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- Bendre, Megha, et al.
(author)
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Associations Between MAOA-uVNTR Genotype, Maltreatment, MAOA Methylation, and Alcohol Consumption in Young Adult Males
- 2018
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In: Alcoholism. - : WILEY. - 0145-6008 .- 1530-0277. ; 42:3, s. 508-519
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundEpigenetic mechanisms are candidate moderators of the effect of maltreatment on brain and behavior. Interactions between maltreatment and the monoamine oxidase A upstream variable number tandem repeat genotype (MAOA-uVNTR) are associated with alcohol-related problems. However, presently it is not known whether DNA methylation moderates this association. The study focused on 53 young adult males and aimed to determine whether MAOA methylation moderated the association of alcohol-related problems with the interaction of MAOA-uVNTR and maltreatment, and whether alcohol consumption moderated the association of MAOA methylation with the interaction of MAOA-uVNTR and maltreatment. MethodsMAOA-uVNTR genotypes with 3 and > 3 repeats were categorized as short (S) and long (L), respectively. Data on maltreatment were obtained retrospectively, using self-reported questionnaires. DNA methylation of 16 candidate CpGs within part of the MAOA first exon and intron was assessed and grouped based on principal component analyses. Alcohol-related problems were assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Alcohol consumption was measured using AUDIT-C. Moderation effects were assessed and probed using the moderated moderation model and Johnson-Neyman's method, respectively. ResultsCarriers of the S allele, who experienced maltreatment and displayed lower Component 1 (mean of CpGs 13-16 in the first intron) MAOA methylation levels, reported higher AUDIT score in contrast to L-allele carriers. Carriers of the S allele, who reported higher AUDIT-C score and experienced maltreatment, displayed lower Component 3 (mean of CpGs 2-6 in the first exon) MAOA methylation levels than L-allele carriers. ConclusionsIntronic methylation moderated the association of alcohol-related problems with the interaction of MAOA-uVNTR and maltreatment. Alcohol consumption moderated the association of exonic methylation with the interaction of MAOA-uVNTR and maltreatment. These results suggest that epigenetic factors as well as genotype and maltreatment play a role in the development of alcohol misuse among young adult males.
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- Bendre, Megha, et al.
(author)
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Early life stress and voluntary alcohol consumption in relation to Maoa methylation in male rats.
- 2019
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In: Alcohol. - : Elsevier BV. - 0741-8329 .- 1873-6823. ; 79, s. 7-16
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Early life stress (ELS) or alcohol consumption can influence DNA methylation and affect gene expression. The monoamine oxidase A (Maoa) encodes the enzyme that metabolizes monoaminergic neurotransmitters crucial for the stress response, alcohol reward, and reinforcement. Previously, we reported lower Maoa expression in the nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum of male rats exposed to ELS during the first three postnatal weeks, and to voluntary alcohol consumption in adulthood, compared with controls. The present study continued to investigate the effect of ELS and alcohol consumption on Maoa methylation, and its relation to Maoa expression in these animals. We selected candidate CpGs after performing next-generation bisulfite sequencing of the Maoa promoter, intron 1-5, exons 5 and 6, together comprised of 107 CpGs, in a subgroup of rats. Pyrosequencing was used to analyse the methylation of ten candidate CpGs in the promoter and intron 1 in the entire sample. ELS and alcohol displayed an interaction effect on CpG-specific methylation in the dorsal striatum. CpG-specific methylation correlated with Maoa expression, corticosterone levels, and alcohol consumption in a brain region-specific manner. CpG-specific methylation in the Maoa promoter was a potential moderator of the interaction of ELS with alcohol consumption on Maoa expression in the NAc. However, the findings were sparse, did not survive correction for multiple testing, and the magnitude of differences in methylation levels was small. In conclusion, CpG-specific Maoa methylation in the promoter and intron 1 may associate with ELS, alcohol consumption and Maoa expression in reward-related brain regions.
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- Bendre, Megha, et al.
(author)
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Effect of voluntary alcohol consumption on Maoa expression in the mesocorticolimbic brain of adult male rats previously exposed to prolonged maternal separation. : Maoa,ELS and alcohol
- 2015
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In: Translational Psychiatry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2158-3188. ; 5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Discordant associations between monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) genotype and high alcohol drinking have been reported in human and non-human primates. Environmental influences likely moderate genetic susceptibility. The biological basis for this interplay remains elusive, and inconsistencies call for translational studies in which conditions can be controlled and brain tissue is accessible. The present study investigated whether early life stress and subsequent adult episodic alcohol consumption affect Maoa expression in stress- and reward-related brain regions in the rat. Outbred Wistar rats were exposed to rearing conditions associated with stress (prolonged maternal separation) or no stress during early life, and given free choice between alcohol and/or water in adulthood. Transcript levels of Maoa were assessed in the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens (NAc), medial prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, amygdala and dorsal striatum (DS). Blood was collected to assess corticosterone levels. After alcohol consumption, lower blood corticosterone and Maoa expression in the NAc and DS were found in rats exposed to early life stress compared with control rats. An interaction between early life stress and voluntary alcohol intake was found in the NAc. Alcohol intake before death correlated negatively with Maoa expression in DS in high alcohol-drinking rats exposed to early life stress. Maoa expression is sensitive to adulthood voluntary alcohol consumption in the presence of early life stress in outbred rats. These findings add knowledge of the molecular basis of the previously reported associations between early life stress, MAOA and susceptibility to alcohol misuse.
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- Bendre, Megha
(author)
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Predictors of Alcohol Misuse : Role of MAOA Genotype, Methylation, Transcription, and Negative and Positive Environmental factors
- 2019
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Alcohol misuse is a risk factor for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Gene-environment interactions contribute to the risk or resilience for AUD. A functional polymorphism in the promoter of the monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA-uVNTR), in interaction with negative environment (Eneg), is associated with alcohol misuse and AUD. Men carrying short (MAOA-S), and women carrying long (MAOA-L), MAOA-uVNTR alleles who experienced maltreatment or poor parent-child relationships are at increased susceptibility to alcohol misuse and AUD. This thesis assessed whether the association of MAOAxEneg with the risk of AUD is moderated by MAOA methylation or positive environment and whether MAOA methylation-associated changes in MAOA expression in the stress- and reward-related brain regions is an underlying mechanism.The thesis reveals that the association of MAOAxEneg with alcohol misuse is moderated by MAOA methylation in men, but not in women. In the clinical sample, men carrying MAOA-S allele who experienced maltreatment and had low MAOA methylation displayed higher alcohol-related problems than those without maltreatment or MAOA-L carriers with and without maltreatment. Furthermore, the quality of the parent–child relationship moderated the association of MAOAxEneg with alcohol misuse in a sex- and AUD stage-dependent manner. In the non-clinical sample of adolescents, girls carrying MAOA-L allele who experienced maltreatment and poor parent–child relationship displayed higher alcohol consumption, whereas those with average or good parent–child relationship had lower alcohol consumption. In the clinical sample of adolescents, however, no such association was observed. These results suggest that a good parent–child relationship protects MAOA susceptibility genotype carriers exposed to maltreatment during the early stages of alcohol use. The preclinical studies revealed that the male rats exposed to Eneg and alcohol had higher CpG-specific Maoa promoter methylation, which was associated with lower Maoa expression in the nucleus accumbens than the control rats. Thus, MAOA methylation-associated changes in MAOA expression in the nucleus accumbens might mediate the effect of environment on alcohol use.The thesis contributes to the understanding of biological mechanisms underlying MAOAxEnvironment effect and the critical role of MAOA methylation and positive environment in moderating risk and resilience for AUD. Also, the identification of subgroups may benefit from personalised interventions for AUD.
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- Checknita, Dave, et al.
(author)
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Monoamine oxidase A genotype and methylation moderate the association of maltreatment and aggressive behaviour
- 2020
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In: Behavioural Brain Research. - : ELSEVIER. - 0166-4328 .- 1872-7549. ; 382
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The association between childhood maltreatment and subsequent aggressive behaviour is modified by monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) functional polymorphism (MAOA-uVNTR) genotype, MAOA-Long (MAOA-L) in females, MAOA-Short (MAOA-S) in males. Childhood maltreatment is associated with differential DNA methylation in several genes. Consistent with recent proposals, we hypothesized that the association of the interaction of MAOA genotype and maltreatment with aggressive behaviour is further moderated by methylation of a region of interest (ROI) spanning the first exon and partial first intron of MAOA.Method: The sample included 117 women and 77 men who completed interviews and questionnaires to report maltreatment and aggressive behaviour towards others and provided saliva samples for DNA extraction. The MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism was genotyped, and methylation of the MAOA ROI was assessed.Results: Following adjustment for substance misuse, psychoactive medication use, and in males tobacco use, the highest levels of aggressive behaviour were found among maltreated male carriers of MAOA-S with high levels of exonic methylation.Conclusion: Methylation levels within the MAOA ROI further contributed to the interaction of MAOA risk genotypes and maltreatment on aggressive behaviours among men.
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- Nylander, Ingrid, 1957-, et al.
(author)
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Evidence for a Link Between Fkbp5/FKBP5, Early Life Social Relations and Alcohol Drinking in Young Adult Rats and Humans
- 2017
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In: Molecular Neurobiology. - : Humana Press. - 0893-7648 .- 1559-1182. ; 54:8, s. 6225-6234
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alcohol misuse has been linked to dysregulation of stress, emotion, and reward brain circuitries. A candidate key mediator of this association is the FK506-binding protein (FKBP5), a negative regulator of the glucocorticoid receptor. The aim of the present study was to further understand the Fkbp5/FKBP5-related genetic underpinnings underlying the relationship between early life social relations and alcohol drinking. The effect of maternal separation and voluntary alcohol drinking on Fkbp5 expression was investigated in the brain of young adult rats, whereas the interaction effect of the functional FKBP5 single nucleotide polymorphism rs1360780 genotype and parent-child relationship on problematic drinking was examined in young adult humans. In rats, Fkbp5 expression in the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area, core regions of the reward system, was affected in a region-dependent manner and in opposite direction by maternal separation and alcohol drinking. Fkbp5 expression in the cingulate cortex was affected by the combined effect of maternal separation and alcohol drinking. In humans, the TT genotype, in the presence of a poor relationship between the child and parents, was associated with problematic drinking behavior. The present findings suggest that Fkbp5 expression in mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic regions associates with early life stress-mediated sensitivity to alcohol drinking and that FKBP5 genotype interacts with parent-child relationship to influence alcohol drinking. These findings are the first to point to a role of FKBP5 in propensity to alcohol misuse and call for studies of the underlying molecular mechanisms to identify potential drug targets.
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