Behavior, BDNF and epigenetic mechanisms in response to social isolation and social support in middle aged rats exposed to chronic stress.

Autor: Borges JV; Laboratory of Biology and Development of the Nervous System, School of Health and Life Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Ipiranga Av. 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, Brazil., Pires VN; Laboratory of Biology and Development of the Nervous System, School of Health and Life Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Ipiranga Av. 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, Brazil; Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Ipiranga Av. 6690, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, Brazil., de Freitas BS; Laboratory of Biology and Development of the Nervous System, School of Health and Life Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Ipiranga Av. 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, Brazil., Rübensam G; Center of Toxicology and Pharmacology Research, School of Health and Life Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil., Vieira VC; Laboratory of Biology and Development of the Nervous System, School of Health and Life Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Ipiranga Av. 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, Brazil., de Souza Dos Santos C; Laboratory of Biology and Development of the Nervous System, School of Health and Life Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Ipiranga Av. 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, Brazil., Schröder N; National Institute of Science and Technology for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brasília, Brazil; Department of Physiology, Institute for Basic Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil., Bromberg E; Laboratory of Biology and Development of the Nervous System, School of Health and Life Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Ipiranga Av. 6681, 90619-900 Porto Alegre, Brazil; Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Ipiranga Av. 6690, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brasília, Brazil. Electronic address: bromberg@pucrs.br.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Behavioural brain research [Behav Brain Res] 2023 Mar 12; Vol. 441, pp. 114303. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Jan 16.
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114303
Abstrakt: Social deprivation can be stressful for group-living mammals. On the other hand, an amazing response of these animals to stress is seeking social contact to give and receive joint protection in threatening situations. We explored the effects of social isolation and social support on epigenetic and behavioral responses to chronic stress. More specifically, we investigated the behavioral responses, corticosterone levels, BDNF gene expression, and markers of hippocampal epigenetic alterations (levels of H3K9 acetylation and methylation, H3K27 methylation, HDAC5, DNMT1, and DNMT3a gene expressions) in middle-aged adult rats maintained in different housing conditions (isolation or accompanied housing) and exposed to the chronic unpredictable stress protocol (CUS). Isolation was associated with decreased basal levels of corticosterone, impaired long-term memory, and decreased expression of the BDNF gene, besides altering the balance of H3K9 from acetylation to methylation and increasing the DNMT1 gene expression. The CUS protocol decreased H3K9 acetylation, besides increasing H3K27 methylation and DNMT1 gene expression, but had no significant effects on memory and BDNF gene expression. Interestingly, the effects of CUS on corticosterone and HDAC5 gene expression were seen only in isolated animals, whereas the effects of CUS on DNMT1 gene expression were more pronounced in isolated than accompanied animals. In conclusion, social isolation in middle age showed broader effects than chronic unpredictable stress on behavioral and epigenetic alterations potentially associated with decreased BDNF expression. Moreover, social support prevented the adverse effects of CUS on HPA axis functioning, HDAC5, and DNMT1 gene expressions.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All the other authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.
(Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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