The gene expression profile of a drug metabolism system and signal transduction pathways in the liver of mice treated with tert-butylhydroquinone or 3-(3'-tert-butyl-4'-hydroxyphenyl)propylthiosulfonate of sodium.

Tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ) is a highly effective phenolic antioxidant used in edible oils and fats in foods as well as in medicines and cosmetics. TBHQ has been shown to have both chemoprotective and carcinogenic effects. Furthermore, it has potential anti-inflammatory, antiatherogenic, and neuroprotective activities. TBHQ induces phase II detoxification enzymes via the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE mechanism, which contributes to its chemopreventive functions. Nonetheless, there is growing evidence that biological effects of tBHQ may be mediated by Nrf2-independent mechanisms related to various signaling cascades. Here, we studied changes in gene expression of phase I, II, and III drug metabolizing enzymes/transporters as well as protein levels and activities of cytochromes P450 (CYPs) elicited by tBHQ and its structural homolog TS-13 in the mouse liver. Next, we carried out gene expression analysis to identify signal transduction pathways modulated by the antioxidants. Mice received 100 mg/kg tBHQ or TS-13 per day or only vehicle. The liver was collected at 12 hours and after 7 days of the treatment. Protein and total RNA were extracted. Gene expression was analyzed using Mouse Drug Metabolism and Signal Transduction PathwayFinder RT2Profiler™PCR Arrays. A western blot analysis was used to measure protein levels and a fluorometric assay was employed to study activities of CYPs. Genes that were affected more than 1.5-fold by tBHQ or TS-13 treatment compared with vehicle were identified. Analysis of the gene expression data revealed changes in various genes that are important for drug metabolism, cellular defense mechanisms, inflammation, apoptosis, and cell cycle regulation. Novel target genes were identified, including xenobiotic metabolism genes encoding CYPs, phase II/III drug metabolizing enzymes/transporters. For Cyp1a2 and Cyp2b, we observed an increase in protein levels and activities during tBHQ or TS-13 treatment. Changes were found in the gene expression regulated by NFκB, androgen, retinoic acid, PI3K/AKT, Wnt, Hedgehog and other pathways

Downregulation of kainate receptors regulating GABAergic transmission in amygdala after early life stress is associated with anxiety-like behavior in rodents

Early life stress (ELS) is a well-characterized risk factor for mood and anxiety disorders. GABAergic microcircuits in the amygdala are critically implicated in anxiety; however, whether their function is altered after ELS is not known. Here we identify a novel mechanism by which kainate receptors (KARs) modulate feedforward inhibition in the lateral amygdala (LA) and show that this mechanism is downregulated after ELS induced by maternal separation (MS). Specifically, we show that in control rats but not after MS, endogenous activity of GluK1 subunit containing KARs disinhibit LA principal neurons during activation of cortical afferents. GluK1 antagonism attenuated excitability of parvalbumin (PV)-expressing interneurons, resulting in loss of PV-dependent inhibitory control and an increase in firing of somatostatin-expressing interneurons. Inactivation of Grik1 expression locally in the adult amygdala reduced ongoing GABAergic transmission and was sufficient to produce a mild anxiety-like behavioral phenotype. Interestingly, MS and GluK1-dependent phenotypes showed similar gender specificity, being detectable in male but not female rodents. Our data identify a novel KAR-dependent mechanism for cell-type and projection-specific functional modulation of the LA GABAergic microcircuit and suggest that the loss of GluK1 KAR function contributes to anxiogenesis after ELS.Peer reviewe

A summary of genes modulated (more than 1.5-fold) by tBHQ or TS-13 in the mouse liver.

<p>Hepatic gene expression patterns were analyzed after 12 h or 7 days of administration of tBHQ or TS-13.</p

Cyp1a1, Cyp1a2, and Cyp2b protein expression changes after 7 days of tBHQ or TS-13 treatment.

<p>(A) Western blot analysis. The number of animals in control and tBHQ groups was 3; in the TS-13 group– 4. (B) Data were densitometrically analyzed and normalized to β-actin. The results are shown as mean ± SD; *p < 0.05.</p

Effects of tBHQ and TS-13 on Cyp1a1 (A), Cyp1a2 (B), and Cyp2b (C) enzymatic activities in pmol × min^-1 × mg^-1 protein; *p < 0.05.

<p>Effects of tBHQ and TS-13 on Cyp1a1 (A), Cyp1a2 (B), and Cyp2b (C) enzymatic activities in pmol × min^-1 × mg^-1 protein; *p < 0.05.</p

Mouse drug metabolism PCR array.

<p>Mouse drug metabolism PCR array.</p

Chemical structures of tBHQ and TS-13.

<p>Chemical structures of tBHQ and TS-13.</p

Mouse signal transduction PathwayFinder PCR array.

<p>Mouse signal transduction PathwayFinder PCR array.</p

Aberrant cortical projections to amygdala GABAergic neurons contribute to developmental circuit dysfunction following early life stress

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s)Early life stress (ELS) results in enduring dysfunction of the corticolimbic circuitry, underlying emotional and social behavior. However, the neurobiological mechanisms involved remain elusive. Here, we have combined viral tracing and electrophysiological techniques to study the effects of maternal separation (MS) on frontolimbic connectivity and function in young (P14-21) rats. We report that aberrant prefrontal inputs to basolateral amygdala (BLA) GABAergic interneurons transiently increase the strength of feed-forward inhibition in the BLA, which raises LTP induction threshold in MS treated male rats. The enhanced GABAergic activity after MS exposure associates with lower functional synchronization within prefrontal-amygdala networks in vivo. Intriguingly, no differences in these parameters were detected in females, which were also resistant to MS dependent changes in anxiety-like behaviors. Impaired plasticity and synchronization during the sensitive period of circuit refinement may contribute to long-lasting functional changes in the prefrontal-amygdaloid circuitry that predispose to neuropsychiatric conditions later on in life.Peer reviewe

The role of filaggrin mutations leading to a decrease in the amount of protein in the development of atopic dermatitis and bronchial asthma in children

Atopic diseases remain one of the most common childhood diseases. At the beginning of life, atopic dermatitis (AD) occurs, and only then bronchial asthma (BA). This staged development of sensitization and transformation of clinical manifestations is called the atopic march. Are the genetic factors of predisposition to AD the same for BA? There is still no definite answer to this question. Mutations in the filaggrin gene (FLG) are known to impair skin barrier function. Filaggrin is expressed not only in the skin, but also in the respiratory organs of the nasal mucosa, lungs, and bronchi. Filaggrin defects lead not only to disruption of the skin barrier, but also to an increase in the Th2 response and increased production of IgE, typical of bronchial asthma. Therefore, mutations in the FLG gene can be a risk factor for the development of not only AD, but also BA. The aim of this study was to compare the values of the association of mutations in the FLG gene with AD and BA in the Russian sample. Material and methods. Case-control study design. We used 265 blood samples from children. 4 mutations in the filaggrin gene were identified by real-time PCR. The association of mutations with disease was assessed by odds ratio. Results. We showed a strongly pronounced association of the deletion of 4 nucleotides (2282del4) with AD, but not with BA, although for patients with atopic BA the indicator of the association of this mutation with the disease was higher than for the group with symptoms of bronchial asthma identified by the ISAAC questionnaire. These results lead to the conclusion that the role of the filaggrin gene for BA is much less significant than for AD