Voluntary alcohol consumption QTL 1. In the AXB/BXA RI series, significant linkage to alcohol preference mapped to 107 cM on mouse Chromosome 2 near D2Mit74 (LOD=6.13). This locus accounts for 30% of the variance in male and female mice and is named Vacq1 (voluntary alcohol consumption QTL 1). The Vacq1 QTL interval is defined by markers D2Mit148 (105 cM) and D2Mit266 (109 cM). C57BL/6J-derived alleles at Vacq1 confer increased alcohol consumption. Potential candidate genes for Vacq1 are Ntsr1 (107 cM) and Chrna4 (108 cM). Vacq1 appears to be influenced by a locus on mouse Chromosome 15 named Vacq2 (voluntary alcohol consumption QTL 2). Animals homozygous for C57BL/6J-derived alleles at both Vacq1 and Vacq2 exhibit significantly increased alcohol preference.
Genes that have regions with differential 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) levels in response to cocaine in adult (8-10 week) male C57BL/6J mice. 5hmC levels were measured via 5hmC-seq. Data taken from Supplementary Table 2. Values presented are p-values. Data available at GEO with accession number GSE63749.
Authors:
Jian Feng, Ningyi Shao, Keith E Szulwach, Vincent Vialou, Jimmy Huynh, Chun Zhong, Thuc Le, Deveroux Ferguson, Michael E Cahill, Yujing Li, Ja Wook Koo, Efrain Ribeiro, Benoit Labonte, Benjamin M Laitman, David Estey, Victoria Stockman, Pamela Kennedy, Thomas Couroussé, Isaac Mensah, Gustavo Turecki, Kym F Faull, Guo-li Ming, Hongjun Song, Guoping Fan, Patrizia Casaccia, Li Shen, Peng Jin, Eric J Nestler
Alcohol transcriptome changes in mice microglia total homogenate p-value
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
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
GeneWeaver