Project description:MicroRNAs are important regulators of gene expression and associated with stress-related psychiatric disorders. Here, we report that exposing mice to chronic stress led to a specific increase in microRNA-15a levels in the amygdala-Ago2 complex and a concomitant reduction in the levels of its predicted target, FKBP51, which is implicated in stress-related psychiatric disorders. Reciprocally, mice expressing reduced levels of amygdalar microRNA-15a following exposure to chronic stress exhibited increased anxiety-like behaviors. In humans, pharmacological activation of the glucocorticoid receptor, as well as exposure to childhood trauma, was associated with increased microRNA-15a levels in peripheral blood. Taken together, our results support an important role for microRNA-15a in stress adaptation and the pathogenesis of stress-related psychopathologies.
Project description:MicroRNAs are important regulators of gene expression and associated with stress-related psychiatric disorders. We report that exposing mice to chronic stress led to a specific increase in microRNA-15a levels in the amygdala-Ago2 complex, and a concomitant reduction in the levels of its predicted target, FKBP51, which is implicated in stress-related psychiatric disorders. Reciprocally, mice expressing reduced levels of amygdalar microRNA-15a following exposure to chronic stress exhibited increased anxiety-like behaviors. Here, we performed small RNA Sequencing of mouse basolateral amygdala after miR15a knockdown using injection of a miR-15a sponge virus or control sponge virus.
Project description:While microRNAs (miRs) have been extensively studied in the context of malignancy and tumor progression, their functions in regulating T cell activation are less clear. We found reduced levels of miR-15a/16 at 3-18 h post-T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation, suggesting a role in shaping T cell activation. An inducible miR15a/16 transgenic mouse model was developed to determine how elevating miR-15a/16 levels during early stages of activation would affect T cell proliferation and to identify TCR signaling pathways regulated by this miR pair. Doxycyclin (DOX) induced expression of miR-15a/16 from 0-18 h post-TCR stimulation decreased ex vivo proliferation as well as in vivo antigen-specific proliferation. Bioinformatic and proteomic approaches were combined to identify MEK1 as a target of miR-15a/16. MEK1 targeting by miR-15a/16 was confirmed using miR mimics that decreased MEK1 containing the 3’-UTR target nucleotide sequence (UGCUGCUA) but did not decrease MEK1 containing a mutated control sequence (AAAAAAAA). Phosphorylation of downstream signaling molecules ERK1/2 and Elk1 were decreased with DOX-induced miR-15a/16 expression. In addition to MEK1, ERK1 was subsequently found to be targeted by miR-15a/16, with DOX induced miR-15a/16 reducing total ERK1 levels in T cells. These findings show that TCR stimulation reduces miR-15a/16 levels at early stages of T cell activation to facilitate increased MEK1 and ERK1, and this promotes sustained MEK1-ERK1/2-Elk1 signaling required for optimal proliferation.
Project description:According to the Mainz Coping Inventory (MCI) (Krohne & Egloff, 1999) people use four main strategies for coping (i.e. Non-defensive, Repressing, High-Anxious and Sensitizing). To bridge the gap between psychology and genetics, the Affymetrix GeneChip miRNA 3.0 Array (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, USA) was used to analyze blood plasma of healthy male individuals with differing MCI coping styles to gain miRNA profiles associated with the MCI assessment and to predict biomarkers for the MCI coping modes.
Project description:Among in silico predicted or experimentally confirmed miR-15a targets are many genes of relevance to AAA pathology and known to be down-regulated in AAA conditions. To better understand which of these targets could be linked to the observed detrimental effects of miR-15a on SMC dynamics in vitro, we performed RNA-sequencing of hAoSMCs transfected with miR-15a-modulators (mimic, inhibitor, and scrambled control). Upon transfection with miR-15a-mimic, 1030 genes were significantly down-regulated and 741 were significantly up-regulated, whereas miR-15a-inhibition led to 23 down-regulated and 82 up-regulated genes.
Project description:We intended to investigate effects of mmu-miR-15a-3p on gene expression in mice We used microarrays to compare gene expression in mouse B/CMBA.Ov cell lines transfected with mmu-miR-15a-3p and negative control mimic
Project description:RNA sequencing was performed on the transcriptomes of amygdalar ITCs from Tshz1 GFP/+ embryonic mice (controls) and Tshz1GFP/RA embryonic mice (knockouts) in order to identify genes functioning downstream of Tshz1 in the development of these cells.
Project description:The amygdaloid complex mediates learning, memory, and emotions. Understanding the cellular and anatomical features that specialize the amygdala in primates versus other vertebrates first necessitates a systematic, anatomically-resolved molecular analysis of constituent cell populations. We analyzed tissue dissections of five nuclear subdivisions of the primate amygdala with single-nucleus RNA sequencing in macaques, baboons, and humans to examine gene expression profiles for excitatory and inhibitory neurons within and across nuclear subdivisions and confirm our results with single-molecule FISH analysis. We identified distinct subtypes of FOXP2+ interneurons in the intercalated cell masses and protein-kinase C- interneurons in the central nucleus. We also establish that glutamatergic, pyramidal-like neurons are transcriptionally specialized within the basal, lateral, or accessory basal nuclei. Understanding the molecular heterogeneity of anatomically-resolved amygdalar neuron types provides a cellular framework for improving existing models of how amygdalar neural circuits contribute to cognition and mental health in humans by using nonhuman primates as a translational bridge.