Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear hormone receptors that act as ligand-activated transcription factors. Although prescribed for dyslipidemia and type-II diabetes, PPAR agonists also possess anti-addictive characteristics. PPAR agonists decrease ethanol consumption and reduce withdrawal severity and susceptibility to stress-induced relapse in rodents. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms facilitating these properties have yet to be investigated. We tested three PPAR agonists in a continuous access two-bottle choice (2BC) drinking paradigm and found that tesaglitazar (PPARα/γ; 1.5 mg/kg) and fenofibrate (PPARα; 150 mg/kg) decreased ethanol consumption in male C57BL/6J mice while bezafibrate (PPARα/γ/β; 75 mg/kg) did not. We hypothesized that changes in brain gene expression following fenofibrate and tesaglitazar treatment lead to reduced ethanol drinking. We studied unbiased genomic profiles in areas of the brain known to be important for ethanol dependence, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and amygdala, and also profiled gene expression in liver. Genomic profiles from the non-effective bezafibrate treatment were used to filter out genes not associated with ethanol consumption. Because PPAR agonists are anti-inflammatory, they would be expected to target microglia and astrocytes. Surprisingly, PPAR agonists produced a strong neuronal signature in mouse brain, and fenofibrate and tesaglitazar (but not bezafibrate) targeted a subset of GABAergic interneurons in the amygdala. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed co-expression of treatment-significant genes. Functional annotation of these gene networks suggested that PPAR agonists might act via neuropeptide and dopaminergic signaling pathways in the amygdala. Our results reveal gene targets through which PPAR agonists can affect alcohol consumption behavior.
Authors:
Laura B Ferguson, Dana Most, Yuri A Blednov, R Adron Harris
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear hormone receptors that act as ligand-activated transcription factors. Although prescribed for dyslipidemia and type-II diabetes, PPAR agonists also possess anti-addictive characteristics. PPAR agonists decrease ethanol consumption and reduce withdrawal severity and susceptibility to stress-induced relapse in rodents. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms facilitating these properties have yet to be investigated. We tested three PPAR agonists in a continuous access two-bottle choice (2BC) drinking paradigm and found that tesaglitazar (PPARα/γ; 1.5 mg/kg) and fenofibrate (PPARα; 150 mg/kg) decreased ethanol consumption in male C57BL/6J mice while bezafibrate (PPARα/γ/β; 75 mg/kg) did not. We hypothesized that changes in brain gene expression following fenofibrate and tesaglitazar treatment lead to reduced ethanol drinking. We studied unbiased genomic profiles in areas of the brain known to be important for ethanol dependence, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and amygdala, and also profiled gene expression in liver. Genomic profiles from the non-effective bezafibrate treatment were used to filter out genes not associated with ethanol consumption. Because PPAR agonists are anti-inflammatory, they would be expected to target microglia and astrocytes. Surprisingly, PPAR agonists produced a strong neuronal signature in mouse brain, and fenofibrate and tesaglitazar (but not bezafibrate) targeted a subset of GABAergic interneurons in the amygdala. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed co-expression of treatment-significant genes. Functional annotation of these gene networks suggested that PPAR agonists might act via neuropeptide and dopaminergic signaling pathways in the amygdala. Our results reveal gene targets through which PPAR agonists can affect alcohol consumption behavior.
Authors:
Laura B Ferguson, Dana Most, Yuri A Blednov, R Adron Harris
Average rotarod training latency Chr# 12 rs13481614 (102385663) with right flanking marker rs33846822 (30605487) and left marker rs29187760 (115166913). This was mapped in 300 + (b6x129)F2 mice.
Ethanol induced LORR Chr# 12 rs6344105 (68860209) with right flanking marker rs3661760 (59053677) and left marker rs13481604(99317323). This was mapped in 300 + (b6x129)F2 mice.
cocaine related behavior 13 (Cocrb13) spans 85.558736 - 135.558736 Mbp (NCBI Build 37) on Chr 12. Obtained from MGI (http://www.informatics.jax.org) by searching for QTLs containing the keyword .
QTL for nicotine sensitivity on Chr12 at D12Mit233 (103.92 Mbp , Build 37)
Description:
nicotine sensitivity spans 78.92 - 128.92 Mbp (NCBI Build 37) on Chr12. This interval was obtained by using an interval width of 25 Mbp around the peak marker (Build 37, MGI, http://informatics.jax.org).
QTL for METH responses for home cage activity on Chr12 at Xmmv50 (106.21 Mbp , Build 37)
Description:
METH responses for home cage activity spans 81.21 - 131.21 Mbp (NCBI Build 37) on Chr12. This interval was obtained by using an interval width of 25 Mbp around the peak marker (Build 37, MGI, http://informatics.jax.org).
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
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
Microglia depletion and alcohol gene expression logFC
Description:
Alcohol abuse induces changes in microglia morphology and immune function, but whether microglia initiate or simply amplify the harmful effects of alcohol exposure is still a matter of debate. Here, we determine microglia function in acute and voluntary drinking behaviors using a colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor inhibitor (PLX5622). We show that microglia depletion does not alter the sedative or hypnotic effects of acute intoxication. Microglia depletion also does not change the escalation or maintenance of chronic voluntary alcohol consumption. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that although many immune genes have been implicated in alcohol abuse, down regulation of microglia genes does not necessitate changes in alcohol intake. Instead, microglia depletion and chronic alcohol result in compensatory upregulation of alcohol-responsive, reactive astrocyte genes, indicating astrocytes may play a role in regulation of these alcohol behaviors. Taken together, our behavioral and transcriptional data indicate that microglia are not theprimary effector cell responsible for regulation of acute and voluntary alcohol behaviors. Because microglia depletion did not regulate acute or voluntary alcohol behaviors, we hypothesized that these doses were insufficient to activate microglia and recruit them to an effector phenotype. Therefore, we used a model of repeated immune activation using polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid
We investigated the role of microglia in a mouse model of alcohol dependence using a colony stimulating factor 1 receptor inhibitor (PLX5622) to deplete microglia and a chronic intermittent ethanol vapor two-bottle choice drinking procedure. Additionally, we examined anxiety-like behavior during withdrawal. We then analyzed synaptic neuroadaptations in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and gene expression changes in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and CeA from the same animals used for behavioral studies.
Average rotarod training latency Chr# 5 rs13478110 (9741228) with right flanking marker rs13478092(3595407) and left marker rs3718776 (150393227). This was mapped in 300 + (b6x129)F2 mice.
Acute and chronic alcohol exposure was analyzed in 534 (C57BL/6J x C3H/HeJ)F2 mice. Behavioral testing was done using 5 traits, acute drug effect, forced ethanol drinking, withdrawal studies ethanol preference and stress induced ethanol drinking. The following QTL were found in a genome wide scan: Following the QTL is the Chromosome , cM location, and LOD score, Eih1 (Chr 1, 85 cM, LOD 6.6), Eih2 (Chr 7, 10 cM, LOD 3.6), Ceih1 (Chr 3, 55 cM, LOD 4.1), Ceih2 (Chr 6, 24.7 cM, LOD 4.1), Ceih3 (Chr 13, 39 cM, LOD 4.1), Eia1(Chr 1, 65 cM, LOD 10.3 and 10.4), Eiwa1 (Chr 7, 50 cM, LOD 4.4), Eiwa2(Chr 11, 43.1 cM, LOD 4.1),Aldd1(Chr 5, 42 cM, LOD 13.2), Aldd2(Chr 12, 18 cM, LOD 5.3),Eiwax1(Chr 1, 79 cM, LOD 6.5), Eiwax2(Chr 5, 59 cM, LOD 15.0), Eiwax3(Chr 12, 21 cM, LOD 3.6), Methp1(Chr 16, 31.4 cM, LOD 4.3), Mec1(Chr 16, 19.4 cM, LOD 5.1), Epbs1(Chr 16, 33 cM, LOD 4.1), Ecbs1(Chr 16, 29.4 cM, LOD 4.8), Mec2(Chr 1, 109 cM, LOD 3.9), Mec3(Chr 2, 109 cM, LOD 4.3), Mec4(Chr 5, 29 cM, LOD 3.9), Mec5(Chr 10, 2 cM, LOD 5.0), Mec6(Chr 15, 49 cM, LOD 5.2, 95% CI 6.7–56.7).
Authors:
Drews E, Rcz I, Lacava AD, Barth A, Bilkei-Gorz A, Wienker TF, Zimmer A
Ethanol Preference from BXD lines span 58586243-108586243. This interval was obtained by using an arbitrary interval width of 25 Mbp around the peak marker (Build 37, MGI, http://informatics.jax.org). Marker Loci associated with 10% Ethanol Preferences Drinking at p<0.05 (Two Tailed) in the BXD RI set and the Correlation Coefficient, p and Estimated LOD. D15Mit33 (83586243 NCBI 37) p=0.05, LOD=0.08 overall LOD BXD & Select Line 2.4.
QTL mapping results for B6D2F2 mice in regions provisionally identified in BXD RI mice for free-choice ethanol consumption. Peak D15Mit33 58586243-108586243. This interval was obtained by using an arbitrary interval width of 25 Mbp around the peak marker (Build 37, MGI, http://informatics.jax.org)
QTL for Voluntary Ethanol Consumption on LS x SS RI lines spans 43765164-93765164 .This interval was obtained by using an arbitrary interval width of 25 Mbp around the peak marker (Build 37, MGI, http://informatics.jax.org). Chr 15 D15Mit3 39 cM VEC (females) 0.02
Genes identified as expressed higher (up) in the AJ strain than in the NZO 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.
Genes identified as expressed higher (up) in the AJ strain than in the NZO 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.
Genes identified as expressed higher (up) in the AJ strain than in the NOD 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.
Genes identified as expressed higher (up) in the AJ strain than in the S129 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.
Genes identified as expressed higher (up) in the AJ strain than in the NOD 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.
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