Chronic mild stress alters circadian expressions of molecular clock genes in the liver

2013 ◽  
Vol 304 (3) ◽  
pp. E301-E309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kei Takahashi ◽  
Tetsuya Yamada ◽  
Sohei Tsukita ◽  
Keizo Kaneko ◽  
Yuta Shirai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Metabolic Disorders ◽  
Clock Gene ◽  
Clock Genes ◽  
Chronic Mild Stress ◽  
Mild Stress ◽  
Gene Expressions ◽  
Core Clock Gene

Chronic stress is well known to affect metabolic regulation. However, molecular mechanisms interconnecting stress response systems and metabolic regulations have yet to be elucidated. Various physiological processes, including glucose/lipid metabolism, are regulated by the circadian clock, and core clock gene dysregulation reportedly leads to metabolic disorders. Glucocorticoids, acting as end-effectors of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, entrain the circadian rhythms of peripheral organs, including the liver, by phase-shifting core clock gene expressions. Therefore, we examined whether chronic stress affects circadian expressions of core clock genes and metabolism-related genes in the liver using the chronic mild stress (CMS) procedure. In BALB/c mice, CMS elevated and phase-shifted serum corticosterone levels, indicating overactivation of the HPA axis. The rhythmic expressions of core clock genes, e.g., Clock, Npas2, Bmal1, Per1, and Cry1, were altered in the liver while being completely preserved in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuculeus (SCN), suggesting that the SCN is not involved in alterations in hepatic core clock gene expressions. In addition, circadian patterns of glucose and lipid metabolism-related genes, e.g., peroxisome proliferator activated receptor ( Ppar) α, Pparγ-1, Pparγ-coactivator-1α, and phosphoenolepyruvate carboxykinase, were also disturbed by CMS. In contrast, in C57BL/6 mice, the same CMS procedure altered neither serum corticosterone levels nor rhythmic expressions of hepatic core clock genes and metabolism-related genes. Thus, chronic stress can interfere with the circadian expressions of both core clock genes and metabolism-related genes in the liver possibly involving HPA axis overactivation. This mechanism might contribute to metabolic disorders in stressful modern societies.

scholarly journals CRF-R1 Antagonist Treatment Exacerbates Circadian Corticosterone Secretion under Chronic Stress, but Preserves HPA Feedback Sensitivity

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2114
Author(s):  
Yadira Ibarguen-Vargas ◽  
Samuel Leman ◽  
Rupert Palme ◽  
Catherine Belzung ◽  
Alexandre Surget
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Negative Feedback ◽  
Chronic Mild Stress ◽  
Stress Conditions ◽  
Mild Stress ◽  
Circadian Activity ◽  
Corticosterone Secretion ◽  
Feedback Sensitivity ◽  
The Impact

Despite promising initial reports, corticotropin-releasing factor receptor type-1 (CRF-R1) antagonists have mostly failed to display efficacy in clinical trials for anxiety or depression. Rather than broad-spectrum antidepressant/anxiolytic-like drugs, they may represent an ‘antistress’ solution for single stressful situations or for patients with chronic stress conditions. However, the impact of prolonged CRF-R1 antagonist treatments on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis under chronic stress conditions remained to be characterized. Hence, our study investigated whether a chronic CRF-R1 antagonist (crinecerfont, formerly known as SSR125543, 20 mg·kg−1·day−1 ip, 5 weeks) would alter HPA axis basal circadian activity and negative feedback sensitivity in mice exposed to either control or chronic stress conditions (unpredictable chronic mild stress, UCMS, 7 weeks), through measures of fecal corticosterone metabolites, plasma corticosterone, and dexamethasone suppression test. Despite preserving HPA axis parameters in control non-stressed mice, the 5-week crinercerfont treatment improved the negative feedback sensitivity in chronically stressed mice, but paradoxically exacerbated their basal corticosterone secretion nearly all along the circadian cycle. The capacity of chronic CRF-R1 antagonists to improve the HPA negative feedback in UCMS argues in favor of a potential therapeutic benefit against stress-related conditions. However, the treatment-related overactivation of HPA circadian activity in UCMS raise questions about possible physiological outcomes with long-standing treatments under ongoing chronic stress.

scholarly journals Stress Modifies the Expression of Glucocorticoid-Responsive Genes by Acting at Epigenetic Levels in the Rat Prefrontal Cortex: Modulatory Activity of Lurasidone

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 6197
Author(s):  
Paola Brivio ◽  
Giulia Sbrini ◽  
Letizia Tarantini ◽  
Chiara Parravicini ◽  
Piotr Gruca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Chronic Mild Stress ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Mild Stress ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Glucocorticoid Responsive Element ◽  
Responsive Element

Epigenetics is one of the mechanisms by which environmental factors can alter brain function and may contribute to central nervous system disorders. Alterations of DNA methylation and miRNA expression can induce long-lasting changes in neurobiological processes. Hence, we investigated the effect of chronic stress, by employing the chronic mild stress (CMS) and the chronic restraint stress protocol, in adult male rats, on the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) function. We focused on DNA methylation specifically in the proximity of the glucocorticoid responsive element (GRE) of the GR responsive genes Gadd45β, Sgk1, and Gilz and on selected miRNA targeting these genes. Moreover, we assessed the role of the antipsychotic lurasidone in modulating these alterations. Chronic stress downregulated Gadd45β and Gilz gene expression and lurasidone normalized the Gadd45β modification. At the epigenetic level, CMS induced hypermethylation of the GRE of Gadd45β gene, an effect prevented by lurasidone treatment. These stress-induced alterations were still present even after a period of rest from stress, indicating the enduring nature of such changes. However, the contribution of miRNA to the alterations in gene expression was moderate in our experimental conditions. Our results demonstrated that chronic stress mainly affects Gadd45β expression and methylation, effects that are prolonged over time, suggesting that stress leads to changes in DNA methylation that last also after the cessation of stress procedure, and that lurasidone is a modifier of such mechanisms.

scholarly journals Chronic Corticosterone Disrupts the Circadian Rhythm of CRH Expression and M6a RNA Methylation in the Chicken Hypothalamus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yang ◽  
Wanwan Han ◽  
Aijia Zhang ◽  
Mindie Zhao ◽  
Wei Cong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Circadian Rhythms ◽  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Clock Genes ◽  
Diurnal Fluctuation ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Rna Methylation ◽  
Diurnal Patterns ◽  
M6a Rna Methylation

Abstract Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), the major secretagogue of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, is intricately intertwined with the clock genes to regulate the circadian rhythm of various body functions. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation is involved in the regulation of circadian rhythm, yet it remains unknown whether CRH expression and m6A modification oscillate with the clock genes in chicken hypothalamus and how the circadian rhythms change under chronic stress. Here, we show that chronic exposure to corticosterone (CORT) eliminated the diurnal patterns of plasma CORT and melatonin levels in the chicken. The circadian rhythms of clock genes in hippocampus, hypothalamus and pituitary are all disturbed to different extent in CORT-treated chickens. The most striking changes occur in hypothalamus in which the diurnal fluctuation of CRH mRNA is flattened, together with mRNA of other feeding-related neuropeptides. Interestingly, hypothalamic m6A level oscillates in an opposite pattern to CRH mRNA, with lowest m6A level after midnight (ZT18) corresponding to the peak of CRH mRNA before dawn (ZT22). CORT diminished the circadian rhythm of m6A methylation with significantly increased level at night. Further site-specific m6A analysis on 3’UTR of CRH mRNA indicates that higher m6A on 3’UTR of CRH mRNA coincides with lower CRH mRNA at night (ZT18 and ZT22). Our results indicate that chronic stress disrupts the circadian rhythms of CRH expression in hypothalamus, leading to dysfunction of HPA axis in the chicken. RNA m6A modification is involved in the regulation of circadian rhythms in chicken hypothalamus under both basal and chronic stress conditions.

scholarly journals N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Improved Depression via Neuroendocrine and Serotonergic System in Post-Menopausal Rats with Maternal Separation and Chronic Mild Stress

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1199-1199
Author(s):  
Jeong-Eun Choi ◽  
Yongsoon Park
Keyword(s):  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Maternal Separation ◽  
Chronic Mild Stress ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Serotonin Level ◽  
Mild Stress ◽  
Total N ◽  
Serotonergic Pathway ◽  
Post Menopausal ◽  
Hpa Axis Activity

Abstract Objectives The purpose of the present study was to investigate the hypothesis that lifetime n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) intake improved depression through serotonergic pathway in post-menopausal rats with chronic mild stress (CMS) and maternal separation (MS). Methods Female rats were fed diets with 0% or 1 energy % n-3 PUFA during lifetime from embryonic day (ED) 0 to postnatal day (PND) 112, or 1% n-3 PUFA before weaning (ED 0-PND 20), or after weaning (PND 20–112). The rats in four diet group were allocated to brief separation from dam (non-MS group) or long-term separation (MS group) on PND 2–14, and then underwent CMS on PND 91–105 after ovariectomy. Thus, there were eight groups in total (n = 8/group). Results MS + CMS increased depressive behaviors, and modified hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, inflammation, serotonergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission, and related miRNAs as compared to CMS alone. N-3 PUFA decreased depressive behaviors by decreasing immobility while increasing swimming during forced swim test, and increasing sucrose preference in rats with MS + CMS and with CMS. N-3 PUFA decreased HPA axis activity by modifying expressions of corticotrophin releasing factor and glucocorticoid receptor, and levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone and corticosterone. N-3 PUFA also reduced levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, PGE2, and miRNA-218, and increased serotonergic neurotransmission, including expressions of cAMP response element binding protein, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and serotonin 1A receptor, and serotonin level, and expression of miRNA-155. In addition, lifetime supplementation of n-3 PUFA had greater effect than pre- or post-supplementation. N-3 PUFA had no effect on glutamatergic pathway including α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate receptor and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor. Conclusions The present study suggested that lifetime n-3 PUFA improved depression in post-menopausal rats with MS + CMS through modulation of serotonergic pathway by decreasing HPA axis activity but not glutamatergic pathway. Funding Sources This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (NRF-2018R1A2B6002486).

scholarly journals Depressive behavior and vascular dysfunction: a link between clinical depression and vascular disease?

2010 ◽  
Vol 108 (5) ◽  
pp. 1041-1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre C. d'Audiffret ◽  
Stephanie J. Frisbee ◽  
Phoebe A. Stapleton ◽  
Adam G. Goodwill ◽  
Elsa Isingrini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Resistance ◽  
Vascular Disease ◽  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Vascular Dysfunction ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Chronic Mild Stress ◽  
Prior History ◽  
No Production ◽  
Mild Stress ◽  
Depressive Behavior

As chronic stress and depression have become recognized as significant risk factors for peripheral vascular disease in patients with no prior history of vasculopathy, we interrogated this relationship utilizing an established mouse model of chronic stress/depressive symptoms from behavioral research. Male mice were exposed to 8 wk of unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS; e.g., wet bedding, predator sound/smell, random disruption of light/dark cycle), with indexes of depressive behavior (coat status, grooming, and mobility) becoming exacerbated vs. controls. In vascular rings, constrictor (phenylephrine) and endothelium-independent dilator (sodium nitroprusside) responses were not different between groups, although endothelium-dependent dilation (methacholine) was attenuated with UCMS. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition was without effect in UCMS but nearly abolished reactivity in controls, while cyclooxygenase inhibition blunted dilation in both. Combined blockade abolished reactivity in controls, although a significant dilation remained in UCMS that was abolished by catalase. Arterial NO production was attenuated by UCMS, although H2O2 production was increased. UCMS mice demonstrated an increased, although variable, insulin resistance and inflammation. However, while UCMS-induced vascular impairments were consistent, the predictive power of aggregate plasma levels of insulin, TNF-α, IL-1β, and C-reactive peptide were limited. However, when separated into tertiles with regard to vascular outcomes, insulin resistance and hypertension were predictive of the most severe vascular impairments. Taken together, these data suggest that aggregate insulin resistance, inflammation, and hypertension in UCMS mice are not robust predictors of vascular dysfunction, suggesting that unidentified mechanisms may be superior predictors of poor vascular outcomes in this model.

scholarly journals Peptide Selank Enhances the Effect of Diazepam in Reducing Anxiety in Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Conditions in Rats

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasiya Kasian ◽  
Timur Kolomin ◽  
Lyudmila Andreeva ◽  
Elena Bondarenko ◽  
Nikolay Myasoedov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Anxiolytic Effect ◽  
Chronic Mild Stress ◽  
Stress Conditions ◽  
Mild Stress ◽  
Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress ◽  
Elevated Plus Maze Test ◽  
Plus Maze ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Benzodiazepine Drugs

It was shown that the anxiolytic effect of Selank is comparable to that of classical benzodiazepine drugs and that the basis of their mechanism of action may be similar. These data suggest that the presence of Selank may change the action of classical benzodiazepine drugs. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the anxiolytic activity of Selank and diazepam in rats both under conditions of unpredictable chronic mild stress and in its absence, after the individual and combined administration of these compounds using the elevated plus maze test. We found that, even in the absence of chronic stress, the administration of a course of test substances changed anxiety indicators toward their deterioration, but the changes after the administration of a course of Selank were less pronounced. In conditions of chronic stress, anxiety indicator values after the simultaneous use of diazepam and Selank did not differ from the respective values observed before chronic stress exposure. The data obtained indicate that the individual administration of Selank was the most effective in reducing elevated levels of anxiety, induced by the administration of a course of test substances, whereas the combination of diazepam with Selank was the most effective in reducing anxiety in unpredictable chronic mild stress conditions.

scholarly journals REM sleep: unique associations with behavior, corticosterone regulation and apoptotic pathways in chronic stress in mice

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Nollet ◽  
Harriet Hicks ◽  
Andrew P. McCarthy ◽  
Huihai Wu ◽  
Carla S. Möller-Levet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Rem Sleep ◽  
Chronic Mild Stress ◽  
Specific Aspect ◽  
Mild Stress ◽  
Rapid Eye Movement ◽  
Rapid Eye Movement Sleep ◽  
Apoptotic Pathways

AbstractOne of sleep’s putative functions is mediation of adaptation to waking experiences. Chronic stress is a common waking experience, however, which specific aspect of sleep is most responsive, and how sleep changes relate to behavioral disturbances and molecular correlates remain unknown. We quantified sleep, physical, endocrine and behavioral variables and the brain and blood transcriptome in mice exposed to nine weeks of unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS). Comparing 46 phenotypical variables revealed that rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMS), corticosterone regulation and coat state were most responsive to UCMS. REMS theta oscillations were enhanced whereas delta oscillations in non-REMS were unaffected. Transcripts affected by UCMS in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus and blood were associated with inflammatory and immune responses. A machine learning approach controlling for unspecific UCMS effects identified transcriptomic predictors for specific phenotypes and their overlap. Transcriptomic predictor sets for the inter-individual variation in REMS continuity and theta activity shared many pathways with corticosterone regulation and in particular pathways implicated in apoptosis, including mitochondrial pathways. Predictor sets for REMS and anhedonia, one of the behavioral changes following UCMS, shared pathways involved in oxidative stress, cell proliferation and apoptosis. RNA predictor sets for non-NREMS parameters showed no overlap with other phenotypes. These novel data identify REMS as a core and early element of the response to chronic stress, and identify apoptotic pathways as a putative mechanism by which REMS mediates adaptation to stressful waking experiences.Significance StatementSleep is responsive to experiences during wakefulness and is altered in stress-related disorders. Whether sleep changes primarily concern rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMS) or non-REM sleep, and how they correlate with stress hormones, behavioral and transcriptomic responses remained unknown. We demonstrate using unpredictable chronic (9-weeks) mild stress that REMS is the most responsive of all the measured sleep characteristics, and correlates with deficiency in corticosterone regulation. An unbiased machine learning, controlling for unspecific effects of stress, revealed that REMS correlated with RNA predictor sets enriched in apoptosis including mitochondrial pathways. Several pathways were shared with predictors of corticosterone and behavioral responses. This unbiased approach point to apoptosis as a molecular mechanism by which REMS mediates adaptation to an ecologically relevant waking experience.

scholarly journals Proteomic Insights Into Susceptibility and Resistance to Chronic-Stress-Induced Depression or Anxiety in the Rat Striatum

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Cai ◽  
Chen Yang ◽  
Jin Chen ◽  
Weibo Gong ◽  
Faping Yi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Chronic Mild Stress ◽  
Rat Striatum ◽  
Mild Stress ◽  
Absolute Quantitation ◽  
Protein Targets ◽  
Parallel Reaction Monitoring ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Depression Disorders ◽  
Isobaric Tags

Chronic stress is a key factor for the onset of anxiety and depression disorders. However, the stress-induced common and unique molecular basis of the two psychiatric disorders is not fully known and still needs to be explored. Previously, we employed a chronic mild stress (CMS) procedure to induce a rat model including depression-susceptible (Dep-Sus), anxiety-susceptible (Anx-Sus), and insusceptible (Insus) cohorts. In this work, we continuously analyze the striatal proteomes of the three stressed cohorts by the use of comparative proteomics and bioinformatics approaches. Through isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based analysis, 386 abnormally expressed proteins in total were identified. These deregulated proteins are involved in various biological functions and significant pathways that are potentially connected with resistance and susceptibility to CMS-caused anxious- or depressive-like behaviors and, hence, could act as suggestive protein targets. A further parallel reaction monitoring-based independent investigation shows that alterations in Pak5, Dgkg, Scn4b, Rb1cc1, and Acin1; Ggps1, Fntb, Nudt19, Ufd1, and Ndufab1; and Dnajb12, Hbb2, Ap2s1, Ip6k1, and Stk4 were specifically connected with Dep-Sus, Anx-Sus, or Insus groups, respectively, potentially indicating that identical CMS treatment results in the different changes in the striatal protein regulations. Overall, our current proteomics study of the striatum provides an important molecular foundation and comprehensive insights into common and specific deregulations correlated with pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie resistance and susceptibility to chronic stress–induced anxiety or depression.

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