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Alcohol consumption induces global gene expression changes in VTA dopaminergic neurons.

ABSTRACT: Alcoholism is associated with dysregulation in the neural circuitry that mediates motivated and goal-directed behaviors. The dopaminergic (DA) connection between the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the nucleus accumbens is viewed as a critical component of the neurocircuitry mediating alcohol's rewarding and behavioral effects. We sought to determine the effects of binge alcohol drinking on global gene expression in VTA DA neurons. Alcohol-preferring C57BL/6J × FVB/NJ F1 hybrid female mice were exposed to a modified drinking in the dark (DID) procedure for 3 weeks, while control animals had access to water only. Global gene expression of laser-captured tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive VTA DA neurons was measured using microarrays. A total of 644 transcripts were differentially expressed between the drinking and nondrinking mice, and 930 transcripts correlated with alcohol intake during the last 2 days of drinking in the alcohol group. Bioinformatics analysis of alcohol-responsive genes identified molecular pathways and networks perturbed in DA neurons by alcohol consumption, which included neuroimmune and epigenetic functions, alcohol metabolism and brain disorders. The majority of genes with high and specific expression in DA neurons were downregulated by or negatively correlated with alcohol consumption, suggesting a decreased activity of DA neurons in high drinking animals. These changes in the DA transcriptome provide a foundation for alcohol-induced neuroadaptations that may play a crucial role in the transition to addiction.

SUBMITTER: Marballi K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4785873 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Alcohol consumption induces global gene expression changes in VTA dopaminergic neurons.

Marballi K K Genabai N K NK Blednov Y A YA Harris R A RA Ponomarev I I

Genes, brain, and behavior 20151228 3

Alcoholism is associated with dysregulation in the neural circuitry that mediates motivated and goal-directed behaviors. The dopaminergic (DA) connection between the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the nucleus accumbens is viewed as a critical component of the neurocircuitry mediating alcohol's rewarding and behavioral effects. We sought to determine the effects of binge alcohol drinking on global gene expression in VTA DA neurons. Alcohol-preferring C57BL/6J × FVB/NJ F1 hybrid female mice were ...[more]

PMID: 26482798

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Project description:The cardinal clinical features of Parkinson's disease (PD) (rigidity, rest tremor, bradykinesia, and postural instability) result from selective loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. More specifically, dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) are much more susceptible to damage than the adjacent dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). This dichotomy is not only seen in human Parkinsons disease, but also in many animal models of PD, including administration of the mitochondrial toxin rotenone to rats, which replicates many of the behavioral and neuropathological features of PD. The factors underlying this selective vulnerability are unknown, but could be related to differences in neuronal circuitry, differences in glial support, or intrinsic differences between the neuronal populations of the two regions. Elucidation of these factors may lead to a greater understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of Parkinson's disease. We will determine gene expression profiles of untreated rat SNc and VTA dopaminergic neurons using laser capture microscopy to obtain region-specific neuronal mRNA. There are intrinsic differences in gene expression between dopaminergic neurons in the rat SNc and VTA that result in greater susceptibility of SNc neurons to degeneration in experimental parkinsonism. These differences may be related to dopamine metabolism, oxidative metabolism and stress, protein aggregation, or other unforseen pathways. We will compare gene expression profiles between SNc and VTA dopaminergic neurons in normal rats. No treatment or time points will be studied in this experiment. Animals will be anesthetized, sacrificed by decapitation, and brains frozen on dry ice. Frozen sections will be collected onto glass microscope slides and rapidly immunostained for tyrosine hydroxylase to identify dopaminergic neurons. SNc and VTA neurons (approx. 200 per sample) will be isolated using laser capture microscopy. Total RNA will be extracted and poly-A RNA will be amplified using a modified Eberwine protocol. aRNA will be sent to the centers for labeling and hybridization to Affymetrix rat U34A arrays. We have confirmed with the center that our aRNA protocol is compatible with the centers amplification protocols; in fact, it is essentially identical. We will be providing a two-round amplification product to the center for labeling and hybridization. We recognize that using RNA after three rounds of amplification may decrease sensitivity for low copy number transcripts, but favor this approach versus pooling our samples (which are inherently paired) at this point. We have discussed this point in detail with the center. SNc and VTA samples from eight animals (16 samples total) will be provided to mitigate differences specific to individual animals. With the assisatnce of the center, paired t-tests will be used to determine differential expression between the two regions. Permutational t-test analysis and/or Benjamini and Hochberg analysis of expression ratios will be used to protect against multiple comparisons. Selected differentially expressed genes will be validated on separate tissue samples using quantitative RT-PCR or in situ hybridization. WARNING: These data are identical to those represented in GEO Series GSE1157.

Project description:Alcohol consumption is an established risk factor for breast cancer and the association generally appears stronger among estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumors. However, the biological mechanisms underlying this association are not completely understood.We analyzed messenger RNA (mRNA) microarray data from both invasive breast tumors (N?=?602) and tumor-adjacent normal tissues (N?=?508) from participants diagnosed with breast cancer in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and NHSII. Multivariable linear regression, controlling for other known breast cancer risk factors, was used to identify differentially expressed genes by pre-diagnostic alcohol intake. For pathway analysis, we performed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Differentially expressed genes or enriched pathway-defined gene sets with false discovery rate (FDR) <0.1 identified in tumors were validated in RNA sequencing data of invasive breast tumors (N?=?166) from The Cancer Genome Atlas.No individual genes were significantly differentially expressed by alcohol consumption in the NHS/NHSII. However, GSEA identified 33 and 68 pathway-defined gene sets at FDR <0.1 among 471 ER+ and 127 ER- tumors, respectively, all of which were validated. Among ER+ tumors, consuming 10+ grams of alcohol per day (vs. 0) was associated with upregulation in RNA metabolism and transport, cell cycle regulation, and DNA repair, and downregulation in lipid metabolism. Among ER- tumors, in addition to upregulation in RNA processing and cell cycle, alcohol intake was linked to overexpression of genes involved in cytokine signaling, including interferon and transforming growth factor (TGF)-? signaling pathways, and translation and post-translational modifications. Lower lipid metabolism was observed in both ER+ tumors and ER+ tumor-adjacent normal samples. Most of the significantly enriched gene sets identified in ER- tumors showed a similar enrichment pattern among ER- tumor-adjacent normal tissues.Our data suggest that moderate alcohol consumption (i.e. 10+ grams/day, equivalent to one or more drinks/day) is associated with several specific and reproducible biological processes and pathways, which adds potential new insight into alcohol-related breast carcinogenesis.

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Alcohol consumption induces global gene expression changes in VTA dopaminergic neurons.

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Alcohol consumption induces global gene expression changes in VTA dopaminergic neurons.

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