The current study used two inbred mouse strains, C57BL/6 J and A/J, to investigate the genetics of behavioral responses to fentanyl. Mice were tested for conditioned place preference and fentanyl-induced locomotor activity. C57BL/6J mice formed a conditioned place preference to fentanyl injections and fentanyl increased their activity. Neither effect was noted in A/J mice. We conducted RNA-sequencing on the nucleus accumbens of mice used for fentanyl-induced locomotor activity. Surprisingly, we noted few differentially expressed genes using treatment as the main factor. However many genes differed between strains.
Authors:
Samuel J Harp, Mariangela Martini, Will Rosenow, Larry D Mesner, Hugh Johnson, Charles R Farber, Emilie F Rissman
The current study used two inbred mouse strains, C57BL/6 J and A/J, to investigate the genetics of behavioral responses to fentanyl. Mice were tested for conditioned place preference and fentanyl-induced locomotor activity. C57BL/6J mice formed a conditioned place preference to fentanyl injections and fentanyl increased their activity. Neither effect was noted in A/J mice. We conducted RNA-sequencing on the nucleus accumbens of mice used for fentanyl-induced locomotor activity. Surprisingly, we noted few differentially expressed genes using treatment as the main factor. However many genes differed between strains.
Authors:
Samuel J Harp, Mariangela Martini, Will Rosenow, Larry D Mesner, Hugh Johnson, Charles R Farber, Emilie F Rissman
The current study used two inbred mouse strains, C57BL/6 J and A/J, to investigate the genetics of behavioral responses to fentanyl. Mice were tested for conditioned place preference and fentanyl-induced locomotor activity. C57BL/6J mice formed a conditioned place preference to fentanyl injections and fentanyl increased their activity. Neither effect was noted in A/J mice. We conducted RNA-sequencing on the nucleus accumbens of mice used for fentanyl-induced locomotor activity. Surprisingly, we noted few differentially expressed genes using treatment as the main factor. However many genes differed between strains.
Authors:
Samuel J Harp, Mariangela Martini, Will Rosenow, Larry D Mesner, Hugh Johnson, Charles R Farber, Emilie F Rissman
Transcriptomic analysis of gene expression in the nucleus accumbens somatostatin interneurons of male 8�12-week-old Sst-Cre mice or Sst-Cre x TLG498 (SST-TLG498) mice following repeated cocaine intake. Expression was measured via RNA-seq. Values presented are p-values. Data taken from Supplementary Data 1. Data can be accessed at GEO with accession number: GSE116484.A7
Authors:
Efrain A Ribeiro, Marine Salery, Joseph R Scarpa, Erin S Calipari, Peter J Hamilton, Stacy M Ku, Hope Kronman, Immanuel Purushothaman, Barbara Juarez, Mitra Heshmati, Marie Doyle, Casey Lardner, Dominicka Burek, Ana Strat, Stephen Pirpinias, Ezekiell Mouzon, Ming-Hu Han, Rachael L Neve, Rosemary C Bagot, Andrew Kasarskis, Ja Wook Koo, Eric J Nestler
Differential gene expression in nucleus accumbens somatostatin interneurons_cocaine_mice_logFC
Description:
To characterize transcriptional alterations that cocaine induces in these cells, we perform cell type-specific RNA-sequencing on FACS-isolated nuclei of somatostatin interneurons and identified 1100 DETs enriched for processes related to neural plasticity. To profile the entire (non poly-A selected) transcriptome of NAc somatostatin interneurons, we generated a transgenic reporter line (SST-TLG498 mice) to label the nuclei of these cells with a modified form of EGFP that is retained in the nuclear membrane (EGFP-F)22, enabling their isolation from NAc dissections using FACS. We succeeded in FACS-isolating nuclei suitable for RNA-sequencing from individual SST-TLG498 mice. We proceeded with differential expression analysis of the RNA-sequencing data to identify differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) in NAc somatostatin interneurons in response to repeated cocaine exposure: 778 transcripts were upregulated by cocaine and 322 were downregulated.
Authors:
Efrain A Ribeiro, Marine Salery, Joseph R Scarpa, Erin S Calipari, Peter J Hamilton, Stacy M Ku, Hope Kronman, Immanuel Purushothaman, Barbara Juarez, Mitra Heshmati, Marie Doyle, Casey Lardner, Dominicka Burek, Ana Strat, Stephen Pirpinias, Ezekiell Mouzon, Ming-Hu Han, Rachael L Neve, Rosemary C Bagot, Andrew Kasarskis, Ja Wook Koo, Eric J Nestler
Differential gene expression in nucleus accumbens somatostatin interneurons_cocaine_mice_pvalue
Description:
To characterize transcriptional alterations that cocaine induces in these cells, we perform cell type-specific RNA-sequencing on FACS-isolated nuclei of somatostatin interneurons and identified 1100 DETs enriched for processes related to neural plasticity. To profile the entire (non poly-A selected) transcriptome of NAc somatostatin interneurons, we generated a transgenic reporter line (SST-TLG498 mice) to label the nuclei of these cells with a modified form of EGFP that is retained in the nuclear membrane (EGFP-F)22, enabling their isolation from NAc dissections using FACS. We succeeded in FACS-isolating nuclei suitable for RNA-sequencing from individual SST-TLG498 mice. We proceeded with differential expression analysis of the RNA-sequencing data to identify differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) in NAc somatostatin interneurons in response to repeated cocaine exposure: 778 transcripts were upregulated by cocaine and 322 were downregulated.
Authors:
Efrain A Ribeiro, Marine Salery, Joseph R Scarpa, Erin S Calipari, Peter J Hamilton, Stacy M Ku, Hope Kronman, Immanuel Purushothaman, Barbara Juarez, Mitra Heshmati, Marie Doyle, Casey Lardner, Dominicka Burek, Ana Strat, Stephen Pirpinias, Ezekiell Mouzon, Ming-Hu Han, Rachael L Neve, Rosemary C Bagot, Andrew Kasarskis, Ja Wook Koo, Eric J Nestler
The current study used two inbred mouse strains, C57BL/6 J and A/J, to investigate the genetics of behavioral responses to fentanyl. Mice were tested for conditioned place preference and fentanyl-induced locomotor activity. C57BL/6J mice formed a conditioned place preference to fentanyl injections and fentanyl increased their activity. Neither effect was noted in A/J mice. We conducted RNA-sequencing on the nucleus accumbens of mice used for fentanyl-induced locomotor activity. Surprisingly, we noted few differentially expressed genes using treatment as the main factor. However many genes differed between strains.
Authors:
Samuel J Harp, Mariangela Martini, Will Rosenow, Larry D Mesner, Hugh Johnson, Charles R Farber, Emilie F Rissman
Alcohol transcriptome changes in mice microglia log2FC
Description:
Microglia are fundamentally important immune cells within the central nervous system (CNS) that respond to environmental challenges to maintain normal physiological processes. Alterations in steady-state cellular function and over-activation of microglia can facilitate the initiation and progression of neuropathological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Major Depressive Disorder. Alcohol consumption disrupts signaling pathways including both innate and adaptive immune responses that are necessary for CNS homeostasis. Coordinate expression of these genes is not ascertained from an admixture of CNS cell-types, underscoring the importance of examining isolated cellular populations to reveal systematic gene expression changes arising from mature microglia. Unbiased RNA-Seq profiling was used to identify gene expression changes in isolated prefrontal cortical microglia in response to recurring bouts of voluntary alcohol drinking behavior. The voluntary ethanol paradigm utilizes long-term consumption ethanol that results in escalated alcohol intake and altered cortical plasticity that is seen in humans. Gene coexpression analysis identified a coordinately regulated group of genes, unique to microglia, that collectively are associated with alcohol consumption. Genes within this group are involved in toll-like receptor signaling and transforming growth factor beta signaling. Network connectivity of this group identified Siglech as a putative hub gene and highlighted the potential importance of proteases in the microglial response to chronic ethanol. In conclusion, we identified a distinctive microglial gene expression signature for neuroimmune responses related to alcohol consumption that provides valuable insight into microglia-specific changes underlying the development of substance abuse, and possibly other CNS disorders.
Authors:
Gizelle M McCarthy, Sean P Farris, Yuri A Blednov, R Adron Harris, R Dayne Mayfield
Alcohol transcriptome changes in mice microglia total homogenate log2FC
Description:
Microglia are fundamentally important immune cells within the central nervous system (CNS) that respond to environmental challenges to maintain normal physiological processes. Alterations in steady-state cellular function and over-activation of microglia can facilitate the initiation and progression of neuropathological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Major Depressive Disorder. Alcohol consumption disrupts signaling pathways including both innate and adaptive immune responses that are necessary for CNS homeostasis. Coordinate expression of these genes is not ascertained from an admixture of CNS cell-types, underscoring the importance of examining isolated cellular populations to reveal systematic gene expression changes arising from mature microglia. Unbiased RNA-Seq profiling was used to identify gene expression changes in isolated prefrontal cortical microglia in response to recurring bouts of voluntary alcohol drinking behavior. The voluntary ethanol paradigm utilizes long-term consumption ethanol that results in escalated alcohol intake and altered cortical plasticity that is seen in humans. Gene coexpression analysis identified a coordinately regulated group of genes, unique to microglia, that collectively are associated with alcohol consumption. Genes within this group are involved in toll-like receptor signaling and transforming growth factor beta signaling. Network connectivity of this group identified Siglech as a putative hub gene and highlighted the potential importance of proteases in the microglial response to chronic ethanol. In conclusion, we identified a distinctive microglial gene expression signature for neuroimmune responses related to alcohol consumption that provides valuable insight into microglia-specific changes underlying the development of substance abuse, and possibly other CNS disorders.
Authors:
Gizelle M McCarthy, Sean P Farris, Yuri A Blednov, R Adron Harris, R Dayne Mayfield
DEG male mouse forebrain PND1 morphine vs saline_pvalue
Description:
To examine forebrain transcriptomic changes that might elucidate mechanisms of withdrawal, delayed development, and any long-term behavior changes, we generated transcriptomic signatures following our “3-trimester” exposure model (3-Tri). In addition, we also examined transcriptomes from animals that received opioids only during the gestational period (PND1) or only during the last trimester from PND 1–14 (PND 14). We sought to determine whether transcriptomic signatures vary based on the window of exposure, perhaps contributing to the discrepancies in the literature regarding acute and long-term outcomes. Brains were dissected from PND 1 pups 6 h after discovery. Brains were dissected from post-natal exposure only (PND 14) or 3-trimester exposure (3-tri) 6 h after the last morphine or saline injection. The number of animals per group was similar (N = 5–7 animals, male and female C57Bl/6NTac mice), and the quality controls, library construction and sequence parameters were also identical across all groups. Libraries were sequenced on a NovaSeq 6000 at a depth of 30 million total reads/sample using paired-end sequencing of 150 base pairs (PE150), to a depth of 30 million total reads/sample. Reads were then mapped to the mouse reference genome (Mus Musculus, GRCm38/mm10) using HISAT2 (version 2.2.1), and duplicated fragments were removed using Picard MarkDuplicates. Differential expression analysis between two conditions (e.g., Morphine and Saline) was performed in R (version 4.1.1) with DESeq2 (v1.32.0) package. Genes were assigned by the authors as differentially expressed if the (adjusted) (nominal) p-value < 0.05. All genes/scores are presented here.
Authors:
Amelia D Dunn, Shivon A Robinson, Chiso Nwokafor, Molly Estill, Julia Ferrante, Li Shen, Crystal O Lemchi, Jordi Creus-Muncunill, Angie Ramirez, Juliet Mengaziol, Julia K Brynildsen, Mark Leggas, Jamie Horn, Michelle E Ehrlich, Julie A Blendy
Small intestine transcriptome changes in morphine treated mice. Eight-week-old, pathogen free, C57BL/6 male mice were used for this study (morphine n = 5, control n = 5). The animals were anesthetized using isoflurane (Pivetal®) and a 25mg slow-release morphine pellet or placebo pellet was implanted subcutaneously. Treatment lasted 16 hours. mRNA was purified from total RNA from using poly T-magnetic beads and strand specific library was constructed by using NEBNext Ultra RNA library prep kit. After quality control, the libraries were sequenced paired end by using Illumina sequencers (Illumina HiSeq 4000) for a read length of 150 base pairs. Clean reads were mapped to the mouse transcriptome using “STAR” software. The subsequent differential gene expression analysis was performed using DESeq2 R package (log2 (Fold change) > 1, P adj<0.05).
Genes identified as expressed higher (up) in the AJ strain than in the AJ strain. Differentially expressed genes had a Q-value < 0.05 following the Benjamini-Hochberg methodology for false discovery rates in the limma+voom pipeline within edgeR. Q-value is reported from the topTable function.
Alcohol hypothalamus gene expression in females logFC
Description:
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic, relapsing syndrome diagnosed by a heteroge- neous set of behavioral signs and symptoms. There are no laboratory tests that provide direct objective evidence for diagnosis. Microarray and RNA-Seq technologies enable genome-wide transcriptome profiling at low costs and provide an opportunity to identify bio- markers to facilitate diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of patients. However, access to brain tissue in living patients is not possible. Blood contains cellular and extracellular RNAs that provide disease-relevant information for some brain diseases. We hypothesized that blood gene expression profiles can be used to diagnose AUD. We profiled brain (prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hypothalamus) and blood gene expression levels in C57BL/6J mice using RNA-seq one week after chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure, a mouse model of alcohol dependence. We found a high degree of preservation (rho range: [0.50, 0.67]) between blood and brain transcript levels. There was small overlap between blood and brain DEGs, and considerable overlap of gene networks perturbed after CIE related to cell- cell signaling (e.g., GABA and glutamate receptor signaling), immune responses (e.g., anti- gen presentation), and protein processing / mitochondrial functioning (e.g., ubiquitination, oxidative phosphorylation). Blood gene expression data were used to train classifiers (logis- tic regression, random forest, and partial least squares discriminant analysis), which were highly accurate at predicting alcohol dependence status (maximum AUC: 90.1%). These results suggest that gene expression profiles from peripheral blood samples contain a bio- logical signature of alcohol dependence that can discriminate between CIE and Air subjects.
Authors:
Laura B Ferguson, Amanda J Roberts, R Dayne Mayfield, Robert O Messing
Alcohol hypothalamus gene expression in females q-value
Description:
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic, relapsing syndrome diagnosed by a heteroge- neous set of behavioral signs and symptoms. There are no laboratory tests that provide direct objective evidence for diagnosis. Microarray and RNA-Seq technologies enable genome-wide transcriptome profiling at low costs and provide an opportunity to identify bio- markers to facilitate diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of patients. However, access to brain tissue in living patients is not possible. Blood contains cellular and extracellular RNAs that provide disease-relevant information for some brain diseases. We hypothesized that blood gene expression profiles can be used to diagnose AUD. We profiled brain (prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hypothalamus) and blood gene expression levels in C57BL/6J mice using RNA-seq one week after chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure, a mouse model of alcohol dependence. We found a high degree of preservation (rho range: [0.50, 0.67]) between blood and brain transcript levels. There was small overlap between blood and brain DEGs, and considerable overlap of gene networks perturbed after CIE related to cell- cell signaling (e.g., GABA and glutamate receptor signaling), immune responses (e.g., anti- gen presentation), and protein processing / mitochondrial functioning (e.g., ubiquitination, oxidative phosphorylation). Blood gene expression data were used to train classifiers (logis- tic regression, random forest, and partial least squares discriminant analysis), which were highly accurate at predicting alcohol dependence status (maximum AUC: 90.1%). These results suggest that gene expression profiles from peripheral blood samples contain a bio- logical signature of alcohol dependence that can discriminate between CIE and Air subjects.
Authors:
Laura B Ferguson, Amanda J Roberts, R Dayne Mayfield, Robert O Messing
Alcohol hypothalamus gene expression in males logFC
Description:
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic, relapsing syndrome diagnosed by a heteroge- neous set of behavioral signs and symptoms. There are no laboratory tests that provide direct objective evidence for diagnosis. Microarray and RNA-Seq technologies enable genome-wide transcriptome profiling at low costs and provide an opportunity to identify bio- markers to facilitate diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of patients. However, access to brain tissue in living patients is not possible. Blood contains cellular and extracellular RNAs that provide disease-relevant information for some brain diseases. We hypothesized that blood gene expression profiles can be used to diagnose AUD. We profiled brain (prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hypothalamus) and blood gene expression levels in C57BL/6J mice using RNA-seq one week after chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure, a mouse model of alcohol dependence. We found a high degree of preservation (rho range: [0.50, 0.67]) between blood and brain transcript levels. There was small overlap between blood and brain DEGs, and considerable overlap of gene networks perturbed after CIE related to cell- cell signaling (e.g., GABA and glutamate receptor signaling), immune responses (e.g., anti- gen presentation), and protein processing / mitochondrial functioning (e.g., ubiquitination, oxidative phosphorylation). Blood gene expression data were used to train classifiers (logis- tic regression, random forest, and partial least squares discriminant analysis), which were highly accurate at predicting alcohol dependence status (maximum AUC: 90.1%). These results suggest that gene expression profiles from peripheral blood samples contain a bio- logical signature of alcohol dependence that can discriminate between CIE and Air subjects.
Authors:
Laura B Ferguson, Amanda J Roberts, R Dayne Mayfield, Robert O Messing
Alcohol hypothalamus gene expression in males q-value
Description:
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic, relapsing syndrome diagnosed by a heteroge- neous set of behavioral signs and symptoms. There are no laboratory tests that provide direct objective evidence for diagnosis. Microarray and RNA-Seq technologies enable genome-wide transcriptome profiling at low costs and provide an opportunity to identify bio- markers to facilitate diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of patients. However, access to brain tissue in living patients is not possible. Blood contains cellular and extracellular RNAs that provide disease-relevant information for some brain diseases. We hypothesized that blood gene expression profiles can be used to diagnose AUD. We profiled brain (prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hypothalamus) and blood gene expression levels in C57BL/6J mice using RNA-seq one week after chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure, a mouse model of alcohol dependence. We found a high degree of preservation (rho range: [0.50, 0.67]) between blood and brain transcript levels. There was small overlap between blood and brain DEGs, and considerable overlap of gene networks perturbed after CIE related to cell- cell signaling (e.g., GABA and glutamate receptor signaling), immune responses (e.g., anti- gen presentation), and protein processing / mitochondrial functioning (e.g., ubiquitination, oxidative phosphorylation). Blood gene expression data were used to train classifiers (logis- tic regression, random forest, and partial least squares discriminant analysis), which were highly accurate at predicting alcohol dependence status (maximum AUC: 90.1%). These results suggest that gene expression profiles from peripheral blood samples contain a bio- logical signature of alcohol dependence that can discriminate between CIE and Air subjects.
Authors:
Laura B Ferguson, Amanda J Roberts, R Dayne Mayfield, Robert O Messing
DEG male mouse forebrain 3-tri morphine vs saline_pvalue
Description:
To examine forebrain transcriptomic changes that might elucidate mechanisms of withdrawal, delayed development, and any long-term behavior changes, we generated transcriptomic signatures following our “3-trimester” exposure model (3-Tri). In addition, we also examined transcriptomes from animals that received opioids only during the gestational period (PND1) or only during the last trimester from PND 1–14 (PND 14). We sought to determine whether transcriptomic signatures vary based on the window of exposure, perhaps contributing to the discrepancies in the literature regarding acute and long-term outcomes. Brains were dissected from PND 1 pups 6 h after discovery. Brains were dissected from post-natal exposure only (PND 14) or 3-trimester exposure (3-tri) 6 h after the last morphine or saline injection. The number of animals per group was similar (N = 5–7 animals, male and female C57Bl/6NTac mice), and the quality controls, library construction and sequence parameters were also identical across all groups. Libraries were sequenced on a NovaSeq 6000 at a depth of 30 million total reads/sample using paired-end sequencing of 150 base pairs (PE150), to a depth of 30 million total reads/sample. Reads were then mapped to the mouse reference genome (Mus Musculus, GRCm38/mm10) using HISAT2 (version 2.2.1), and duplicated fragments were removed using Picard MarkDuplicates. Differential expression analysis between two conditions (e.g., Morphine and Saline) was performed in R (version 4.1.1) with DESeq2 (v1.32.0) package. Genes were assigned by the authors as differentially expressed if the (adjusted) (nominal) p-value < 0.05. All genes/scores are presented here.
Authors:
Amelia D Dunn, Shivon A Robinson, Chiso Nwokafor, Molly Estill, Julia Ferrante, Li Shen, Crystal O Lemchi, Jordi Creus-Muncunill, Angie Ramirez, Juliet Mengaziol, Julia K Brynildsen, Mark Leggas, Jamie Horn, Michelle E Ehrlich, Julie A Blendy
Differential gene expression in brainstems of neonatal mice associated with repeated morphine exposure_logFC
Description:
Neonatal outbred Swiss Webster Cartworth Farms White (CFW) mice were administered morphine (15 mg/kg, s.c.) twice daily from postnatal day 1 (P1) to P14, an approximation of the third trimester of human gestation. Female and male mice underwent behavioral testing on P7 and P14 to determine the impact of opioid exposure on anxiety and pain sensitivity. Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) and daily body weights were also recorded. Brainstems containing pons and medulla were collected during morphine withdrawal on P14 for RNA sequencing. Morphine induced weight loss from P2 to P14, which persisted during adolescence (P21) and adulthood (P50). USVs markedly increased at P7 in females, emerging earlier than males. On P7 and P14, both morphine-exposed female and male mice displayed hyperalgesia on the hot plate and tail-flick assays, with females showing greater hyperalgesia than males. Morphine-exposed mice exhibited increased anxiety-like behavior in the open-field arena on P21. Transcriptome analysis of the brainstem, an area implicated in opioid withdrawal and NOWS, identified pathways enriched for noradrenergic signaling in females and males. We also found sex-specific pathways related to mitochondrial function and neurodevelopment in females and circadian entrainment in males.
Differential gene expression in brainstems of neonatal mice associated with repeated morphine exposure_pvalue
Description:
Neonatal outbred Swiss Webster Cartworth Farms White (CFW) mice were administered morphine (15 mg/kg, s.c.) twice daily from postnatal day 1 (P1) to P14, an approximation of the third trimester of human gestation. Female and male mice underwent behavioral testing on P7 and P14 to determine the impact of opioid exposure on anxiety and pain sensitivity. Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) and daily body weights were also recorded. Brainstems containing pons and medulla were collected during morphine withdrawal on P14 for RNA sequencing. Morphine induced weight loss from P2 to P14, which persisted during adolescence (P21) and adulthood (P50). USVs markedly increased at P7 in females, emerging earlier than males. On P7 and P14, both morphine-exposed female and male mice displayed hyperalgesia on the hot plate and tail-flick assays, with females showing greater hyperalgesia than males. Morphine-exposed mice exhibited increased anxiety-like behavior in the open-field arena on P21. Transcriptome analysis of the brainstem, an area implicated in opioid withdrawal and NOWS, identified pathways enriched for noradrenergic signaling in females and males. We also found sex-specific pathways related to mitochondrial function and neurodevelopment in females and circadian entrainment in males.
DEG female mouse forebrain PND14 morphine vs saline_pvalue
Description:
To examine forebrain transcriptomic changes that might elucidate mechanisms of withdrawal, delayed development, and any long-term behavior changes, we generated transcriptomic signatures following our “3-trimester” exposure model (3-Tri). In addition, we also examined transcriptomes from animals that received opioids only during the gestational period (PND1) or only during the last trimester from PND 1–14 (PND 14). We sought to determine whether transcriptomic signatures vary based on the window of exposure, perhaps contributing to the discrepancies in the literature regarding acute and long-term outcomes. Brains were dissected from PND 1 pups 6 h after discovery. Brains were dissected from post-natal exposure only (PND 14) or 3-trimester exposure (3-tri) 6 h after the last morphine or saline injection. The number of animals per group was similar (N = 5–7 animals, male and female C57Bl/6NTac mice), and the quality controls, library construction and sequence parameters were also identical across all groups. Libraries were sequenced on a NovaSeq 6000 at a depth of 30 million total reads/sample using paired-end sequencing of 150 base pairs (PE150), to a depth of 30 million total reads/sample. Reads were then mapped to the mouse reference genome (Mus Musculus, GRCm38/mm10) using HISAT2 (version 2.2.1), and duplicated fragments were removed using Picard MarkDuplicates. Differential expression analysis between two conditions (e.g., Morphine and Saline) was performed in R (version 4.1.1) with DESeq2 (v1.32.0) package. Genes were assigned by the authors as differentially expressed if the (adjusted) (nominal) p-value < 0.05. All genes/scores are presented here.
Authors:
Amelia D Dunn, Shivon A Robinson, Chiso Nwokafor, Molly Estill, Julia Ferrante, Li Shen, Crystal O Lemchi, Jordi Creus-Muncunill, Angie Ramirez, Juliet Mengaziol, Julia K Brynildsen, Mark Leggas, Jamie Horn, Michelle E Ehrlich, Julie A Blendy
Differential gene expression in brainstems of neonatal female mice associated with repeated morphine exposure_logFC
Description:
Neonatal outbred Swiss Webster Cartworth Farms White (CFW) mice were administered morphine (15 mg/kg, s.c.) twice daily from postnatal day 1 (P1) to P14, an approximation of the third trimester of human gestation. Female and male mice underwent behavioral testing on P7 and P14 to determine the impact of opioid exposure on anxiety and pain sensitivity. Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) and daily body weights were also recorded. Brainstems containing pons and medulla were collected during morphine withdrawal on P14 for RNA sequencing. Morphine induced weight loss from P2 to P14, which persisted during adolescence (P21) and adulthood (P50). USVs markedly increased at P7 in females, emerging earlier than males. On P7 and P14, both morphine-exposed female and male mice displayed hyperalgesia on the hot plate and tail-flick assays, with females showing greater hyperalgesia than males. Morphine-exposed mice exhibited increased anxiety-like behavior in the open-field arena on P21. Transcriptome analysis of the brainstem, an area implicated in opioid withdrawal and NOWS, identified pathways enriched for noradrenergic signaling in females and males. We also found sex-specific pathways related to mitochondrial function and neurodevelopment in females and circadian entrainment in males.
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