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Neuroinflammatory gene expression changes in the brain in a rat model of Gulf War Illness – effects of rosiglitazone

ABSTRACT: Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a diverse set of neurologic and systemic symptoms affecting many veterans deployed in the Persian Gulf War, but its etiology is unknown and treatment options are limited. Veterans with GWI were exposed to a variety of agents, including pyridostigmine bromide, used as prophylaxis against nerve agents, intranasal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from desert sandstorms, and chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) from combat. Here, we investigated the gene expression effects of these three Gulf War-related exposures (GWE) in adult rat frontal cortex (FC) and lateral amygdala (LA) using Clariom S microarrays. We found 138 transcript clusters (TCs) in LA and 38 TCs in FC differentially expressed between the group with GWE (n=2) compared to naïve controls (n=3, FDR <10%). These TCs included genes involved in inflammation such as Fosb (pmin=1.02e-5) and Junb (pmin=1.13e-5). Gene ontology analysis found enrichment of differentially expressed genes in “T cell differentiation” (pmin=8.71e-5) and “response to organophosphorus” (pmin=1.74e-8), among other categories. Lastly, we found that prophylactic treatment with rosiglitazone, a PPAR- agonist, reduced gene expression changes associated with GWE (in LA: 115/138 [83.3%] TCs with reduced changes, χ2=61.33, p=4.82e-15). These results suggest our rat model of GWI is associated with gene expression changes related to neuroinflammation and that some of these molecular changes may be mitigated by rosiglitazone prophylaxis.

ORGANISM(S): Rattus norvegicus

PROVIDER: GSE165221 | GEO | 2021/06/01

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a complex condition that involves multiple organ systems and is characterized by an abrupt or delayed onset of persistent/relapsing symptomatology such as memory and other neurological problems, muscle and joint pain, gastrointestinal issues, hormonal imbalance, immune dysfunction and debilitating fatigue. Currently, treatment of the condition relies solely on management of symptomatology and improvement in quality of life due to a lack of knowledgeof the underlying mechanisms of disease onset and progression. An improved understanding of the key mechanisms of GWI and dysfunction within regulatory systems will lead to more objective diagnosis methods and adequate management of patients by providing targeted approaches to treatment. Disruption of DNA methylation patterns has been tied to various immune, neurological and endocrine disease states; however, the status of this epigenetic mark in GWI remains uncertain. This study aimed at identifying biomarkers of GWI by gaining knowledge on DNA methylation patterns of GWI in an effort to determine therapeutic targets of disease activity and provide insight into disease onset and progression. Methods: Genomic DNA from 10 GWI patients and 10 healthy controls [HC] (“experimental cohort”) prepared from PBMCs was analyzed with ELISA-based DNA methylation assays and Illumina MethylationEPIC microarrays. These arrays allow measuring the methylation status at 850,000 CpG sites. Methylation changes in promoter regions were separately analyzed and used as input data in ingenuity pathway analysis software to identify altered functional pathways. Relevant differentially methylated CpG sites (DMS) were validated by pyrosequencing. Results: Global DNA methylation levels using the ELISA-based assay on the DNA isolated from PBMCs of GWI patients were similar to those of HC. However, deeper evaluation using microarray-based genome-wide technology allowed detection of DMS in GWI patients with respect to HC. As an overall 10,767 CpG sites presented with differential DNA methylation levels across promoters, gene regulatory elements and within coding regions of genes. Majority of these DMS were hypermethylated in GWI patients as compared to the HC, and more than half of these sites localized to promoters and gene regulatory elements, relative to distribution of DMSin the network as a whole, indicating gene regulatory potential. Functional pathway analysis of the 776 genes with differentially methylated promoters (DMPs) fulfilling FDR≤0.2 criteriafollowing a genomic region-based approachlinks GWI to defects in at least 15 different pathways mostly related to cell signaling with a strong immune component. Conclusions: This is the first study that has explored genome-wide epigenetic changes associated with GWI using the new MethylationEPIC microarrays covering about 850,000 CpG sites; which builds on previous methylation preliminary reports. The data obtained are consistent with previous evidence for dysregulation of the immune system in GWI and suggests a role of this epigenetic modification on the DNA pathobiology of GWI. They are also consistent with previous reports showing a Th1- to Th2-mediated immune response shift in GWI in addition to altered immune system function. Future validation studies in larger cohorts of GWI patients and evaluation of the effects of these methylation patterns on gene expression regulation are granted.

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Neuroinflammatory gene expression changes in the brain in a rat model of Gulf War Illness – effects of rosiglitazone

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