Early-life blockade of the 5-HT transporter alters emotional behavior in adult mice

Reduced serotonin transporter (5-HTT) expression is associated with abnormal affective and anxiety-like symptoms in humans and rodents, but the mechanism of this effect is unknown. Transient inhibition of 5-HTT during early development with fluoxetine, a commonly used serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor, produced abnormal emotional behaviors in adult mice. This effect mimicked the behavioral phenotype of mice genetically deficient in 5-HTT expression. These findings indicate a critical role of serotonin in the maturation of brain systems that modulate emotional function in the adult and suggest a developmental mechanism to explain how low-expressing 5-HTT promoter alleles increase vulnerability to psychiatric disorders.     

Influence of life stress on depression: moderation by a polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene

In a prospective-longitudinal study of a representative birth cohort, we tested why stressful experiences lead to depression in some people but not in others. A functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter (5-HT T) gene was found to moderate the influence of stressful life events on depression. Individuals with one or two copies of the short allele of the 5-HT T promoter polymorphism exhibited more depressive symptoms, diagnosable depression, and suicidality in relation to stressful life events than individuals homozygous for the long allele. This epidemiological study thus provides evidence of a gene-by-environment interaction, in which an individual's response to environmental insults is moderated by his or her genetic makeup.     

SLC24A5, a putative cation exchanger, affects pigmentation in zebrafish and humans

Lighter variations of pigmentation in humans are associated with diminished number, size, and density of melanosomes, the pigmented organelles of melanocytes. Here we show that zebrafish golden mutants share these melanosomal changes and that golden encodes a putative cation exchanger slc24a5 (nckx5) that localizes to an intracellular membrane, likely the melanosome or its precursor. The human ortholog is highly similar in sequence and functional in zebrafish. The evolutionarily conserved ancestral allele of a human coding polymorphism predominates in African and East Asian populations. In contrast, the variant allele is nearly fixed in European populations, is associated with a substantial reduction in regional heterozygosity, and correlates with lighter skin pigmentation in admixed populations, suggesting a key role for the SLC24A5 gene in human pigmentation.     

The role of social groups in the persistence of learned fear

Classical fear conditioning investigates how animals learn to associate environmental stimuli with an aversive event. We examined how the mechanisms of fear conditioning apply when humans learn to associate social ingroup and outgroup members with a fearful event, with the goal of advancing our understanding of basic learning theory and social group interaction. Primates more readily associate stimuli from certain fear-relevant natural categories, such as snakes, with a negative outcome relative to stimuli from fear-irrelevant categories, such as birds. We assessed whether this bias in fear conditioning extends to social groups defined by race. Our results indicate that individuals from a racial group other than one's own are more readily associated with an aversive stimulus than individuals of one's own race, among both white and black Americans. This prepared fear response might be reduced by close, positive interracial contact.     

Tryptophan hydroxylase-2 controls brain serotonin synthesis

Dysregulation of brain serotonin contributes to many psychiatric disorders. Tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (Tph2), rather than Tph1, is preferentially expressed in the brain. We report a functional (C1473G) single-nucleotide polymorphism in mouse Tph2 that results in the substitution of Pro447 with Arg447 and leads to decreased serotonin levels in PC12 cells. Moreover, in BALB/cJ and DBA/2 mice that are homozygous for the 1473G allele, brain serotonin tissue content and synthesis are reduced in comparison to C57Bl/6 and 129X1/SvJ mice that are homozygous for the 1473C allele. Our data provide direct evidence for a fundamental role of Tph2 in brain serotonin synthesis.     

Amygdalar and hippocampal theta rhythm synchronization during fear memory retrieval

The amygdalohippocampal circuit plays a pivotal role in Pavlovian fear memory. We simultaneously recorded electrical activity in the lateral amygdala (LA) and the CA1 area of the hippocampus in freely behaving fear-conditioned mice. Patterns of activity were related to fear behavior evoked by conditioned and indifferent sensory stimuli and contexts. Rhythmically synchronized activity at theta frequencies increased between the LA and the CA1 after fear conditioning and became significant during confrontation with conditioned fear stimuli and expression of freezing behavior. Synchronization of theta activities in the amygdalohippocampal network represents a neuronal correlate of conditioned fear, apt to improve neuronal communication during memory retrieval.     

鸭IL-2基因启动子的克隆、多态性与表达的关联分析

为研究鸭IL-2基因调控区单核苷酸多态性对其转录调控的影响,克隆获得了鸭IL-2基因启动子2 850 bp序列,与人、小鼠和原鸡的同源性分别为35.37%,37.52%和34.74%。其中,-1 400/-1 000存在集中的核心转录因子结合位点。对鸭IL-2基因启动子(-1 932/-742)进行单核苷酸多态检测和遗传多态性分析发现,该区域存在两个突变位点(C-1353A、C-1406T),且均处于Hardy-Weinberg极不平衡状态;等位基因A均为优势等位基因。单核苷酸多态与其表达水平的相关性分析发现,突变位点不同基因型与IL-2基因mRNA表达水平和IL-2蛋白水平均无显著相关关系,但基因型AA个体的mRNA表达量均高于其他基因型个体(P>0.05),表明鸭IL-2启动子等位基因A可能有促进IL-2基因转录的趋势。研究结果为IL-2基因转录调控机制的研究提供了理论基础。     

Postsynaptic receptor trafficking underlying a form of associative learning

To elucidate molecular, cellular, and circuit changes that occur in the brain during learning, we investigated the role of a glutamate receptor subtype in fear conditioning. In this form of learning, animals associate two stimuli, such as a tone and a shock. Here we report that fear conditioning drives AMPA-type glutamate receptors into the synapse of a large fraction of postsynaptic neurons in the lateral amygdala, a brain structure essential for this learning process. Furthermore, memory was reduced if AMPA receptor synaptic incorporation was blocked in as few as 10 to 20% of lateral amygdala neurons. Thus, the encoding of memories in the lateral amygdala is mediated by AMPA receptor trafficking, is widely distributed, and displays little redundancy.     

Genetic variant BDNF (Val66Met) polymorphism alters anxiety-related behavior

A common single-nucleotide polymorphism in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene, a methionine (Met) substitution for valine (Val) at codon 66 (Val66Met), is associated with alterations in brain anatomy and memory, but its relevance to clinical disorders is unclear. We generated a variant BDNF mouse (BDNF(Met/Met)) that reproduces the phenotypic hallmarks in humans with the variant allele. BDNF(Met) was expressed in brain at normal levels, but its secretion from neurons was defective. When placed in stressful settings, BDNF(Met/Met) mice exhibited increased anxiety-related behaviors that were not normalized by the antidepressant, fluoxetine. A variant BDNF may thus play a key role in genetic predispositions to anxiety and depressive disorders.     

猪POU1F1基因启动子区多态分析及其与生长性状的关联

 【目的】获得猪POU1F1基因启动子区的多态信息,揭示其在不同品种中的分布特点,阐明其与生长性状的关联性。【方法】采用PCR克隆、DNA测序和PCR-RFLP技术进行POU1F1基因启动子区多态分析,利用一般线形模型分析其与生长性状的关联性。【结果】在POU1F1基因1.5 kb的启动子区域内发现5个多态位点;其中,5 bp短片段插入或缺失突变的A等位基因频率在引入品种猪中最高,在培育品种中中等,在中国地方品种最低。一般线形模型分析表明,该多态位点与猪的生长性状存在显著相关。多重比较分析发现,AA基因型个体的体高、体长、胸围和体重显著高于AB和BB基因型个体（P＜0.05）,而AB和BB基因型个体的体高、胸围和体重差异不显著（P＞0.05）,但AB基因型个体的体长显著高于BB基因型个体（P＜0.05）。【结论】5 bp短片段插入或缺失突变的A等位基因是生长性状的优势等位基因,是生长性状可能的分子标记。     

Calcium-permeable AMPA receptor dynamics mediate fear memory erasure

Traumatic fear memories can be inhibited by behavioral therapy for humans, or by extinction training in rodent models, but are prone to recur. Under some conditions, however, these treatments generate a permanent effect on behavior, which suggests that emotional memory erasure has occurred. The neural basis for such disparate outcomes is unknown. We found that a central component of extinction-induced erasure is the synaptic removal of calcium-permeable α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptors (AMPARs) in the lateral amygdala. A transient up-regulation of this form of plasticity, which involves phosphorylation of the glutamate receptor 1 subunit of the AMPA receptor, defines a temporal window in which fear memory can be degraded by behavioral experience. These results reveal a molecular mechanism for fear erasure and the relative instability of recent memory.     

Frames, biases, and rational decision-making in the human brain

Human choices are remarkably susceptible to the manner in which options are presented. This so-called "framing effect" represents a striking violation of standard economic accounts of human rationality, although its underlying neurobiology is not understood. We found that the framing effect was specifically associated with amygdala activity, suggesting a key role for an emotional system in mediating decision biases. Moreover, across individuals, orbital and medial prefrontal cortex activity predicted a reduced susceptibility to the framing effect. This finding highlights the importance of incorporating emotional processes within models of human choice and suggests how the brain may modulate the effect of these biasing influences to approximate rationality.     

COMT val158met genotype affects mu-opioid neurotransmitter responses to a pain stressor

Responses to pain and other stressors are regulated by interactions between multiple brain areas and neurochemical systems. We examined the influence of a common functional genetic polymorphism affecting the metabolism of catecholamines on the modulation of responses to sustained pain in humans. Individuals homozygous for the met158 allele of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) polymorphism (val158met) showed diminished regional mu-opioid system responses to pain compared with heterozygotes. These effects were accompanied by higher sensory and affective ratings of pain and a more negative internal affective state. Opposite effects were observed in val158 homozygotes. The COMT val158met polymorphism thus influences the human experience of pain and may underlie interindividual differences in the adaptation and responses to pain and other stressful stimuli.     

Relation between obesity and blunted striatal response to food is moderated by TaqIA A1 allele

The dorsal striatum plays a role in consummatory food reward, and striatal dopamine receptors are reduced in obese individuals, relative to lean individuals, which suggests that the striatum and dopaminergic signaling in the striatum may contribute to the development of obesity. Thus, we tested whether striatal activation in response to food intake is related to current and future increases in body mass and whether these relations are moderated by the presence of the A1 allele of the TaqIA restriction fragment length polymorphism, which is associated with dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) gene binding in the striatum and compromised striatal dopamine signaling. Cross-sectional and prospective data from two functional magnetic resonance imaging studies support these hypotheses, which implies that individuals may overeat to compensate for a hypofunctioning dorsal striatum, particularly those with genetic polymorphisms thought to attenuate dopamine signaling in this region.     

CTLA-4基因多态性与粤西汉族人Graves病发病的相关性研究

目的研究细胞毒性T淋巴细胞相关抗原-4（cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen-4,CTLA-4）基因外显子1＋49A／G位点和启动子-318位点多态性与粤西汉族人Graves病（GD）发病的关联性。方法应用PCR—RFLP分析102例GD患者与100例正常对照组CTLA-4基因的外显子1＋49位点A／G及启动子-318位点C／T多态性。结果GD组外显子1＋49A／G位点的GG基因型及G等位基因频率显著高于正常组（P〈0．05）,GD组有家族史者外显子1＋49A／G位点的GG基因型及G等位基因频率显著高于GD组无家族史者（P〈0．01）;GD组启动子-318位点的各基因型、等位基因频率均与正常组相比差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。结论CTLA-4基因外显子1＋49A／G位点（如基因型及G等位基因可能是粤西汉族人GD的易感因素,尤以具有家族史的易感性更明显;启动子-318位点多态性与粤西汉族人GD的遗传易感性无关联。     

Cloning of a serotonin transporter affected by antidepressants

A complementary DNA clone for a serotonin (5HT) transporter has been isolated from rat basophilic leukemia cells. The complementary DNA sequence predicts a 653-amino acid protein with 12 to 13 putative transmembrane domains. The 5HT transporter has significant homology to the gamma-aminobutyric acid, dopamine, and norepinephrine transporters. Uptake by CV-1 cells expressing the transporter complementary DNA resembles 5HT uptake by platelets and brain synaptosomes; it is sensitive to antidepressants, amphetamine derivatives, and cocaine.     

5-羟色胺转运体抑制剂对肺动脉高压肉鸡肺小动脉中膜5-HT量和平滑肌细胞增殖的影响

【目的】探讨肉鸡肺小动脉中膜5-羟色胺（5-HT）含量与肺小动脉平滑肌细胞增殖的关系,明确5-羟色胺转运体（5-HTT）是否参与了肉鸡肺动脉高压的发生。【方法】20日龄科宝肉鸡分成非诱病组（静脉注射生理盐水,包括空白对照组、氟西汀、西酞普兰组,30只/组）和诱病组（静脉注射纤维素微粒,包括药物空白对照组、氟西汀组、西酞普兰组,50只/组）。自21d起,记录肺动脉高压综合征（PHS）发病率,并分别于21、28、35、42d从各组随机抽样,测定右心室/全心室重量比（RV/TV）,采用免疫组织化学技术、增殖细胞核抗原（PCNA）染色和核仁组织区嗜银蛋白（AgNOR）染色方法检测肺小动脉中膜5-HT量及肺小动脉平滑肌细胞增殖情况。【结果】诱病组PHS发病率、RV/TV明显高于非诱病组（P＜0.05）,肺小动脉中膜5-HT量增加,平滑肌细胞上嗜银颗粒增多,PCNA阳性细胞增多,而两种5-HTT抑制剂（氟西汀和西酞普兰）能明显减少肉鸡PHS发病率和肺小动脉中膜5-HT量,抑制平滑肌细胞增殖,但两种药物之间无明显差异。【结论】在肉鸡肺动脉高压发生过程中,由5-HTT介导的肺小动脉平滑肌细胞内5-HT增多,引起肺小动脉平滑肌细胞过度增殖,导致肉鸡PHS发生,5-HTT可能是防治肉鸡PHS的有意义靶分子。     

Complement factor H polymorphism in age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of blindness in the elderly. We report a genome-wide screen of 96 cases and 50 controls for polymorphisms associated with AMD. Among 116,204 single-nucleotide polymorphisms genotyped, an intronic and common variant in the complement factor H gene (CFH) is strongly associated with AMD (nominal P value <10(-7)). In individuals homozygous for the risk allele, the likelihood of AMD is increased by a factor of 7.4 (95% confidence interval 2.9 to 19). Resequencing revealed a polymorphism in linkage disequilibrium with the risk allele representing a tyrosine-histidine change at amino acid 402. This polymorphism is in a region of CFH that binds heparin and C-reactive protein. The CFH gene is located on chromosome 1 in a region repeatedly linked to AMD in family-based studies.     

Glutamatergic and dopaminergic neurons mediate anxiogenic and anxiolytic effects of CRHR1

The corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) critically controls behavioral adaptation to stress and is causally linked to emotional disorders. Using neurochemical and genetic tools, we determined that CRHR1 is expressed in forebrain glutamatergic and γ-aminobutyric acid-containing (GABAergic) neurons as well as in midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Via specific CRHR1 deletions in glutamatergic, GABAergic, dopaminergic, and serotonergic cells, we found that the lack of CRHR1 in forebrain glutamatergic circuits reduces anxiety and impairs neurotransmission in the amygdala and hippocampus. Selective deletion of CRHR1 in midbrain dopaminergic neurons increases anxiety-like behavior and reduces dopamine release in the prefrontal cortex. These results define a bidirectional model for the role of CRHR1 in anxiety and suggest that an imbalance between CRHR1-controlled anxiogenic glutamatergic and anxiolytic dopaminergic systems might lead to emotional disorders.     

牛DGAT1基因K232A取代对3个品种奶牛群体部分经济性状的影响

利用单链构向多态性方法检测了牛DGAT1基因第8外元AA→GC碱基突变,分析了该突变在三河牛、中国荷斯坦奶牛和中国西门塔尔奶牛中等位基因的分布频率,以及该突变对这3个品种奶牛群体产奶量、乳脂和乳蛋白含量的影响,并分析了该突变在鲁西牛、晋南牛、秦川牛和南阳牛中等位基因分布频率。结果表明,编码赖氨酸的等位基因K在三河牛、中国荷斯坦牛和中国西门塔尔牛中的分布频率分别为0.17,0.33和0.04,在鲁西牛、晋南牛、秦川牛和南阳牛4个中国地方品种中的分布频率分别为0.72,0.39,0.46和0.83;K232A取代与三河牛的平均乳脂率相关(P=0.017),KK和KA基因型个体的平均乳脂率分别较AA基因型个体高0.80%和0.41%。