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Cell-Type-Specific Epigenetic Editing at the Fosb Gene Controls Susceptibility to Social Defeat Stress.

ABSTRACT: Chronic social defeat stress regulates the expression of Fosb in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) to promote the cell-type-specific accumulation of ?FosB in the two medium spiny neuron (MSN) subtypes in this region. ?FosB is selectively induced in D1-MSNs in the NAc of resilient mice, and in D2-MSNs of susceptible mice. However, little is known about the consequences of such selective induction, particularly in D2-MSNs. This study examined how cell-type-specific control of the endogenous Fosb gene in NAc regulates susceptibility to social defeat stress. Histone post-translational modifications (HPTMs) were targeted specifically to Fosb using engineered zinc-finger proteins (ZFPs). Fosb-ZFPs were fused to either the transcriptional repressor, G9a, which promotes histone methylation or the transcriptional activator, p65, which promotes histone acetylation. These ZFPs were expressed in D1- vs D2-MSNs using Cre-dependent viral expression in the NAc of mice transgenic for Cre recombinase in these MSN subtypes. We found that stress susceptibility is oppositely regulated by the specific cell type and HPTM targeted. We report that Fosb-targeted histone acetylation in D2-MSNs or histone methylation in D1-MSNs promotes a stress-susceptible, depressive-like phenotype, while histone methylation in D2-MSNs or histone acetylation in D1-MSNs increases resilience to social stress as quantified by social interaction behavior and sucrose preference. This work presents the first demonstration of cell- and gene-specific targeting of histone modifications, which model naturally occurring transcriptional phenomena that control social defeat stress behavior. This epigenetic-editing approach, which recapitulates physiological changes in gene expression, reveals clear differences in the social defeat phenotype induced by Fosb gene manipulation in MSN subtypes.

SUBMITTER: Hamilton PJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5729576 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Cell-Type-Specific Epigenetic Editing at the Fosb Gene Controls Susceptibility to Social Defeat Stress.

Hamilton Peter J PJ Burek Dominika J DJ Lombroso Sonia I SI Neve Rachael L RL Robison Alfred J AJ Nestler Eric J EJ Heller Elizabeth A EA

Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology 20170502 2

Chronic social defeat stress regulates the expression of Fosb in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) to promote the cell-type-specific accumulation of ΔFosB in the two medium spiny neuron (MSN) subtypes in this region. ΔFosB is selectively induced in D1-MSNs in the NAc of resilient mice, and in D2-MSNs of susceptible mice. However, little is known about the consequences of such selective induction, particularly in D2-MSNs. This study examined how cell-type-specific control of the endogenous Fosb gene in ...[more]

PMID: 28462942

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Project description:Dysregulation of innate immune responses has frequently been reported in stress-associated psychiatric disorders such as major depression. In mice, enhanced circulating cytokine levels as well as altered innate immune cell numbers have been found after stress exposure. In addition, stress-induced recruitment of peripheral monocytes to the brain has been shown to promote anxiety-like behavior. However, it is yet unclear whether specific differences in the innate immune system are associated with stress susceptibility or resilience in mice. Utilizing chronic social defeat, a model of depression and stress vulnerability, we characterized peripheral and brain-invading myeloid cells in stress-susceptible and resilient animals. In all defeated animals, we found reduced percentages of CD11c+ dendritic cells (DCs) by flow cytometry in the spleen when compared to non-defeated controls. Exclusively in susceptible mice conventional DCs of the spleen showed up-regulated expression of MHC class II and co-stimulatory CD80 molecules pointing toward an enhanced maturation phenotype of these cells. Susceptible, but not resilient animals further exhibited an increase in inflammatory Ly6Chi monocytes and higher numbers of spleen-derived CD11b+ cells that produced the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Increased percentages of peripheral CD45hi CD11b+ cells immigrated into the brain of defeated mice, regardless of resilience or susceptibility. However, cellular infiltrates in the brain of susceptible mice contained higher percentages of CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2+) Ly6Chi monocytes representing an inflammatory phenotype. Thus, we defined specific stress-related immune signatures involving conventional DCs and inflammatory Ly6Chi monocytes in susceptible and resilient mice. Together, our findings suggest an impact of the innate immune system in vulnerability to stress-related disorders such as major depression.

Dataset Information

Cell-Type-Specific Epigenetic Editing at the Fosb Gene Controls Susceptibility to Social Defeat Stress.

Publications

Cell-Type-Specific Epigenetic Editing at the Fosb Gene Controls Susceptibility to Social Defeat Stress.

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