PLX161513

GSE73018: Alterations to the Synaptic Transcriptome in Response to Ethanol-Induced Behavioral Sensitization in DBA/2J Mice

• Organsim mouse
• Type RNASEQ
• Target gene
• Project ARCHS4

Alcoholism is a complex neurological disorder characterized by loss of control in limiting intake, and progressive compulsion to seek and consume ethanol. Prior studies have suggested that the characteristic behaviors associated with escalation of drug use are caused, at least in part, by ethanol-evoked changes in gene expression affecting synaptic plasticity. Implicit in this hypothesis is a dependence on new protein synthesis and remodeling at the synapse. It is well established that mRNA can be transported to neuronal distal processes, where it can undergo localized translation that is regulated in a spatially restricted manner in response to stimulation. It is unknown whether such modulation of the synaptic transcriptome might contribute to ethanol-induced synaptic plasticity. Using ethanol-induced behavioral sensitization as a model of neuroplasticity, here we investigated whether repeated exposure to ethanol altered the synaptic transcriptome, contributing to synaptic plasticity underlying a subsequent increase in the ethanol-evoked locomotor response. A synaptoneurosome preparation was utilized to enrich for RNAs trafficked to the synapse versus the proximal cellular fraction. Two complementary methods of genomic profiling, RNA-Seq and microarrays, were used to survey the synaptic transcriptome of DBA/2J mice subjected to ethanol-induced behavioral sensitization. Strikingly, a large number of genes regulated by acute ethanol showed adaptation to repeated ethanol exposure with sensitization. Genomic profiling showed distinct functional classes in RNA found to be enriched in the synaptoneurosome faction, consistent with their role in synaptic function. A subset of ethanol-responsive genes significantly enriched at the synapse were related to biological functions such as protein folding and extra-cellular matrix components, suggesting a role for local regulation of synaptic protein function by ethanol. In contrast, RNA classes regulated by ethanol in the cell soma included an over-abundance of RNA-binding and trafficking proteins, perhaps reflecting increased demand for dendritic RNA localization. These experiments document that both acute and repeated ethanol produce specific alterations in the complement of RNA at the synapse and lay the foundation for further investigations into the role of the synaptic transcriptome in behavioral adaptations to ethanol. SOURCE: Michael Miles (Michael.Miles@vcuhealth.org) - Miles Virginia Commonwealth Univ.