Project description:To obtain insight into the changes in spleen caused by repeated cocaine administration, we performed transcriptome analysis. Total RNAs from the control and cocaine groups (day 7) were subjected to DNA microarray analysis.
Project description:The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of repeated cocaine administration on the whole body of rats. Rats (male, 6 weeks old, Sprague Dawley) were injected intraperitoneally with cocaine (50 mg/kg) once a day for 1, 3 or 7 days, and major organs (heart, liver, lung, brain, kidney, spleen) were excised from the sacrificed animals. During autopsy, we found a reduction in spleen size, but not other organs, in cocaine-administered rats as compared to control rats. This reduction became to be noticed at 3 day and easily perceived at 7 day. No marked changes were observed in other organs examined. H&E and EMG staining showed a tendency for a decrease in the number of red blood cells (RBCs) as well as an increase in collagen fibers in the spleens of rats treated repeatedly with cocaine. Transcriptome analysis indicated that repeated cocaine administration depletes RBCs from the spleen. Immunoblot analysis showed that cocaine increases the phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MYL) as well as the levels of transgelin, both of which are involved in the contraction of myofibrils. Collectively, these results show that repeated cocaine administration results in sustained contraction of the spleen, which leads to the release of RBCs from the spleen into circulation.
Project description:To obtain insight of the changes of myocardium after repeated cocaine administration, we performed transcriptiome analysis. Total RNAs from the control and cocaine groups (day 14) were subjected to DNA microarray analysis.
Project description:Genetic association studies, pharmacological investigations and analysis of mice-lacking individual genes have made it clear that Cocaine administration and Withdrawal have a profound impact on multiple neurotransmitter systems. The GABAergic medium spiny neurons of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) exhibit changes in the expression of genes encoding receptors for glutamate and in the signaling pathways triggered by dopamine binding to G-protein-coupled dopamine receptors. Deep sequence analysis provides a sensitive, quantitative and global analysis of the effects of Cocaine on the NAc transcriptome. RNA prepared from the NAc of adult male mice receiving daily injections of Saline or Cocaine, or Cocaine followed by a period of Withdrawal, was used for high-throughput sequence analysis. Changes were validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction or Western blot. On the basis of pathway analysis, a preponderance of the genes affected by Cocaine and Withdrawal was involved in the cadherin, heterotrimeric G-protein and Wnt signaling pathways. Distinct subsets of cadherins and protocadherins exhibited a sustained increase or decrease in expression. Sustained down-regulation of several heterotrimeric G-protein β- and γ-subunits was observed. In addition to altered expression of receptors for small molecule neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and endocannabinoids, changes in the expression of plasma membrane transporters and vesicular neurotransmitter transporters were also observed. The effects of chronic Cocaine and Withdrawal on the expression of genes essential to cholinergic, glutamatergic, GABAergic, peptidergic and endocannabinoid signaling are as profound as their effects on dopaminergic transmission. Simultaneous targeting of multiple Withdrawal-specific changes in gene expression may facilitate development of new therapeutic approaches that are better able to prevent relapse. High-throughput sequence analysis of RNA prepared from the nucleus accumbens of adult male mice receiving daily injections of Saline or Cocaine, or Cocaine followed by a period of Withdrawal. Nucleus accumbens libraries were sequenced in nine lanes (three technical replicates per sample) on an Illumina GAIIx using a 37-cycle paired-end sequencing protocol. Replicates were analyzed for intra-sample disparity and read data from all three lanes were then merged into one composite data file per sample; intra-sample coefficient of determination, R2 ≥ 0.98. The composite file was used for subsequent analyses.
Project description:We explored the hypothesis that maternal cocaine exposure could alter the fetal epigenetic machinery sufficiently to cause lasting neurochemical and functional changes in the offspring. These data were used as preliminary results for paper:; Maternal cocaine administration in mice alters DNA methylation and gene expression in hippocampal neurons of neonatal and prepubertal offspring. Svetlana I. Novikova, Fang He, Jie Bai, Nicholas J. Cutrufello, Ashiwel S. Undieh and Michael S. Lidow Experiment Overall Design: Pregnant CD1 mice were administered either saline or 20 mg/kg cocaine twice daily on gestational days 8-19. Male pups from each of ten litters of the cocaine and control groups were analyzed at 3 (P3) day postnatum. Pyramidal layer tissue from the right hemisphere of one of these brains (On every section, the pyramidal layer, encompassing the C1, C2 and C3 hippocampal regions, was carefully cut out)was used for analyzing gene expression. Laser microdissection was performed on a Leica ASLMD laser capture microdissection system (Leica Microsystems, Wetzlar, Germany).
Project description:Contraction band necrosis (CBN) is a common abnormality found in the myocardium of cocaine abusers, but is rarely reported in experimental models of cocaine abuse. Connexin 43 (Cx43) is essential for cardiac intercellular communication and the propagation of CBN. Under stress or injury, cardiac Cx43 is dephosphorylated, which is related to cardiomyocyte dysfunction and pathogenesis, whereas adiponectin exerts beneficial effects in the myocardium. In this study, we explore the effects of cocaine on cardiac Cx43 in vivo. Rats were administered cocaine via the tail vein at 20 mg/kg/day for 14 days, and showed widespread CBN, microfocal myocarditis and myocardial fibrosis, corresponding to a dysfunction of cardiac mitochondria under increased oxidative stress. The increase in dephosphorylated cardiac Cx43 and its negative correlation with the myocardial distribution of CBN after cocaine administration were determined. In addition, apoptosis and necroptosis, as well as increased adiponectin levels, were observed in the myocardium after cocaine exposure. Accordingly, we found altered profiles of cardiac Cx43, CBN and its negative correlation with dephosphorylated cardiac Cx43, and the possible involvement of adiponectin in the myocardium after 14 days of cocaine administration. The latter might play a protective role in the cardiotoxicity of cocaine. The current findings would be beneficial for establishing novel therapeutic strategies in cocaine-induced cardiac consequences.
Project description:Repeated administration of the psychostimulant cocaine has been shown to produce persistent alterations in genome-wide transcriptional regulatory networks, chromatin remodeling activity and, ultimately, gene expression profiles in the brain’s reward circuitry. Virtually all previous investigations have centered on drug-mediated effects occurring throughout active euchromatic regions of the genome, such that very little is known concerning the impact of cocaine exposure on the regulation and maintenance of heterochromatin in adult brain. Here, we report that cocaine administration dramatically and dynamically alters heterochromatic histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key brain reward region. Furthermore, we demonstrate that repeated cocaine exposure induces persistent decreases in heterochromatization in this brain region, suggesting a potential role for heterochromatic regulation in the long-term actions of cocaine. To identify precise genomic loci affected by these alterations, chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massively parallel DNA sequencing (ChIP-Seq) was performed on NAc. ChIP-Seq analyses confirmed the existence of the H3K9me3 mark mainly within inter-genic regions of the genome and identified specific patterns of cocaine-induced H3K9me3 regulation at repetitive genomic sequences. Cocaine-mediated decreases in H3K9me3 enrichment at specific genomic repeats (e.g., LI repeats) were further confirmed by the increased expression of LINE-1 and IAP retrotransposons in NAc. Such increases likely reflect global patterns of genomic de-stabilization in this brain region following repeated cocaine administration and open the door for future investigations into the epigenetic and genetic basis of drug addiction. Animals received daily i.p. injections of either 'saline' (7 treatments of saline) or 'repeated' cocaine (7 treatments of 20 mg/kg cocaine). 24 hours after the last dose, chromatin immunoprecipitation was performed utilizing previously validated methods. Each experimental condition was performed in either duplicate or triplicate (2 cocaine, 3 saline). Briefly, for each ChIP, bilateral 14-gauge NAc punches (anterior and posterior) were pooled from 5 mice (20 punches). Tissue was lightly fixed to cross-link DNA with associated proteins and the material was further sheared and immunoprecipitated using sheep anti-rabbit magnetic beads conjugated to an antibody that specifically recognizes H3K9me3. Resulting immunoprecipitated DNA and total (input) genomic DNA were prepared for ChIP-sequencing using an Illumina kit according to manufacturer’s instructions. 20 ng of starting material, as determined by PicoGreen concentrations, was used in each case. Briefly, each sample underwent end repair followed by addition of an A base to the 3’ end. Proprietary adapters were then ligated to the ends, followed by size selection on a 3% agarose gel. The range of excision was 175-225 bp. Following DNA clean up, samples were amplified with 21 cycles of PCR. Amplification and size selection were confirmed with a BioAnalyzer. 5 pM concentrations were used to generate clusters for sequencing analysis.
Project description:Global changes in gene expression that underlie the circuit and behavioral dysregulation associated with cocaine addiction remain incompletely understood. Here, we determined how a history of cocaine self-administration (SA) “re-programs” transcriptome-wide responses at baseline and in response to cocaine re-exposure after prolonged withdrawal (WD). We assigned male mice to one of six groups: saline or cocaine SA + 24 hr WD; or saline/cocaine SA + 30 d WD + an acute saline/cocaine challenge within the previous drug-paired context. RNA-seq was then conducted on six interconnected brain reward regions. We focused on patterns of gene expression that were altered by cocaine SA, in particular, molecular targets that show priming or desensitization upon re-exposure to cocaine. Genes that were affected uniquely by acute cocaine after cocaine SA+WD displayed region-specific regulation. The greatest number of regulated genes were seen in nucleus accumbens, dorsal striatum, and basolateral amygdala. Further analysis revealed several transcription factors as key upstream regulators in these three regions, including several not previously implicated in cocaine action. Regulation of subsets of these primed and desensitized genes correlated robustly with SA behavior displayed by individual mice. For example, analysis of transcriptome-wide expression changes revealed that genes associated with cocaine intake respond to contextual information in a region-specific manner. This comprehensive picture of transcriptome-wide regulation by cocaine SA and WD throughout the brain’s reward circuitry provides new insight into the molecular basis of cocaine addiction, which will guide future studies of the key molecular pathways involved.
Project description:Genetic association studies, pharmacological investigations and analysis of mice-lacking individual genes have made it clear that Cocaine administration and Withdrawal have a profound impact on multiple neurotransmitter systems. The GABAergic medium spiny neurons of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) exhibit changes in the expression of genes encoding receptors for glutamate and in the signaling pathways triggered by dopamine binding to G-protein-coupled dopamine receptors. Deep sequence analysis provides a sensitive, quantitative and global analysis of the effects of Cocaine on the NAc transcriptome. RNA prepared from the NAc of adult male mice receiving daily injections of Saline or Cocaine, or Cocaine followed by a period of Withdrawal, was used for high-throughput sequence analysis. Changes were validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction or Western blot. On the basis of pathway analysis, a preponderance of the genes affected by Cocaine and Withdrawal was involved in the cadherin, heterotrimeric G-protein and Wnt signaling pathways. Distinct subsets of cadherins and protocadherins exhibited a sustained increase or decrease in expression. Sustained down-regulation of several heterotrimeric G-protein β- and γ-subunits was observed. In addition to altered expression of receptors for small molecule neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and endocannabinoids, changes in the expression of plasma membrane transporters and vesicular neurotransmitter transporters were also observed. The effects of chronic Cocaine and Withdrawal on the expression of genes essential to cholinergic, glutamatergic, GABAergic, peptidergic and endocannabinoid signaling are as profound as their effects on dopaminergic transmission. Simultaneous targeting of multiple Withdrawal-specific changes in gene expression may facilitate development of new therapeutic approaches that are better able to prevent relapse.