Author : Sabine Dhir
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (973 download)
Book Synopsis Estrogen Receptor Alpha and the Regulation of Individual Differences in Maternal Care by : Sabine Dhir
Download or read book Estrogen Receptor Alpha and the Regulation of Individual Differences in Maternal Care written by Sabine Dhir and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The early life environment has a profound effect on offspring development. Extensive research has shown multiple neural, endocrine and behavioural systems are influenced by the quality of the early environment. In the laboratory rat, mother- pup interaction is a major component of the early life environment. Variations in the frequency of pup licking/grooming (LG) over the first week of life are associated with robust and stable differences in maternal care. Female rats will exhibit high levels of maternal behaviors towards their offspring when reared by mothers who display high levels of pup LG (High LG). The same is true for female offspring reared by dams that exhibit low levels of LG (Low LG). Adoption studies show that transmission of this maternal behaviour is non-genetic. The studies of the present thesis examine how maternal care, specifically pup LG, is passed from mother to daughter and the molecular mechanism that regulates this behaviour in High and Low LG female rats. High levels of maternal LG are associated with increased levels of the steroid hormone receptor estrogen receptor alpha (ER[alpha]) in the medial preoptic area (mPOA). This brain region is a key neural structure for the regulation of maternal behaviour. Our studies show that ER[alpha] in the mPOA is critically responsible for the variation in pup LG in High and Low LG dams. Furthermore, ER[alpha] also mediates the transmission of pup LG from mother to daughter. Examination of how ER[alpha] expression is regulated in the brain revealed increased Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 5b (Stat5b) transcription factor and RNA Polymerase II (RNA Pol II) binding to the ER[alpha] gene promoter in High LG compared to Low LG offspring. As well, chromatin immunoprecipitation (chIP) analysis revealed increased acetylation of lysine 9 on histone 3 (H3K9ac) in High LG offspring, suggesting that the ER[alpha] promoter is a more "open" chromatin state, and more conducive to increased gene transcription compared to Low LG offspring. Furthermore, increased pup LG significantly increases promoter binding of histone 3 lysine 9 tri-methylation and the associated histone methyltransferase, G9a, in High LG offspring. While seemingly counterintuitive, assessment of the binding of G9a to ER[alpha] via co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) and to the ER[alpha] binding site via chIP analysis determined that G9a likely acts as a co-activator of ER[alpha]. Experimental knockdown of G9a in primary dissociated cortical cultured cells show that decreasing G9a is sufficient to decrease ER[alpha] expression levels. We also explored the dual methyltransferase/co-activation properties of G9a with a specific methyltransferase inhibitor, UNC0642 and found efficient inhibition of lysine 9 methylation on histone 3, with no alterations to G9a. Analysis of potential co-factor recruitment of Glucocorticoid Receptor Interacting Protein 1 (GRIP1) and Coactivator Associated Arginine Methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) by G9a to the ER[alpha] promoter suggests that G9a functions independently of other co-activators to increase ER[alpha] transcription in High LG offspring. The results of the present thesis extend our understanding of the molecular mechanism regulating variations in maternal care in High and Low LG offspring. In High LG offspring, increased pup LG is critically dependent on ER[alpha], which is dynamically regulated by a combination of increased transcription factor binding, permissive histone modifications, and increased co-activation by G9a. Taken together, these findings suggest how the effect of maternal LG on a specific molecular target can directly mediate the transmission of individual differences in maternal care." --
