Intestinal activating transcription factor 4 regulates stress-related behavioral alterations via paraventricular thalamus in male mice.

ABSTRACT: Chronic stress induces depression- and anxiety-related behaviors, which are common mental disorders accompanied not only by dysfunction of the brain but also of the intestine. Activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) is a stress-induced gene, and we previously show that it is important for gut functions; however, the contribution of the intestinal ATF4 to stress-related behaviors is not known. Here, we show that chronic stress inhibits the expression of ATF4 in gut epithelial cells. ATF4 overexpression in the colon relieves stress-related behavioral alterations in male mice, as measured by open-field test, elevated plus-maze test, and tail suspension test, whereas intestine-specific ATF4 knockout induces stress-related behavioral alterations in male mice. Furthermore, glutamatergic neurons

SUBMITTER: Yuan F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10175747 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature