypical development of the central nervous system.

scholarly journals Core gene identification using gene expression

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Annique Claringbould
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Genetic Code ◽  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Complex Traits ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Altered Level ◽  
Common Genetic Variants

While humans share most of their genetic code with one another, small differences in the DNA can have an impact on an individual’s risk of disease. Common genetic variants exert individually small effects on the development of a disease, but their combined impact is substantial. Although recent research has identified thousands of variants that are associated to complex traits, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that eventually lead to disease is limited. One way to dive into the molecular changes that result from genetic variation, is to look at changes in gene activity (‘gene expression’). Each cell contains the same genetic code, but genes are only expressed when and where they are required. Research has shown that many disease-associated genetic variants also affect gene expression. Such a change in the expression of a gene can lead to an altered level of the protein it encodes, which in turn can be the start of a dysregulation in the system that can eventually develop into a disease. This thesis describes how gene expression patterns can be used to prioritise and describe the function of trait-relevant genes. The first chapters evaluate methodological considerations for doing gene expression research. Another study covers the systematic linking of genetic variation to gene expression in blood and the last research chapter describes a method for gene prioritisation that leverages the idea that multiple genetic variants converge onto disease-causing genes. These insights can be used to better understand disease and to identify potential drug targets.

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