The mouse cortex regulome. Effects of environmental enrichment on postnatal brain development
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Document Type
Document Version
Author
Director
Ossowski, Stephan
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Publication Date
Pages
155 p.
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Citation
Espeso Gil, S. The mouse cortex regulome. Effects of environmental enrichment on postnatal brain development. Universitat Pompeu Fabra; 2016. handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/552941
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Doctoral program
Programa de doctorat en Biomedicina
Abstract
El reguloma està constituït per un sistema complex de factors que controlen el fenotip molecular de la cèl·lula, que al seu torn està influenciada pel medi ambient. Qualsevol pertorbació pot desencadenar canvis que poden implicar una regulació disfuncional. El cervell integra constantment una quantitat considerable d’informació motora, sensorial i cognitiva. Aquesta integració és particularment important en el desenvolupament postnatal, en què el cervell ha d'establir els compromisos moleculars necessaris per adaptar-se a un entorn canviant. L'objectiu d'aquest estudi és investigar com els factors ambientals poden influenciar en el reguloma de l'escorça cerebral durant el desenvolupament postnatal. Per tal d'estudiar la interacció entre el reguloma i el medi ambient, s’ha utilitzat el paradigma d'enriquiment ambiental en què s’exposa els ratolins a estímuls freqüentment canviants de manera constant durant un mes. En aquest estudi s'ha emprat seqüenciació d'última generació per poder analitzar l'epigenoma, regions obertes de la cromatina, interaccions cromosòmiques, el transcriptoma i el proteoma. En particular, s’observen canvis dinàmics en la cobertura de la modificació H3K79me2 neuronal, juntament amb un augment general d'accessibilitat en regions promotores i enhancers associats a gens importants per a l'aprenentatge. Complementàriament, les dades de transcriptòmica i proteòmica recolzen aquests resultats. Així mateix, s’ha implementat una estratègia particular en citometria de flux que ha permès esbrinar quines són les majors diferències en els canvis induïts per l'enriquiment ambiental en l'escorça cerebral i neurones corticals. En conjunt, i per primer cop, aquests estudis apunten que l'enriquiment ambiental indueix una sèrie de canvis en els mecanismes de regulació de les neurones corticals, relacionats amb un minuciós ajust sinàptic durant el desenvolupament postnatal.
The regulome constitutes a complex system of factors that control the molecular phenotype of the cell, which is influenced by the environment. Any disturbance can trigger a set of changes involving dysfunctional regulation. The brain constantly integrates a multitude of motor, sensory and cognitive information. This engagement is particularly important in postnatal development when the brain must establish the molecular commitments needed to adapt to a changing environment. The aim of this study is to investigate how environmental factors influence the cerebral cortex regulome during postnatal development. In order to study the interaction between the regulome and the environment, we used the paradigm of environmental enrichment (EE) in which mice received constant and novel stimulation during a month. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) –based techniques were employed to analyze the epigenome, gene accessibility, chromosomal interactions, the transcriptome and the proteome. Notably, dynamic changes in neuronal H3K79me2 coverage were observed, together with a general gain of promoter and enhancer accessibility of learning-associated genes. These changes were also supported by transcriptomic and proteomic data. We followed a flow cytometry strategy that allowed us to highlight differences in EE-induced changes in the cerebral cortex and cortical neurons. Our research reveals for the first time that EE induces changes in the regulatory mechanisms related with synaptic fine-tuning in cortical neurons during postnatal development.
The regulome constitutes a complex system of factors that control the molecular phenotype of the cell, which is influenced by the environment. Any disturbance can trigger a set of changes involving dysfunctional regulation. The brain constantly integrates a multitude of motor, sensory and cognitive information. This engagement is particularly important in postnatal development when the brain must establish the molecular commitments needed to adapt to a changing environment. The aim of this study is to investigate how environmental factors influence the cerebral cortex regulome during postnatal development. In order to study the interaction between the regulome and the environment, we used the paradigm of environmental enrichment (EE) in which mice received constant and novel stimulation during a month. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) –based techniques were employed to analyze the epigenome, gene accessibility, chromosomal interactions, the transcriptome and the proteome. Notably, dynamic changes in neuronal H3K79me2 coverage were observed, together with a general gain of promoter and enhancer accessibility of learning-associated genes. These changes were also supported by transcriptomic and proteomic data. We followed a flow cytometry strategy that allowed us to highlight differences in EE-induced changes in the cerebral cortex and cortical neurons. Our research reveals for the first time that EE induces changes in the regulatory mechanisms related with synaptic fine-tuning in cortical neurons during postnatal development.
Keywords
Enriquecimiento ambiental, Epigenética, H3K79me2, Reguloma, Cortex, Environmental enrichment, Epigenetics, Regulome
Subjects
575 - General genetics. General cytogenetics. Immunogenetics. Evolution. Phylogeny
Publisher
Universitat Pompeu Fabra
