1 5448 164 REPRESSION OF HDAC5 BY ACETATE RESTORES HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-OVARIAN FUNCTION IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS. TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM) ACCOUNTS FOR 90-95 % OF WORLDWIDE DIABETES CASES AND IS PRIMARILY CHARACTERIZED BY INSULIN RESISTANCE. ITS PROGRESSION AS A CHRONIC METABOLIC DISEASE HAS BEEN LARGELY ASSOCIATED WITH FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE ABNORMALITIES, INCLUDING OVARIAN DYSFUNCTION WITH CONSEQUENT INFERTILITY. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED AS A POSSIBLE LINK TO METABOLIC COMORBIDITIES. WE THEREFORE HYPOTHESIZED THAT SHORT CHAIN FATTY ACIDS, ACETATE (ACA), A POTENTIAL HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITOR (HDAC) AMELIORATES HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-OVARIAN (HPO) DYSFUNCTION IN T2DM. FEMALE WISTAR RATS WEIGHING 160-190 G WERE ALLOTTED INTO THREE GROUPS (N = 6/GROUP): CONTROL (VEHICLE; PO), T2D AND T2D + ACA (200 MG/KG; PO). T2DM WAS INDUCED BY FRUCTOSE ADMINISTRATION (10 %; W/V) FOR 6 WEEKS AND SINGLE DOSE OF STREPTOZOTOCIN (35 MG/KG; IP). THE PRESENT DATA SHOWED THAT IN ADDITION TO INSULIN RESISTANCE, INCREASED FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE AND INSULIN, T2DM INDUCED ELEVATED PLASMA, HYPOTHALAMIC AND OVARIAN TRIGLYCERIDE, LIPID PEROXIDATION, TNF-ALPHA AND GLUTATHIONE DEPLETION. ASIDE, T2DM ALSO LED TO INCREASED PLASMA LACTATE PRODUCTION AND GAMMA-GLUTAMYL TRANSFERASE AS WELL AS DECREASED GONADOTROPINS/17BETA-ESTRADIOL. HISTOLOGICALLY, HYPOTHALAMUS, PITUITARY AND OVARIES REVEALED DISRUPTED NEURONAL CELLS/MODERATE HEMORRHAGE, ALTERED MORPHOLOGY/VASCULAR CONGESTIONS, AND DEGENERATED ANTRAL FOLLICLE/GRAAFIAN FOLLICLE WITH MILD FIBROSIS AND INFILTRATED INFLAMMATORY CELLS RESPECTIVELY IN T2D ANIMALS. INTERESTINGLY, THESE ALTERATIONS WERE ACCOMPANIED BY ELEVATED PLASMA/HYPOTHALAMIC HDAC5 AND ATTENUATED WHEN TREATED WITH ACETATE. THE PRESENT RESULTS DEMONSTRATE THAT T2DM INDUCES HPO DYSFUNCTION, WHICH IS ACCOMPANIED BY ELEVATED CIRCULATING/HYPOTHALAMIC HDAC5. THE RESULTS IN ADDITION SUGGEST THAT ACETATE RESTORES HPO FUNCTION IN T2DM BY SUPPRESSION OF HDAC5 AND ENHANCEMENT OF INSULIN SENSITIVITY. 2021 2 3812 46 INTRAUTERINE ENDOGENOUS HIGH GLUCOCORTICOIDS PROGRAM OVARIAN DYSFUNCTION IN FEMALE OFFSPRING SECONDARY TO PRENATAL CAFFEINE EXPOSURE. OVARIAN DYSFUNCTION HAS AN INTRAUTERINE ORIGIN, AND PRENATAL CAFFEINE EXPOSURE (PCE) COULD LEAD TO ABNORMAL FOLLICLE COUNTS IN OFFSPRING AFTER BIRTH. HOWEVER, THE EFFECT OF PCE ON OFFSPRING OVARIAN FUNCTION AND ITS MECHANISM OF INTRAUTERINE PROGRAMMING HAVE NOT BEEN REPORTED THUS FAR. IN THIS STUDY, PREGNANT WISTAR RATS WERE INTRAGASTRICALLY ADMINISTERED CAFFEINE (30 AND 120 MG/KG.D) AT GESTATIONAL DAYS 9-20 (GD9-20). CERTAIN TESTS WERE PERFORMED ON THE BLOOD, OVARIES AND HYPOTHALAMUS OF FEMALE OFFSPRING AT DIFFERENT TIME POINTS. PCE FEMALE OFFSPRING HAD OVARIAN DYSFUNCTION IN ADULTHOOD COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL. FURTHER RESULTS SHOWED THAT IN UTERO OVARIAN MORPHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND ESTRADIOL SYNTHESIS WERE INHIBITED BUT RAPIDLY INCREASED DURING PUBERTY IN THE PCE GROUP. THE HISTONE 3 LYSINE 27 ACETYLATION (H3K27AC) LEVEL OF THE INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR 1 (IGF1) PROMOTER REGION AND ITS EXPRESSION WERE DECREASED IN THE OVARY, WHICH WAS DUE TO EXPOSURE TO HIGH LEVELS OF FETAL BLOOD CORTICOSTERONE, AND THE H3K27AC LEVEL OF IGF1 AND ITS EXPRESSION SHIFTED TO INCREASE AFTER BIRTH WITH A DECREASE IN SERUM CORTICOSTERONE LEVELS. CHRONIC STRESS LED TO INCREASED SERUM CORTICOSTERONE LEVELS IN ADULT OFFSPRING, WHEREAS OVARIAN MORPHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT, THE H3K27AC LEVEL OF IGF1 AND ITS EXPRESSION, AND ESTRADIOL SYNTHESIS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INHIBITED. MOREOVER, THE ACTIVITY OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-OVARIAN (HPO) AXIS WAS INCREASED IN THE EARLY POSTNATAL PERIOD OF PCE OFFSPRING, AND CHRONIC STRESS REVERSED THESE CHANGES. IN THE KGN CELL LINE, IT WAS FOUND THAT CORTISOL COULD PROMOTE THE TRANSLOCATION OF THE GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTOR (GR) INTO THE NUCLEUS AND UPREGULATE HISTONE DEACETYLASE 10 (HDAC10) TO INHIBIT THE H3K27AC LEVEL OF IGF1 AND ITS EXPRESSION AND ESTRADIOL SYNTHESIS. IN SUMMARY, PCE IS ASSOCIATED WITH OVARIAN DYSFUNCTION IN FEMALE ADULT OFFSPRING, AND THE POTENTIAL MECHANISM IS RELATED TO INTRAUTERINE HIGH GLUCOCORTICOID EXPOSURE BY ACTIVATING THE GR AND RECRUITING HDAC10 TO AFFECT OVARIAN GLUCOCORTICOID-IGF1 AXIS PROGRAMMING AND TO INHIBIT ESTRADIOL SYNTHESIS. 2021 3 5191 35 PRENATAL DEXAMETHASONE EXPOSURE PROGRAMS THE DECREASED TESTOSTERONE SYNTHESIS IN OFFSPRING RATS BY LOW LEVEL OF ENDOGENOUS GLUCOCORTICOIDS. PRENATAL DEXAMETHASONE EXPOSURE (PDE) CAN DECREASE MATERNAL ENDOGENOUS GLUCOCORTICOID LEVEL AND INDUCE TESTICULAR DYSPLASIA IN MALE OFFSPRING RATS. IN THIS STUDY WE INVESTIGATED LOW LEVEL ENDOGENOUS GLUCOCORTICOID-MEDIATED TESTICULAR DYSPLASIA IN PDE OFFSPRING AND ELUCIDATED THE INTRAUTERINE EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING MECHANISMS. PREGNANT RATS WERE INJECTED WITH DEXAMETHASONE (0.2 MG.KG(-1).D(-1), SC) ON GESTATIONAL DAY (GD) 9-20. THE OFFSPRING RAT BLOOD AND TESTIS WERE COLLECTED AFTER EUTHANASIA ON GD20, POSTNATAL WEEK (PW) 12 OR PW28. WE SHOWED THAT PDE INDUCED ABNORMAL MORPHOLOGY OF TESTIS AND SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED THE EXPRESSION OF TESTOSTERONE SYNTHESIS-RELATED GENES AS WELL AS TESTOSTERONE PRODUCTION BEFORE AND AFTER BIRTH. MEANWHILE, SERUM CORTICOSTERONE, THE EXPRESSION AND HISTONE 3 LYSINE 14 ACETYLATION (H3K14AC) OF TESTICULAR INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR 1 (IGF1) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED. AFTER THE PREGNANT RATS WERE SUBJECTED TO CHRONIC STRESS FOR 2 WEEKS (PW10-12), SERUM CORTICOSTERONE LEVEL WAS INCREASED IN THE ADULT PDE OFFSPRING, AND THE ABOVE-MENTIONED OTHER INDICATORS WERE ALSO IMPROVED. CULTURED LEYDIG CELLS (TM3) WERE TREATED WITH CORTICOSTERONE (62.5-500 NM) IN VITRO. WE SHOWED THAT CORTICOSTERONE CONCENTRATION-DEPENDENTLY INHIBITED GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTOR ALPHA (GRALPHA) AND MIR-124-3P EXPRESSION, INCREASED HISTONE DEACETYLASE 5 (HDAC5) EXPRESSION, AND DECREASED IGF1 H3K14AC LEVEL AND THE EXPRESSION OF IGF1/STEROIDOGENIC ACUTE REGULATORY PROTEIN (STAR), SUGGESTING THAT CORTICOSTERONE AT LOWER THAN PHYSIOLOGICAL LEVEL (<500 NM) INHIBITED TESTOSTERONE SYNTHESIS BY REDUCING H3K14AC AND THE EXPRESSION LEVEL OF IGF1 THROUGH GRALPHA/MIR-124-3P/HDAC5 PATHWAY. IN CONCLUSION, PDE CAN CAUSE PERSISTENT INHIBITION OF TESTOSTERONE SYNTHESIS BEFORE AND AFTER BIRTH IN THE OFFSPRING RATS BY LOW LEVEL OF ENDOGENOUS GLUCOCORTICOIDS. 2022 4 3816 26 INTRAUTERINE PROGRAMMING OF CARTILAGINOUS 11BETA-HSD2 INDUCED BY CORTICOSTERONE AND CAFFEINE MEDIATED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ADULT OSTEOARTHRITIS. OUR PREVIOUS STUDY REPORTED THAT PRENATAL CAFFEINE EXPOSURE (PCE) COULD INDUCE CHONDRODYSPLASIA AND INCREASE THE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO OSTEOARTHRITIS IN OFFSPRING RATS. HOWEVER, THE POTENTIAL MECHANISMS AND INITIATING FACTORS REMAIN UNKNOWN. THIS STUDY AIMS TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER 11BETA-HSD2, A GLUCOCORTICOID-METABOLIZING ENZYME, IS INVOLVED IN THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF OSTEOARTHRITIS INDUCED BY PCE AND TO FURTHER EXPLORE ITS POTENTIAL MECHANISMS AND INITIATING FACTORS. FIRSTLY, WE FOUND THAT PCE REDUCED CARTILAGE MATRIX SYNTHESIS (AGGRECAN/COL2A1 EXPRESSION) IN MALE ADULT OFFSPRING RATS AND EXHIBITED AN OSTEOARTHRITIS PHENOTYPE FOLLOWING CHRONIC STRESS, WHICH WAS ASSOCIATED WITH PERSISTENTLY REDUCED H3K9AC AND H3K27AC LEVELS AT THE PROMOTER OF 11BETA-HSD2 AS WELL AS ITS EXPRESSION IN THE CARTILAGE FROM FETUS TO ADULTHOOD. THE EXPRESSION OF 11BETA-HSD2, AGGRECAN AND COL2A1 WERE ALL DECREASED BY CORTICOSTERONE IN THE FETAL CHONDROCYTES, WHILE OVEREXPRESSION OF 11BETA-HSD2 COULD PARTIALLY ALLEVIATE THE DECREASE OF MATRIX SYNTHESIS INDUCED BY CORTICOSTERONE IN VITRO. FURTHERMORE, THE GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTOR (GR) ACTIVATED BY GLUCOCORTICOIDS DIRECTLY BONDED TO THE PROMOTER REGION OF 11BETA-HSD2 TO INHIBIT ITS EXPRESSION. MEANWHILE, THE ACTIVATED GR REDUCED THE H3K9AC AND H3K27AC LEVELS OF 11BETA-HSD2 BY RECRUITING HDAC4 AND PROMOTING GR-HDAC4 PROTEIN INTERACTION TO INHIBIT THE 11BETA-HSD2 EXPRESSION. MOREOVER, CAFFEINE COULD REDUCE THE EXPRESSION OF 11BETA-HSD2 BY INHIBITING THE CAMP/PKA SIGNALING PATHWAY BUT WITHOUT REDUCING THE H3K9AC AND H3K27AC LEVELS OF 11BETA-HSD2, THEREBY SYNERGISTICALLY ENHANCING THE CORTICOSTERONE EFFECT. IN CONCLUSION, THE PERSISTENTLY REDUCED H3K9AC AND H3K27AC LEVELS OF 11BETA-HSD2 FROM FETUS TO ADULTHOOD MEDIATED THE INHIBITION OF CARTILAGE MATRIX SYNTHESIS AND THE INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO OSTEOARTHRITIS. THIS EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING CHANGE IN UTERO WAS INDUCED BY GLUCOCORTICOIDS WITH SYNERGISTIC EFFECT OF CAFFEINE. 2022 5 3492 33 IDENTIFICATION OF HISTONE DEACETYLASE 10 (HDAC10) INHIBITORS THAT MODULATE AUTOPHAGY IN TRANSFORMED CELLS. HISTONE DEACETYLASES (HDACS) ARE A FAMILY OF 18 EPIGENETIC MODIFIERS THAT FALL INTO 4 CLASSES. HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITORS (HDACI) ARE VALID TOOLS TO ASSESS HDAC FUNCTIONS. HDAC6 AND HDAC10 BELONG TO THE CLASS IIB SUBGROUP OF THE HDAC FAMILY. THE TARGETS AND BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF HDAC10 ARE ILL-DEFINED. THIS LACK OF KNOWLEDGE IS DUE TO A LACK OF SPECIFIC AND POTENT HDAC10 INHIBITORS WITH CELLULAR ACTIVITY. HERE, WE HAVE SYNTHESIZED AND CHARACTERIZED PIPERIDINE-4-ACRYLHYDROXAMATES AS POTENT AND HIGHLY SELECTIVE INHIBITORS OF HDAC10. THIS WAS ACHIEVED BY TARGETING THE ACIDIC GATEKEEPER RESIDUE GLU274 OF HDAC10 WITH A BASIC PIPERIDINE MOIETY THAT MIMICS THE INTERACTION OF THE POLYAMINE SUBSTRATE OF HDAC10. WE HAVE CONFIRMED THE BINDING MODES OF SELECTED INHIBITORS USING X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHY. PROMISING CANDIDATES WERE SELECTED BASED ON THEIR SPECIFICITY BY IN VITRO PROFILING USING RECOMBINANT HDACS. THE MOST PROMISING HDAC10 INHIBITORS 10C AND 13B WERE TESTED FOR SPECIFICITY IN ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA (AML) CELLS WITH THE FLT3-ITD ONCOGENE. BY IMMUNOBLOT EXPERIMENTS WE ASSESSED THE HYPERACETYLATION OF HISTONES AND TUBULIN-ALPHA, WHICH ARE CLASS I AND HDAC6 SUBSTRATES, RESPECTIVELY. AS VALIDATED TEST FOR HDAC10 INHIBITION WE USED FLOW CYTOMETRY ASSESSING AUTOLYSOSOME FORMATION IN NEUROBLASTOMA AND AML CELLS. WE DEMONSTRATE THAT 10C AND 13B INHIBIT HDAC10 WITH HIGH SPECIFICITY OVER HDAC6 AND WITH NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON CLASS I HDACS. THE ACCUMULATION OF AUTOLYSOSOMES IS NOT A CONSEQUENCE OF APOPTOSIS AND 10C AND 13B ARE NOT TOXIC FOR NORMAL HUMAN KIDNEY CELLS. THESE DATA SHOW THAT 10C AND 13B ARE NANOMOLAR INHIBITORS OF HDAC10 WITH HIGH SPECIFICITY. THUS, OUR NEW HDAC10 INHIBITORS ARE TOOLS TO IDENTIFY THE DOWNSTREAM TARGETS AND FUNCTIONS OF HDAC10 IN CELLS. 2022 6 3815 39 INTRAUTERINE PROGRAMMING MECHANISM FOR HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA IN PRENATAL CAFFEINE-EXPOSED FEMALE ADULT RAT OFFSPRING. CLINICAL AND ANIMAL STUDIES HAVE INDICATED THAT HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA AND ITS ASSOCIATED DISEASES HAVE INTRAUTERINE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS. OUR PREVIOUS STUDIES SHOWED THAT PRENATAL CAFFEINE EXPOSURE (PCE) LED TO FETAL OVEREXPOSURE TO MATERNAL GLUCOCORTICOIDS (GCS) AND INCREASED SERUM TOTAL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS IN ADULT RAT OFFSPRING. THIS STUDY FURTHER CONFIRMS THE INTRAUTERINE PROGRAMMING OF PCE-INDUCED HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA IN FEMALE ADULT RAT OFFSPRING. PREGNANT WISTAR RATS WERE INTRAGASTRICALLY ADMINISTERED CAFFEINE (30, 60, AND 120 MG/KG/D) FROM GESTATIONAL DAY (GD)9 TO 20. FEMALE RAT OFFSPRING WERE EUTHANIZED AT GD20 AND POSTNATAL WK 12; SEVERAL ADULT RAT OFFSPRING WERE ADDITIONALLY SUBJECTED TO ICE-WATER SWIMMING STIMULATION TO INDUCE CHRONIC STRESS PRIOR TO DEATH. THE EFFECTS OF GCS ON CHOLESTEROL METABOLISM AND EPIGENETIC REGULATION WERE VERIFIED USING THE L02 CELL LINE. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT PCE INDUCED HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA IN ADULT OFFSPRING, WHICH MANIFESTED AS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER LEVELS OF SERUM TOTAL CHOLESTEROL AND LDL CHOLESTEROL (LDL-C) AS WELL AS HIGHER RATIOS OF LDL-C/HDL CHOLESTEROL. WE FURTHER FOUND THAT THE CHOLESTEROL LEVELS WERE INCREASED IN FETAL LIVERS BUT WERE DECREASED IN FETAL BLOOD, ACCOMPANIED BY INCREASED MATERNAL BLOOD CHOLESTEROL LEVELS AND REDUCED PLACENTAL CHOLESTEROL TRANSPORT. FURTHERMORE, ANALYSIS OF PCE OFFSPRING IN THE UTERUS AND IN A POSTNATAL BASAL/CHRONIC STRESS STATE AND THE RESULTS OF IN VITRO EXPERIMENTS SHOWED THAT HEPATIC CHOLESTEROL METABOLISM UNDERWENT GC-DEPENDENT CHANGES AND WAS ASSOCIATED WITH CHOLESTEROL SYNTHASE VIA ABNORMALITIES IN 3-HYDROXY-3-METHYLGLUTARYL-COA REDUCTASE (HMGCR) HISTONE ACETYLATION. WE CONCLUDED THAT, TO COMPENSATE FOR INTRAUTERINE PLACENTALLY DERIVED DECREASES IN FETAL BLOOD CHOLESTEROL LEVELS, HIGH INTRAUTERINE GC LEVELS ACTIVATED FETAL HEPATIC CCAAT ENHANCER BINDING PROTEIN ALPHA SIGNALING AND DOWN-REGULATED SIRTUIN1 EXPRESSION, WHICH MEDIATED THE HIGH LEVELS OF HISTONE ACETYLATION ( VIA H3K9AC AND H3K14AC) AND EXPRESSION OF HMGCR. THIS GC-DEPENDENT CHOLESTEROL METABOLISM PROGRAMMING EFFECT WAS SUSTAINED THROUGH ADULTHOOD, LEADING TO THE OCCURRENCE OF HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA.-XU, D., LUO, H. W., HU, W., HU, S. W., YUAN, C., WANG, G. H., ZHANG, L., YU, H., MAGDALOU, J., CHEN, L. B., WANG, H. INTRAUTERINE PROGRAMMING MECHANISM FOR HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA IN PRENATAL CAFFEINE-EXPOSED FEMALE ADULT RAT OFFSPRING. 2018 7 5253 37 PROGRAMMING CHANGES OF HIPPOCAMPAL MIR-134-5P/SOX2 SIGNAL MEDIATE THE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DEPRESSION IN PRENATAL DEXAMETHASONE-EXPOSED FEMALE OFFSPRING. DEPRESSION IS A NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDER AND HAS INTRAUTERINE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS. THIS STUDY AIMED TO CONFIRM THE DEPRESSION SUSCEPTIBILITY IN OFFSPRING RATS INDUCED BY PRENATAL DEXAMETHASONE EXPOSURE (PDE) AND TO FURTHER EXPLORE THE INTRAUTERINE PROGRAMMING MECHANISM. WISTAR RATS WERE INJECTED WITH DEXAMETHASONE (0.2 MG/KG.D) SUBCUTANEOUSLY DURING THE GESTATIONAL DAYS 9-20 AND PART OF THE OFFSPRING WAS GIVEN CHRONIC STRESS AT POSTNATAL WEEKS 10-12. BEHAVIORAL RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE ADULT PDE FEMALE OFFSPRING WAS SUSCEPTIBLE TO DEPRESSION, ACCOMPANIED BY INCREASED HIPPOCAMPAL MIR-134-5P EXPRESSION AND DECREASED SEX-DETERMINING REGION Y-BOX 2 (SOX2) EXPRESSION, AS WELL AS DISORDERS OF NEURAL PROGENITOR CELLS PROLIFERATION AND HIPPOCAMPAL NEUROGENESIS. THE PDE FEMALE FETAL RATS PRESENTED CONSISTENT CHANGES WITH THE ADULT OFFSPRING, ACCOMPANIED BY THE UPREGULATION OF GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTOR (GR) EXPRESSION AND DECREASED SIRTUIN 1 (SIRT1) EXPRESSION. WE FURTHER FOUND THAT THE H3K9AC LEVEL OF THE MIR-134-5P PROMOTER WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN THE PDE FETAL HIPPOCAMPUS, AS WELL AS IN ADULT OFFSPRING BEFORE AND AFTER CHRONIC STRESS. IN VITRO, THE CHANGES OF GR/SIRT1/MIR-134-5P/SOX2 SIGNAL BY DEXAMETHASONE WERE CONSISTENT WITH IN VIVO EXPERIMENTS, WHICH COULD BE REVERSED BY GR RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST, SIRT1 AGONIST, AND MIR-134-5P INHIBITOR. THIS STUDY CONFIRMED THAT PDE LED TO AN INCREASED EXPRESSION LEVEL AS WELL AS H3K9AC LEVEL OF MIR-134-5P BY ACTIVATING THE GR/SIRT1 PATHWAY IN THE FETAL HIPPOCAMPUS AND THEN INHIBITED THE SOX2 EXPRESSION. THE PROGRAMMING EFFECT MEDIATED BY THE ABNORMAL EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION COULD LAST FROM INTRAUTERINE TO ADULTHOOD, WHICH CONSTITUTES THE INTRAUTERINE PROGRAMMING MECHANISM LEADING TO HIPPOCAMPAL NEUROGENESIS DISORDERS AND DEPRESSION SUSCEPTIBILITY IN FEMALE OFFSPRING. INTRAUTERINE PROGRAMMING MECHANISM FOR THE INCREASED DEPRESSIVE SUSCEPTIBILITY IN ADULT FEMALE OFFSPRING BY PRENATAL DEXAMETHASONE EXPOSURE (PDE). GR, GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTOR; SIRT1, SIRTUIN 1; SOX2, SEX-DETERMINING REGION Y-BOX 2; NPCS, NEUROPROGENITOR CELLS; H3K9AC, HISTONE 3 LYSINE 9 ACETYLATION; GRE, GLUCOCORTICOID RESPONSE ELEMENT. 2022 8 1839 30 EFFECTS OF PRENATAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE ON HEPATIC GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM IN OFFSPRING RATS AND ITS HEREDITABILITY. PRENATAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE (PNE) COULD INDUCE AN INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO MULTIPLE CHRONIC DISEASES IN ADULT OFFSPRING, THAT MAINLY CAUSED BY INTRAUTERINE MATERNAL GLUCOCORTICOID (GC) OVER-EXPOSURE. WE INVESTIGATED THE CHANGES AND INHERITABILITY OF HEPATIC GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM CAUSED BY PNE, TO DECIPHER THE POSSIBLE INTRAUTERINE PROGRAMMING MECHANISM. PREGNANT WISTAR RATS WERE ADMINISTERED SUBCUTANEOUSLY WITH 2 MG/KG.D NICOTINE FROM GESTATIONAL DAY (GD) 9 APPROXIMATELY 20, AND SECOND-GENERATION (F2) WERE SET ACCORDING TO THE MATING BETWEEN CONTROL FEMALES AND PNE MALES. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT SERUM PHENOTYPES AND HEPATIC ENZYMES OF GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM WERE LOWER IN F1 FETAL RATS OF PNE BUT HIGHER IN THE F1 ADULT RATS. MEANWHILE, THE ACTIVATED STATES OF HEPATIC GLUCOCORTICOID-ACTIVATION SYSTEM, INCLUDING TYPE 1 AND TYPE 2 11BETA-HYDROXYSTEROID DEHYDROGENASES (HSD11B1/2), NUCLEAR RECEPTOR SUBFAMILY 3, GROUP C, MEMBER 1 (NR3C1) AND CCAAT ENHANCER BINDING PROTEIN ALPHA (CEBPA), WERE POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH SERUM CORTICOSTERONE LEVELS BUT NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH THE HISTONE ACETYLATION (H3K27AC) AND EXPRESSION LEVELS OF INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR 1 (IGF1) BEFORE AND AFTER BIRTH. FURTHERMORE, SERUM PHENOTYPES AND HEPATIC ENZYMES OF GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM WERE LOWER IN BOTH F2 FETAL AND ADULT RATS OF PNE, WHICH WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE HEPATIC CHANGES OF GC-IGF1 AXIS AND THE GLUCOCORTICOID-ACTIVATION SYSTEM. IN CONCLUSION, PNE COULD LEAD TO INHERITABLE CHANGES OF HEPATIC GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM, WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE INTRAUTERINE PROGRAMMING OF GC-IGF1 AXIS INDUCED BY THE GLUCOCORTICOID-ACTIVATION SYSTEM. 2020 9 5651 28 SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF CHRONIC VISCERAL PAIN FOLLOWING UNPREDICTABLE EARLY LIFE STRESS. BACKGROUND: WE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED THAT EARLY LIFE STRESS (ELS) DYSREGULATED GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTOR (GR) AND CORTICOTROPHIN-RELEASING HORMONE (CRH) EXPRESSION IN THE CENTRAL NUCLEUS OF THE AMYGDALA (CEA). EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS SERVE AS MEMORIES OF ADVERSE EVENTS THAT OCCURRED DURING EARLY LIFE. THEREFORE, WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ALTER GR AND CRH EXPRESSION IN THE CEA AND UNDERLIE CHRONIC VISCERAL PAIN AFTER ELS. METHODS: NEONATAL RATS WERE EXPOSED TO UNPREDICTABLE, PREDICTABLE ELS, OR ODOR ONLY (NO STRESS CONTROL) FROM POSTNATAL DAYS 8 TO 12. IN ADULTHOOD, VISCERAL SENSITIVITY WAS ASSESSED OR THE CEA WAS ISOLATED FOR WESTERN BLOT OR CHIP-QPCR TO STUDY HISTONE MODIFICATIONS AT THE GR AND CRH PROMOTERS. FEMALE ADULT RATS UNDERWENT STEREOTAXIC IMPLANTATION OF INDWELLING CANNULAS FOR MICROINJECTIONS OF GARCINOL (HAT INHIBITOR) INTO THE CEA. AFTER 7 DAYS OF MICROINJECTIONS, VISCERAL SENSITIVITY WAS ASSESSED OR THE CEA WAS ISOLATED FOR CHIP-QPCR ASSAYS. RESULTS: UNPREDICTABLE ELS INCREASED VISCERAL SENSITIVITY IN ADULT FEMALE RATS, BUT NOT IN MALE COUNTERPARTS. ELS INCREASED HISTONE 3 LYSINE 9 (H3K9) ACETYLATION IN THE CEA AND H3K9 ACETYLATION LEVELS AT THE GR PROMOTER IN THE CEA OF ADULT FEMALE RATS. AFTER UNPREDICTABLE ELS, H3K9 ACETYLATION WAS INCREASED AND GR BINDING WAS DECREASED AT THE CRH PROMOTER. ADMINISTRATION OF GARCINOL IN THE CEA OF ADULT FEMALES, THAT UNDERWENT UNPREDICTABLE ELS, NORMALIZED H3K9 ACETYLATION AND RESTORED GR BINDING AT THE CRH PROMOTER. CONCLUSION: DYSREGULATED HISTONE ACETYLATION AND GR BINDING AT THE CRH PROMOTER IN THE CEA ARE AN IMPORTANT MECHANISM FOR "MEMORIZING" ELS EVENTS MEDIATING VISCERAL PAIN IN ADULTHOOD. 2020 10 1003 30 CHRONIC TREATMENT WITH FLUOXETINE INDUCES SEX-DEPENDENT ANALGESIC EFFECTS AND MODULATES HDAC2 AND MGLU2 EXPRESSION IN FEMALE MICE. GENDER AND SEX DIFFERENCES IN PAIN RECOGNITION AND DRUG RESPONSES HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN CLINICAL TRIALS AND EXPERIMENTAL MODELS OF PAIN. AMONG ANTIDEPRESSANTS, CONTRADICTORY RESULTS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED IN PATIENTS TREATED WITH SELECTIVE SEROTONIN REUPTAKE INHIBITORS (SSRIS). THIS STUDY EVALUATED SEX DIFFERENCES IN RESPONSE TO THE SSRI FLUOXETINE AFTER CHRONIC ADMINISTRATION IN THE MOUSE FORMALIN TEST. ADULT MALE AND FEMALE CD1 MICE WERE INTRAPERITONEALLY INJECTED WITH FLUOXETINE (10 MG/KG) FOR 21 DAYS AND SUBJECTED TO PAIN ASSESSMENT. FLUOXETINE TREATMENT REDUCED THE SECOND PHASE OF THE FORMALIN TEST ONLY IN FEMALE MICE WITHOUT PRODUCING BEHAVIORAL CHANGES IN MALES. WE ALSO OBSERVED THAT FLUOXETINE WAS ABLE TO SPECIFICALLY INCREASE THE EXPRESSION OF METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR TYPE-2 (MGLU2) IN FEMALES. ALSO A REDUCED EXPRESSION OF THE EPIGENETIC MODIFYING ENZYME, HISTONE DEACETYLASE 2 (HDAC2), IN DORSAL ROOT GANGLIA (DRG) AND DORSAL HORN (DH) TOGETHER WITH AN INCREASE HISTONE 3 ACETYLATION (H3) LEVEL WAS OBSERVED IN FEMALES BUT NOT IN MALES. WITH THIS STUDY WE PROVIDE EVIDENCE THAT FLUOXETINE INDUCES SEX SPECIFIC CHANGES IN HDAC2 AND MGLU2 EXPRESSION IN THE DH OF THE SPINAL CORD AND IN DRGS AND SUGGESTS A MOLECULAR EXPLANATION FOR THE ANALGESIC EFFECTS IN FEMALE MICE. 2017 11 3600 36 IMPORTANCE OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN VISCERAL PAIN INDUCED BY CHRONIC WATER AVOIDANCE STRESS. EPIGENETIC MOLECULAR MECHANISMS, WHICH INCLUDE DNA METHYLATION AND HISTONE DEACETYLATION, ARE IMPLICATED IN THE DYSREGULATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL (HPA) AXIS. PREVIOUSLY, WE DEMONSTRATED THAT REPEATED WATER AVOIDANCE STRESS (WAS), A VALIDATED MODEL OF CHRONIC PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS, INDUCES HEIGHTENED VISCERAL PAIN BEHAVIORS IN RODENTS THAT RESEMBLE IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS) SEQUELAE. HOWEVER, THE INVOLVEMENT OF EPIGENETIC MOLECULAR MECHANISMS IN THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF STRESS-INDUCED VISCERAL PAIN HAS NOT BEEN EXPLORED. OUR HYPOTHESIS IS THAT EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS WITHIN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) ARE IMPORTANT TO CHRONIC STRESS-INDUCED VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY. ADULT MALE F-344 RATS WITH INTRACEREBROVENTRICULAR (I.C.V.) CANNULAE WERE EXPOSED TO 7 DAYS OF REPEATED WAS. CONTROLS RECEIVED A SHAM STRESS. FOLLOWING THE DAILY 1H STRESSOR, TRICHOSTATIN A (TSA; 100 NG/ML), A POTENT HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITOR, OR VEHICLE (VEH; 0.1% DMSO/SALINE,) AS CONTROL WAS ADMINISTERED VIA THE I.C.V. CANNULA. VISCERAL SENSITIVITY WAS ASSESSED 24H AFTER THE FINAL WAS AND QUANTIFIED THE VISCEROMOTOR RESPONSE (VMR) BY RECORDING THE NUMBER OF ABDOMINAL CONTRACTIONS IN RESPONSE TO GRADED PRESSURES (20-60 MMHG) OF COLORECTAL DISTENSIONS (CRD). FROM A SEPARATE GROUP OF RATS THAT WERE EXPOSED TO REPEATED WAS OR SHAM STRESS, THE AMYGDALA WAS ISOLATED TO ASSESS THE METHYLATION STATUS OF GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTOR (GR) AND CORTICOTROPIN RELEASING-FACTOR (CRF) GENES VIA BISULFITE SEQUENCING AND VERIFIED BY PYROSEQUENCING. GR AND CRF GENE EXPRESSION WAS QUANTIFIED VIA QRT-PCR. STRESSED RATS EXHIBITED VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY THAT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY ATTENUATED BY TSA. COMPARED TO SHAM CONTROLS, METHYLATION OF THE GR GENE WAS INCREASED FOLLOWING WAS WHILE EXPRESSION OF THE GR GENE WAS DECREASED. METHYLATION OF THE CRF PROMOTER WAS DECREASED WITH WAS WITH A CONCOMITANT INCREASE IN CRF EXPRESSION. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THE INVOLVEMENT OF CENTRAL EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN REGULATING STRESS-INDUCED VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY AND PROVIDES A FOUNDATION FOR EXPLORING THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE TO IBS-LIKE SYMPTOMATOLOGY. 2013 12 6612 29 ULTRA-LOW-DOSE NALOXONE ENHANCES THE ANTINOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF MORPHINE IN PTX-TREATED RATS: REGULATION ON GLOBAL HISTONE METHYLATION. OBJECTIVE: EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING MAY HAVE A POSSIBLE ROLE IN NEUROPATHIC PAIN DEVELOPMENT; THE PRESENT STUDY EXAMINED THE GLOBAL PATTERNS OF LYSINE HISTONE MODIFICATION. IN THIS SERIAL STUDY WE ANALYZED THE LEVELS OF HISTONE 3 LYSINE 4 MONOMETHYLATION, HISTONE 3 LYSINE 4 DIMETHYLATION, AND HISTONE 3 LYSINE 9 TRIMETHYLATION IN PERTUSSIS TOXIN (PTX)-INDUCED THERMAL HYPERALGESIC RAT SPINAL CORDS. METHODS: MALE WISTAR RATS IMPLANTED WITH AN INTRATHECAL CATHETER RECEIVED A SINGLE INTRATHECAL PTX (1 MUG IN 5 MUL SALINE) INJECTION. FOUR DAYS LATER, THEY WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO RECEIVE EITHER A SINGLE INJECTION OF SALINE, OR ULTRA-LOW-DOSE NALOXONE (15 NG IN 5 MUL SALINE), FOLLOWED BY MORPHINE (10 MUG IN 5 MUL SALINE) INJECTION 30 MINUTES LATER. RESULTS: THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT PTX INJECTION INDUCED THERMAL HYPERALGESIA AND SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF GLOBAL HISTONE METHYLATION IN THE SPINAL CORDS. INTRATHECAL MORPHINE ALONE DID NOT AFFECT THE THERMAL HYPERALGESIA AND GLOBAL HISTONE METHYLATION. IN CONTRAST, INTRATHECAL ADMINISTRATION OF ULTRA-LOW-DOSE NALOXONE PLUS MORPHINE SIGNIFICANTLY ATTENUATED THE PTX-INDUCED THERMAL HYPERALGESIA AND DOWN-REGULATED THE GLOBAL HISTONE METHYLATION. CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT ULTRA-LOW-DOSE NALOXONE MIGHT BE CLINICAL VALUABLE FOR NEUROPATHIC PAIN MANAGEMENT VIA REGULATING GLOBAL HISTONE MODIFICATION. 2012 13 2187 38 EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING STRESS-INDUCED VISCERAL PAIN: RESILIENCE VERSUS VULNERABILITY IN A TWO-HIT MODEL OF EARLY LIFE STRESS AND CHRONIC ADULT STRESS. BACKGROUND: WOMEN WITH A HISTORY OF EARLY LIFE STRESS (ELS) HAVE A HIGHER RISK OF DEVELOPING IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS). IN ADDITION, CHRONIC STRESS IN ADULTHOOD CAN EXACERBATE IBS SYMPTOMS SUCH AS ABDOMINAL PAIN DUE TO VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY. WE PREVIOUSLY SHOWED THAT SEX AND THE PREDICTABILITY OF ELS DETERMINE WHETHER RATS DEVELOP VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY IN ADULTHOOD. IN FEMALE RATS, UNPREDICTABLE ELS CONFERS VULNERABILITY AND RESULTS IN VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY, WHEREAS PREDICTABLE ELS INDUCES RESILIENCE AND DOES NOT INDUCE VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY IN ADULTHOOD. HOWEVER, THIS RESILIENCE IS LOST AFTER EXPOSURE TO CHRONIC STRESS IN ADULTHOOD LEADING TO AN EXACERBATION OF VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY. EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT CHANGES IN HISTONE ACETYLATION AT THE PROMOTER REGIONS OF GLUCOCORTICOID RECEPTOR (GR) AND CORTICOTROPHIN-RELEASING FACTOR (CRF) IN THE CENTRAL NUCLEUS OF THE AMYGDALA (CEA) UNDERLIE STRESS-INDUCED VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY. HERE, WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE ROLE OF HISTONE ACETYLATION IN THE CEA ON VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY IN A TWO-HIT MODEL OF ELS FOLLOWED BY CHRONIC STRESS IN ADULTHOOD. METHODS: MALE AND FEMALE NEONATAL RATS WERE EXPOSED TO UNPREDICTABLE, PREDICTABLE ELS, OR ODOR ONLY (NO STRESS CONTROL) FROM POSTNATAL DAYS 8 TO 12. IN ADULTHOOD, RATS UNDERWENT STEREOTAXIC IMPLANTATION OF INDWELLING CANNULAS. RATS WERE EXPOSED TO CHRONIC WATER AVOIDANCE STRESS (WAS, 1 H/DAY FOR 7 DAYS) OR SHAM STRESS AND RECEIVED INFUSIONS OF VEHICLE, THE HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITOR TRICHOSTATIN A (TSA) OR THE HISTONE ACETYLTRANSFERASE INHIBITOR GARCINOL (GAR) AFTER EACH WAS SESSION. 24 H AFTER THE FINAL INFUSION, VISCERAL SENSITIVITY WAS ASSESSED AND THE CEA WAS REMOVED FOR MOLECULAR EXPERIMENTS. RESULTS: IN THE TWO-HIT MODEL (ELS + WAS), FEMALE RATS PREVIOUSLY EXPOSED TO PREDICTABLE ELS, SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN HISTONE 3 LYSINE 9 (H3K9) ACETYLATION AT THE GR PROMOTER AND A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN H3K9 ACETYLATION AT THE CRF PROMOTER. THESE EPIGENETIC CHANGES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN GR AND CRF MRNA EXPRESSION IN THE CEA AND AN EXACERBATION OF STRESS-INDUCED VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY IN FEMALE ANIMALS. TSA INFUSIONS IN THE CEA ATTENUATED THE EXACERBATED STRESS-INDUCED VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY, WHEREAS GAR INFUSIONS ONLY PARTIALLY AMELIORATED ELS+WAS INDUCED VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY. CONCLUSION: THE TWO-HIT MODEL OF ELS FOLLOWED BY WAS IN ADULTHOOD REVEALED THAT EPIGENETIC DYSREGULATION OCCURS AFTER EXPOSURE TO STRESS IN TWO IMPORTANT PERIODS OF LIFE AND CONTRIBUTES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY. THESE ABERRANT UNDERLYING EPIGENETIC CHANGES MAY EXPLAIN THE EXACERBATION OF STRESS-INDUCED ABDOMINAL PAIN IN IBS PATIENTS. 2023 14 3331 37 HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITOR SUBERANILOHYDROXAMIC ACID TREATMENT REVERSES HYPOSENSITIVITY TO GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID IN THE VENTRAL TEGMENTAL AREA DURING ETHANOL WITHDRAWAL. BACKGROUND: THE VENTRAL TEGMENTAL AREA (VTA) IS IMPORTANT FOR ALCOHOL-RELATED REWARD AND REINFORCEMENT. MOUSE VTA NEURONS ARE HYPOSENSITIVE TO GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID (GABA) DURING ETHANOL (ETOH) WITHDRAWAL, AND GABA RESPONSIVENESS IS NORMALIZED BY IN VITRO TREATMENT WITH HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITORS (HDACI). THE PRESENT STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF A SYSTEMICALLY ADMINISTERED HDACI, SUBERANILOHYDROXAMIC ACID (SAHA) ON GABA SENSITIVITY, AND RELATED MOLECULAR CHANGES IN VTA NEURONS DURING WITHDRAWAL AFTER CHRONIC ETOH INTAKE IN RATS. METHODS: SPRAGUE DAWLEY MALE ADULT RATS WERE FED WITH LIEBER-DECARLI DIET (9% ETOH OR CONTROL DIET) FOR 16 DAYS. EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS INCLUDED CONTROL DIET-FED AND ETOH DIET-FED (0- OR 24-HOUR WITHDRAWAL) RATS TREATED WITH EITHER SAHA OR VEHICLE INJECTION. SINGLE-UNIT RECORDINGS WERE USED TO MEASURE THE RESPONSE OF VTA NEURONS TO GABA. IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY WAS PERFORMED TO EXAMINE LEVELS OF HDAC2, ACETYLATED HISTONE H3 LYSINE 9 (ACH3K9), AND GABA(A) RECEPTOR ALPHA1 AND ALPHA5 SUBUNITS IN THE VTA; QUANTITATIVE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION WAS PERFORMED TO EXAMINE THE MRNA LEVELS OF HDAC2 AND GABA(A) RECEPTOR SUBUNITS. RESULTS: VTA NEURONS FROM THE WITHDRAWAL GROUP EXHIBITED GABA HYPOSENSITIVITY. IN VIVO SAHA TREATMENT 2 HOURS BEFORE SACRIFICE NORMALIZED THE SENSITIVITY OF VTA NEURONS TO GABA. ETOH WITHDRAWAL WAS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED HDAC2 AND DECREASED ACH3K9 PROTEIN LEVELS; SAHA TREATMENT NORMALIZED ACH3K9 LEVELS. INTERESTINGLY, NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WAS OBSERVED IN THE MRNA LEVELS OF HDAC2. THE MRNA LEVELS, BUT NOT PROTEIN LEVELS, OF GABA(A) RECEPTOR ALPHA1 AND ALPHA5 SUBUNITS WERE INCREASED DURING WITHDRAWAL. CONCLUSIONS: WITHDRAWAL FROM CHRONIC ETOH EXPOSURE RESULTS IN A DECREASE IN GABA-MEDIATED INHIBITION, AND THIS GABA HYPOSENSITIVITY IS NORMALIZED BY IN VIVO SAHA TREATMENT. DISRUPTION OF SIGNALING IN THE VTA PRODUCED BY ALTERATION OF GABA NEUROTRANSMISSION COULD BE 1 NEUROADAPTIVE PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESS LEADING TO CRAVING AND RELAPSE. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT HDACI PHARMACOTHERAPY WITH AGENTS LIKE SAHA MIGHT BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR ALCOHOLISM. 2018 15 5559 32 ROLE OF HIPPOCAMPAL CIRCKCNK9 IN VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY AND ANXIETY COMORBIDITY OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME. IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS) IS A COMMON GASTROINTESTINAL DISORDER CHARACTERIZED BY RECURRENT VISCERAL PAIN AND ALTERED BOWEL HABITS (DIARRHEA OR CONSTIPATION). HOWEVER, THE MOLECULAR AND PATHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. THIS STUDY FOUND NEONATAL COLORECTAL DISTENSION TO INDUCE VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY AND ANXIETY. THE EXPRESSION OF HIPPOCAMPAL CIRCKCNK9, A NOVEL CIRCRNA, WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN IBS-LIKE RATS. INTERESTINGLY, CA1 SHCIRCKCNK9 TREATMENT INHIBITED LONG-TERM POTENTIATION (LTP) AND ALLEVIATED VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY AND ANXIETY IN IBS-LIKE RATS, WHEREAS OVEREXPRESSION OF CA1 CIRCKCNK9 INDUCED LTP, VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY, AND ANXIETY IN CONTROLS. SEVERAL EXPERIMENTS INDICATED THAT INCREASED CA1 CIRCKCNK9 ACTED AS A MIR-124-3P SPONGE, WHICH RESULTED IN THE INHIBITORY EFFECT OF MIR-124-3P ON GENE SILENCING. THERE WAS A NEGATIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN CIRCKCNK9 AND MIR-124-3P EXPRESSION. AS EXPECTED, CA1 ADMINISTRATION OF AGOMIR-124-3P DECREASED CA1 LTP, VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY, AND ANXIETY IN THE IBS-LIKE RATS. IN CONTRAST, CA1 TREATMENT WITH ANTAGOMIR-124-3P INDUCED LTP, VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY, AND ANXIETY IN THE CONTROLS. FURTHERMORE, BIOINFORMATIC ANALYSIS AND EXPERIMENTAL DATA SHOWED THAT EZH2 IS A CIRCKCNK9/MIR-124-3P TARGET GENE, AND INCREASED EZH2 EXPRESSION WAS INVOLVED IN VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY AND ANXIETY IN IBS-LIKE RATS BY ENHANCING HIPPOCAMPAL SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY. IN CONCLUSION, EARLY LIFE STRESS INDUCES INCREASED EXPRESSION OF CIRCKCNK9 IN THE CA1 OF IBS-LIKE RATS. INCREASED CIRCKCNK9 EXPRESSION REGULATES SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION AND ENHANCES LTP, LEADING TO VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY AND ANXIETY IN IBS-LIKE RATS. THE UNDERLYING CIRCKCNK9 SIGNALING PATHWAY IS MIR124-3P/EZH2. INCREASED CIRCKCNK9 REINFORCES ITS SPONGING OF MIR124-3P AND STRONGLY SUPPRESSES MIR124-3P ACTIVITY, RESULTING IN INCREASED EXPRESSION OF THE TARGET GENE EZH2. THIS STUDY PROVIDES A NEW EPIGENETIC MECHANISM FOR VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY AND ANXIETY IN IBS-LIKE RATS. 2022 16 5480 29 RESVERATROL REVERSES MORPHINE-INDUCED NEUROINFLAMMATION IN MORPHINE-TOLERANT RATS BY REVERSAL HDAC1 EXPRESSION. BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: WE PREVIOUSLY SHOWED THAT SUBSEQUENT INTRATHECAL (I.T.) INJECTION OF RESVERATROL (30 MUG) SIGNIFICANTLY REVERSES MORPHINE-EVOKED NEUROINFLAMMATION IN MORPHINE-TOLERANT RATS. THE PRESENT STUDY EXAMINED THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM. METHODS: MALE WISTAR RATS WERE IMPLANTED WITH TWO I.T. CATHETERS, ONE OF WHICH WAS CONNECTED TO A MINIOSMOTIC PUMP AND USED FOR MORPHINE (15 MUG/H) OR SALINE INFUSION FOR 120 HOURS. TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS ON SPINAL CORD EXPRESSION OF HISTONE DEACETYLASE 1 (HDAC1), THE INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA (TNF-ALPHA), AND TNF RECEPTOR (TNFR) 1 AND TNFR2 DURING TOLERANCE INDUCTION, A TAIL-FLICK TEST WAS PERFORMED PRIOR TO INFUSION AND AFTER 24 HOURS, 48 HOURS, 72 HOURS, 96 HOURS, AND 120 HOURS OF INFUSION. RESULTS: RESVERATROL TREATMENT PRIOR TO MORPHINE CHALLENGE RESTORED THE ANTINOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF MORPHINE IN MORPHINE-TOLERANT RATS AND REVERSED THE MORPHINE INFUSION-INDUCED INCREASE IN HDAC1, TNF-ALPHA, AND TNFR1 EXPRESSION. MOREOVER, CHRONIC MORPHINE INFUSION INCREASED TNFR1-SPECIFIC EXPRESSION IN NEURON IN MORPHINE-TOLERANT RAT SPINAL CORDS, AND THIS EFFECT WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY INHIBITED BY RESVERATROL TREATMENT PRIOR TO MORPHINE CHALLENGE. CONCLUSION: RESVERATROL RESTORES THE ANTINOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF MORPHINE BY REVERSING MORPHINE INFUSION-INDUCED SPINAL CORD NEUROINFLAMMATION AND INCREASE IN TNFR1 EXPRESSION. THE REVERSAL OF THE MORPHINE-INDUCED INCREASE IN TNFR1 EXPRESSION BY RESVERATROL IS PARTIALLY DUE TO REVERSAL OF THE MORPHINE INFUSION-INDUCED INCREASE IN HDAC1 EXPRESSION. RESVERATROL PRETREATMENT CAN BE USED AS AN ADJUVANT IN CLINICAL PAIN MANAGEMENT FOR PATIENTS WHO NEED LONG-TERM MORPHINE TREATMENT OR WITH NEUROPATHIC PAIN. 2016 17 4095 27 MATERNALLY DERIVED LOW GLUCOCORTICOID MEDIATES ADRENAL DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING ALTERATION IN OFFSPRING INDUCED BY DEXAMETHASONE. ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTS DURING PREGNANCY CAN INCREASE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO CHRONIC DISEASES IN ADULT OFFSPRING. THE OCCURRENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF FETAL-ORIGINATED DISEASES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH ADRENAL DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING AND HOMEOSTASIS ALTERATION IN OFFSPRING. DEXAMETHASONE IS WIDELY USED FOR PRETERM DELIVERY-RELATED PREGNANCY DISEASES, BUT THE INTRAUTERINE PROGRAMMING ALTERATION AND ITS OCCURRENCE MECHANISM OF PRENATAL DEXAMETHASONE EXPOSURE (PDE) ON ADRENAL DEVELOPMENT IN OFFSPRING HAVE NOT BEEN CLARIFIED. IN THIS STUDY, PRENATAL DEXAMETHASONE THERAPY COULD INHIBIT NEONATAL DEVELOPMENT AND CAUSE A LOW EXPOSURE OF MATERNALLY DERIVED GLUCOCORTICOID IN CLINIC. THEN, WE ESTABLISHED A RAT MODEL OF PDE AND OBSERVED A SIMILAR PHENOMENON. FURTHER, THE ADRENAL STEROIDOGENIC FUNCTION WAS CONTINUOUSLY INHIBITED IN THE PDE MALE OFFSPRING RATS, ACCOMPANIED BY THE DECREASED H3K27AC LEVEL OF ADRENAL INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR 1 (IGF1) AND ITS EXPRESSION. MOREOVER, CHRONIC STRESS IN PDE ADULT OFFSPRING RATS COULD REVERSE THE CHANGES OF THE ABOVE INDICATORS THROUGH THE HIGH LEVEL OF GLUCOCORTICOID. IN COMBINATION WITH IN VIVO, IN VITRO AND A SERIES OF INTERFERENCE EXPERIMENTS, WE CONFIRMED THAT THE LOW LEVEL OF ENDOGENOUS GLUCOCORTICOIDS INHIBITED THE ADRENAL IGF1 EXPRESSION AND STEROIDOGENIC FUNCTION THROUGH THE GRALPHA/MIR-370-3P/SIRT3 PATHWAY. IN SUMMARY, PDE COULD CONTINUOUSLY INHIBIT THE ADRENAL STEROIDOGENIC FUNCTION IN THE MALE OFFSPRING, WHICH IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MATERNALLY DERIVED LOW GLUCOCORTICOID-MEDIATED THE ADRENAL DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING ALTERATION IN OFFSPRING. THIS STUDY PROVIDES A THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BASIS FOR EXPLAINING THE ADRENAL DEVELOPMENT ORIGIN OF PDE-INDUCED ADULT CHRONIC DISEASES. 2021 18 5657 30 SEX-DEPENDENT PRONOCICEPTIVE ROLE OF SPINAL ALPHA(5) -GABA(A) RECEPTOR AND ITS EPIGENETIC REGULATION IN NEUROPATHIC RODENTS. EXTRASYNAPTIC ALPHA(5) -SUBUNIT CONTAINING GABA(A) (ALPHA(5) -GABA(A) ) RECEPTORS PARTICIPATE IN CHRONIC PAIN. PREVIOUSLY, WE REPORTED A SEX DIFFERENCE IN THE ACTION OF ALPHA(5) -GABA(A) RECEPTORS IN DYSFUNCTIONAL PAIN. HOWEVER, THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS REMAIN UNKNOWN. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THIS SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN NEUROPATHIC RODENTS AND THE MECHANISMS INVOLVED. FEMALE AND MALE WISTAR RATS OR ICR MICE WERE SUBJECTED TO NERVE INJURY FOLLOWED BY ALPHA(5) -GABA(A) RECEPTOR INVERSE AGONIST INTRATHECAL ADMINISTRATION, L-655,708. THE DRUG PRODUCED AN ANTIALLODYNIC EFFECT IN NERVE-INJURED FEMALE RATS AND MICE, AND A LOWER EFFECT IN MALES. WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT CHANGES IN ALPHA(5) -GABA(A) RECEPTOR, PROBABLY INFLUENCED BY HORMONAL AND EPIGENETIC STATUS, MIGHT UNDERLIE THIS SEX DIFFERENCE. THUS, WE PERFORMED QPCR AND WESTERN BLOT. NERVE INJURY INCREASED ALPHA(5) -GABA(A) MRNA AND PROTEIN IN FEMALE DORSAL ROOT GANGLIA (DRG) AND DECREASED THEM IN DRG AND SPINAL CORD OF MALES. TO INVESTIGATE THE HORMONAL INFLUENCE OVER ALPHA(5) -GABA(A) RECEPTOR ACTIONS, WE PERFORMED NERVE INJURY TO OVARIECTOMIZED RATS AND RECONSTITUTED THEM WITH 17BETA-ESTRADIOL (E2). OVARIECTOMY ABROGATED L-655,708 ANTIALLODYNIC EFFECT AND E2 RESTORED IT. OVARIECTOMY DECREASED ALPHA(5) -GABA(A) RECEPTOR AND ESTROGEN RECEPTOR ALPHA PROTEIN IN DRG OF NEUROPATHIC FEMALE RATS, WHILE E2 ENHANCED THEM. SINCE DNA METHYLATION MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO ALPHA(5) -GABA(A) RECEPTOR DOWN-REGULATION IN MALES, WE EXAMINED CPG ISLAND DNA METHYLATION OF ALPHA(5) -GABA(A) RECEPTOR CODING GENE THROUGH PYROSEQUENCING. NERVE INJURY INCREASED METHYLATION IN MALE, BUT NOT FEMALE RATS. PHARMACOLOGICAL INHIBITION OF DNA METHYLTRANSFERASES INCREASED ALPHA(5) -GABA(A) RECEPTOR AND ENABLED L-655,708 ANTINOCICEPTIVE EFFECT IN MALE RATS. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT ALPHA(5) -GABA(A) RECEPTOR IS A SUITABLE TARGET TO TREAT CHRONIC PAIN IN FEMALES. 2021 19 1163 41 CONTRIBUTION OF AMYGDALA HISTONE ACETYLATION IN EARLY LIFE STRESS-INDUCED VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY AND EMOTIONAL COMORBIDITY. PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS) EXPERIENCE NOT ONLY ENHANCED VISCERAL PAIN BUT ALSO EMOTIONAL COMORBIDITIES, SUCH AS ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. EARLY LIFE STRESS (ELS) IS A HIGH-RISK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF IBS. LITERATURES HAVE REPORTED AN IMPORTANT EPIGENETIC MODULATION IN SUSTAINING EXTRINSIC PHENOTYPES. THE AMYGDALA IS CLOSELY RELATED TO THE REGULATION OF VISCERAL FUNCTIONS AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES. IN THIS STUDY, WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT ELS-INDUCED REPROGRAMMING INAPPROPRIATE ADAPTATION OF HISTONE ACETYLATION MODIFICATION IN THE AMYGDALA MAY RESULT IN VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY AND ANXIETY-LIKE BEHAVIORS IN ELS RATS. TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS, THE MODEL OF ELS RATS WAS ESTABLISHED BY NEONATAL COLORECTAL DILATATION (CRD). VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY WAS ASSESSED BASED ON THE ELECTROMYOGRAPHY RESPONSE OF THE ABDOMINAL EXTERNAL OBLIQUE MUSCLE TO CRD. EMOTIONAL COMORBIDITIES WERE EXAMINED USING THE ELEVATED PLUS MAZE TEST, OPEN FIELD TEST, AND SUCROSE PREFERENCE TEST. TRICHOSTATIN A (TSA) AND C646 WERE MICROINJECTED INTO THE CENTRAL AMYGDALA (CEA) INDIVIDUALLY TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF HISTONE ACETYLATION MODIFICATION ON VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY AND EMOTION. WE FOUND NEONATAL CRD RESULTED IN VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY AND ANXIETY-LIKE BEHAVIORS AFTER ADULTHOOD. INHIBITING HISTONE DEACETYLASES (HDACS) IN THE CEA BY TSA ENHANCED VISCERAL SENSITIVITY BUT DID NOT AFFECT ANXIETY-LIKE BEHAVIORS, WHEREAS INHIBITING HAT BY C646 ATTENUATED VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY IN ELS RATS. INTERESTINGLY, CEA TREATMENT WITH TSA INDUCED VISCERAL SENSITIVITY AND ANXIETY-LIKE BEHAVIORS IN THE CONTROL RATS. WESTERN BLOT SHOWED THAT THE EXPRESSIONS OF ACETYLATED 9 RESIDUE OF HISTONE 3 (H3K9) AND PROTEIN KINASE C ZETA TYPE (PKMZETA) WERE HIGHER IN THE ELS RATS COMPARED TO THOSE OF THE CONTROLS. THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PKMZETA INHIBITOR ZIP INTO THE CEA ATTENUATED VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY OF ELS RATS. FURTHERMORE, THE EXPRESSION OF AMYGDALA PKMZETA WAS ENHANCED BY TSA TREATMENT IN CONTROL RATS. FINALLY, WESTERN BLOT AND IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE RESULTS INDICATED THE DECREASE OF HDAC1 AND HDAC2 EXPRESSIONS, BUT NOT HDAC3 EXPRESSION, CONTRIBUTED TO THE ENHANCEMENT OF HISTONE ACETYLATION IN ELS RATS. OUR RESULTS SUPPORT OUR HYPOTHESIS THAT AMYGDALA-ENHANCED HISTONE ACETYLATION INDUCED BY STRESS IN EARLY LIFE RESULTS IN VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY AND ANXIETY-LIKE BEHAVIORS IN ELS RATS, AND REVERSING THE ABNORMAL EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS MAY BE CRUCIAL TO RELIEVE CHRONIC SYMPTOMS IN ELS RATS. 2022 20 2482 29 EPIGENETIC UPREGULATION OF METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR 2 IN THE SPINAL CORD ATTENUATES OESTROGEN-INDUCED VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY. OBJECTIVE: EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE POTENTIAL TARGETS TO RELIEVE SOMATIC PAIN. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN WHETHER EPIGENETIC REGULATION INTERFERES WITH VISCERAL PAIN. PREVIOUS STUDIES SHOW THAT OESTROGEN FACILITATES VISCERAL PAIN. THIS STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER HISTONE HYPERACETYLATION IN THE SPINAL CORD COULD ATTENUATE OESTROGEN-FACILITATED VISCERAL PAIN. DESIGN: THE EFFECT OF THE HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITOR SUBEROYLANILIDE HYDROXAMIC ACID (SAHA) ON THE MAGNITUDE OF THE VISCEROMOTOR RESPONSE (VMR) TO COLORECTAL DISTENTION WAS EXAMINED IN OVARIECTOMISED RATS WITH/WITHOUT OESTROGEN REPLACEMENT. AN ADDITIONAL INTERACTION WITH THE METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR 2/3 (MGLUR2/3) ANTAGONIST LY341495 WAS TESTED. THE LEVELS OF ACETYLATED HISTONE AND MGLUR2 MRNA AND PROTEIN WERE ANALYSED. THE BINDING OF ACETYLATED H3 AND OESTROGEN RECEPTOR ALPHA (ERALPHA) TO THE GRM2 PROMOTER WAS MEASURED BY CHROMATIN IMMUNOPRECIPITATION COUPLED WITH QPCR. RESULTS: IN OVARIECTOMISED RATS, 17BETA-ESTRADIOL (E2), BUT NOT SAFFLOWER OIL, INCREASED THE MAGNITUDE OF THE VMR TO COLORECTAL DISTENTION. SAHA ATTENUATED THE E2-FACILITATED VMR, BUT HAD NO EFFECT IN SAFFLOWER OIL-TREATED RATS. SUBSEQUENT SPINAL ADMINISTRATION OF LY341495 REVERSED THE ANTINOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF SAHA IN E2 RATS. IN ADDITION, SAHA INCREASED MGLUR2 MRNA AND PROTEIN IN THE SPINAL DORSAL HORN FOLLOWING E2, BUT NOT VEHICLE, TREATMENT. IN CONTRAST, NEITHER E2 NOR SAHA ALONE ALTERED MGLUR2 MRNA. SAHA INCREASED BINDING OF H3K9AC AND ERALPHA TO THE SAME REGIONS OF THE GRM2 PROMOTER IN E2-SAHA-TREATED ANIMALS. CONCLUSIONS: HISTONE HYPERACETYLATION IN THE SPINAL CORD ATTENUATES THE PRONOCICEPTIVE EFFECTS OF OESTROGEN ON VISCERAL SENSITIVITY, SUGGESTING THAT EPIGENETIC REGULATION MAY BE A POTENTIAL APPROACH TO RELIEVE VISCERAL PAIN. 2015