TY - JOUR A1 - Wiechmann, Tobias A1 - Röh, Simone A1 - Sauer, Susann A1 - Czamara, Darina A1 - Arloth, Janine A1 - Ködel, Maik A1 - Beintner, Madita A1 - Knop, Lisanne A1 - Menke, Andreas A1 - Binder, Elisabeth B. A1 - Provençal, Nadine T1 - Identification of dynamic glucocorticoid-induced methylation changes at the FKBP5 locus JF - Clinical Epigenetics N2 - Background Epigenetic mechanisms may play a major role in the biological embedding of early-life stress (ELS). One proposed mechanism is that glucocorticoid (GC) release following ELS exposure induces long-lasting alterations in DNA methylation (DNAm) of important regulatory genes of the stress response. Here, we investigate the dynamics of GC-dependent methylation changes in key regulatory regions of the FKBP5 locus in which ELS-associated DNAm changes have been reported. Results We repeatedly measured DNAm in human peripheral blood samples from 2 independent cohorts exposed to the GC agonist dexamethasone (DEX) using a targeted bisulfite sequencing approach, complemented by data from Illumina 450K arrays. We detected differentially methylated CpGs in enhancers co-localizing with GC receptor binding sites after acute DEX treatment (1 h, 3 h, 6 h), which returned to baseline levels within 23 h. These changes withstood correction for immune cell count differences. While we observed main effects of sex, age, body mass index, smoking, and depression symptoms on FKBP5 methylation levels, only the functional FKBP5 SNP (rs1360780) moderated the dynamic changes following DEX. This genotype effect was observed in both cohorts and included sites previously shown to be associated with ELS. Conclusion Our study highlights that DNAm levels within regulatory regions of the FKBP5 locus show dynamic changes following a GC challenge and suggest that factors influencing the dynamics of this regulation may contribute to the previously reported alterations in DNAm associated with current and past ELS exposure. KW - DNA methylation KW - FKBP5 KW - glucocorticoid receptor KW - early-life stress KW - targeted bisulfite sequencing KW - dexamethasone Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-233673 VL - 11 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Telorac, Jonas A1 - Prykhozhij, Sergey V. A1 - Schöne, Stefanie A1 - Meierhofer, David A1 - Sauer, Sascha A1 - Thomas-Chollier, Morgane A1 - Meijsing, Sebastiaan H. T1 - Identification and characterization of DNA sequences that prevent glucocorticoid receptor binding to nearby response elements JF - Nucleic Acids Research N2 - Out of the myriad of potential DNA binding sites of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) found in the human genome, only a cell-type specific minority is actually bound, indicating that the presence of a recognition sequence alone is insufficient to specify where GR binds. Cooperative interactions with other transcription factors (TFs) are known to contribute to binding specificity. Here, we reasoned that sequence signals preventing GR recruitment to certain loci provide an alternative means to confer specificity. Motif analyses uncovered candidate Negative Regulatory Sequences (NRSs) that interfere with genomic GR binding. Subsequent functional analyses demonstrated that NRSs indeed prevent GR binding to nearby response elements. We show that NRS activity is conserved across species, found in most tissues and that they also interfere with the genomic binding of other TFs. Interestingly, the effects of NRSs appear not to be a simple consequence of changes in chromatin accessibility. Instead, we find that NRSs interact with proteins found at sub-nuclear structures called paraspeckles and that these proteins might mediate the repressive effects of NRSs. Together, our studies suggest that the joint influence of positive and negative sequence signals partition the genome into regions where GR can bind and those where it cannot. KW - DNA sequencing KW - glucocorticoid receptor KW - DNA binding KW - transcription factors Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166330 VL - 44 IS - 13 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Salvador, Ellaine A1 - Shityakov, Sergey A1 - Förster, Carola T1 - Glucocorticoids and endothelial cell barrier function JF - Cell and Tissue Research N2 - Glucocorticoids (GCs) are steroid hormones that have inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects on a wide variety of cells. They are used as therapy for inflammatory disease and as a common agent against edema. The blood brain barrier (BBB), comprising microvascular endothelial cells, serves as a permeability screen between the blood and the brain. As such, it maintains homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). In many CNS disorders, BBB integrity is compromised. GC treatment has been demonstrated to improve the tightness of the BBB. The responses and effects of GCs are mediated by the ubiquitous GC receptor (GR). Ligand-bound GR recognizes and binds to the GC response element located within the promoter region of target genes. Transactivation of certain target genes leads to improved barrier properties of endothelial cells. In this review, we deal with the role of GCs in endothelial cell barrier function. First, we describe the mechanisms of GC action at the molecular level. Next, we discuss the regulation of the BBB by GCs, with emphasis on genes targeted by GCs such as occludin, claudins and VE-cadherin. Finally, we present currently available GC therapeutic strategies and their limitations. KW - endothelial cells KW - glucocorticoids KW - glucocorticoid receptor KW - blood brain barrier Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-132091 VL - 355 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reschke, Moritz A1 - Salvador, Ellaine A1 - Schlegel, Nicolas A1 - Burek, Malgorzata A1 - Karnati, Srikanth A1 - Wunder, Christian A1 - Förster, Carola Y. T1 - Isosteviol sodium (STVNA) reduces pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 and GM-CSF in an in vitro murine stroke model of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) JF - Pharmaceutics N2 - Early treatment with glucocorticoids could help reduce both cytotoxic and vasogenic edema, leading to improved clinical outcome after stroke. In our previous study, isosteviol sodium (STVNA) demonstrated neuroprotective effects in an in vitro stroke model, which utilizes oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). Herein, we tested the hypothesis that STVNA can activate glucocorticoid receptor (GR) transcriptional activity in brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) as previously published for T cells. STVNA exhibited no effects on transcriptional activation of the glucocorticoid receptor, contrary to previous reports in Jurkat cells. However, similar to dexamethasone, STVNA inhibited inflammatory marker IL-6 as well as granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) secretion. Based on these results, STVNA proves to be beneficial as a possible prevention and treatment modality for brain ischemia-reperfusion injury-induced blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction. KW - IL-6 KW - ischemia KW - isosteviol sodium (STVNA) KW - dexamethasone KW - glucocorticoid receptor KW - cerebEND Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-286275 SN - 1999-4923 VL - 14 IS - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pishva, Ehsan A1 - Drukker, Marjan A1 - Viechtbauer, Wolfgang A1 - Decoster, Jeroen A1 - Collip, Dina A1 - van Winkel, Ruud A1 - Wichers, Marieke A1 - Jacobs, Nele A1 - Thiery, Evert A1 - Derom, Catherine A1 - Geschwind, Nicole A1 - van den Hove, Daniel A1 - Lataster, Tineke A1 - Myin-Germeys, Inez A1 - van Os, Jim A1 - Rutten, Bart P. F. A1 - Kenis, Gunter T1 - Epigenetic Genes and Emotional Reactivity to Daily Life Events: A Multi-Step Gene-Environment Interaction Study JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Recent human and animal studies suggest that epigenetic mechanisms mediate the impact of environment on development of mental disorders. Therefore, we hypothesized that polymorphisms in epigenetic-regulatory genes impact stress-induced emotional changes. A multi-step, multi-sample gene-environment interaction analysis was conducted to test whether 31 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in epigenetic-regulatory genes, i.e. three DNA methyltransferase genes DNMT1, DNMT3A, DNMT3B, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), moderate emotional responses to stressful and pleasant stimuli in daily life as measured by Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM). In the first step, main and interactive effects were tested in a sample of 112 healthy individuals. Significant associations in this discovery sample were then investigated in a population-based sample of 434 individuals for replication. SNPs showing significant effects in both the discovery and replication samples were subsequently tested in three other samples of: (i) 85 unaffected siblings of patients with psychosis, (ii) 110 patients with psychotic disorders, and iii) 126 patients with a history of major depressive disorder. Multilevel linear regression analyses showed no significant association between SNPs and negative affect or positive affect. No SNPs moderated the effect of pleasant stimuli on positive affect. Three SNPs of DNMT3A (rs11683424, rs1465764, rs1465825) and 1 SNP of MTHFR (rs1801131) moderated the effect of stressful events on negative affect. Only rs11683424 of DNMT3A showed consistent directions of effect in the majority of the 5 samples. These data provide the first evidence that emotional responses to daily life stressors may be moderated by genetic variation in the genes involved in the epigenetic machinery. KW - DNA methylation KW - de-novo methylation KW - psychotic experiences KW - DNMT3A KW - glucocorticoid receptor KW - stress KW - mammalian development KW - psychiatry KW - cortisol KW - cells Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-115956 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 9 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Menke, Andreas T1 - Is the HPA axis as target for depression outdated, or is there a new hope? JF - Frontiers in Psychiatry N2 - Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a very common stress-related mental disorder that carries a huge burden for affected patients and the society. It is associated with a high mortality that derives from suicidality and the development of serious medical conditions such as heart diseases, diabetes, and stroke. Although a range of effective antidepressants are available, more than 50% of the patients do not respond to the first treatment they are prescribed and around 30% fail to respond even after several treatment attempts. The heterogeneous condition of MDD, the lack of biomarkers matching patients with the right treatments and the situation that almost all available drugs are only targeting the serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine signaling, without regulating other potentially dysregulated systems may explain the insufficient treatment status. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is one of these other systems, there is numerous and robust evidence that it is implicated in MDD and other stress-related conditions, but up to date there is no specific drug targeting HPA axis components that is approved and no test that is routinely used in the clinical setting identifying patients for such a specific treatment. Is there still hope after these many years for a breakthrough of agents targeting the HPA axis? This review will cover tests detecting altered HPA axis function and the specific treatment options such as glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonists, corticotropin-releasing hormone 1 (CRH1) receptor antagonists, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) inhibitors and FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5) receptor antagonists. KW - precision medicine KW - personalized medicine KW - biomarker KW - depression KW - HPA axis KW - glucocorticoid receptor KW - CRH1 KW - FKBP5 Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-195780 SN - 1664-0640 VL - 10 IS - 101 ER - TY - THES A1 - Harke, Nina Natascha T1 - Untersuchungen zum Genexpressionsmechanismus der Glukokortikoidvermittelten Occludin-Induktion an der Blut-Hirn-Schranke T1 - The glucocorticoid mediated occludin induction in the blood-brain-barrier N2 - Die Blut-Hirn-Schranke wird hauptsächlich vom Endothel der Hirngefäße gebildet und stellt die wichtigste Barriere zwischen Blutkompartiment und Hirnparenchym dar. Hauptverantwortlich für die Barrierefunktion der Gehirnkapillaren sind die Tight Junctions, die den Interzellularspalt des Endothels verschließen und dadurch die parazelluläre Permeabilität hydrophiler Moleküle und Ionen regulieren und einen hohen elektrischen Widerstand aufbauen. Das 65 kDa Transmembranprotein Occludin ist ein zentrales Element der Tight Junctions: Eine Induktion von Occludin führt zur Erhöhung der Barriereeigenschaften, während eine Erniedrigung des Occludin-Gehaltes zu einer verstärkten Kapillardurchlässigkeit und potenziell zu einer Schädigung des Hirngewebes führt. Im klinischen Alltag werden bereits seit vierzig Jahren Kortikosteroide bei Erkrankungen mit geschädigter Blut-Hirn-Schranke erfolgreich eingesetzt. Auch experimentell konnte im hiesigen Labor durch die Arbeitsgruppe von Prof. Förster eine Transaktivierung von Occludin durch Glukokortikoide wie Dexamethason nachgewiesen werden. Die zugrunde liegenden regulatorischen Mechanismen der Occludintransaktivierung blieben weitgehend unbekannt, insbesondere die Frage, ob die Geninduktion über direkte Zielgentransaktivierung oder über eine Protein-Protein-Interaktion mit anderen Transkriptionsfaktoren erfolgt. Das Vorhandensein putativer Glukokortikoid-responsiver Elemente innerhalb des Occludin-Promoters war ebenso noch nicht bekannt. In dieser Arbeit konnte dargestellt werden, dass für die erhöhte Occludin-Expression in Endothelzellen von Hirngefäßen durch Glukokortikoide ein funktioneller Glukokortikoid-Rezeptor als Homodimer nötig war. In den Experimenten wurden die jeweiligen Transaktivierungsniveaus des Occludin-Promoters durch einen Luciferase-Promoter-Reporter-Assay verglichen. Es wurden zum einen der Wildtyp-Glukokortikoidrezeptor, zum anderen ein mutagenisierter Rezeptor eingesetzt, dem die entscheidende Dimerisierungseigenschaft fehlt. Ohne die Ausbildung eines Rezeptor-Homodimers kann die Bindung an die Promoter-DNA nicht erfolgen. Im Vergleich zeigte sich, dass nur der Wildtyp-Glukokortikoidrezeptor zu einer erhöhten Genexpression führte, der mutagenisierte Rezeptor zeigte keine Induktion. Zudem konnte im Rahmen dieser Arbeit eine Bindungsstelle des Glukokortikoidrezeptors auf dem Occludin-Promoter identifiziert werden. Die Identifizierung des Glukokortikoid-responsiven Elements erfolgte durch Untersuchung der Glukokortikoid-Responsivität verschiedener Abschnitte des Occludin-Promoters. Auf zwei dieser Abschnitte fanden sich Gensequenzen, die der etablierten kanonischen Konsensussequenz und verschiedenen in der Literatur beschriebenen degenerierten Elementen entsprachen. Im Promoter-Reporter-Assay zeigte sich nur im distalen Promoterabschnitt eine erhöhte Occludin-Expression nach Glukokortikoid-Gabe. Dieses distale Element aus zwei Halbelementen (5’-ACATGTnnnnACAAAT-3’) wurde durch Immunopräzipitationsassays weiter eingegrenzt. Eine Mutagenisierung der Basenabfolge mit anschließend ausbleibender Transaktivierung und Immunopräzipitation bestätigte die Funktionalität des Glukokortikoid-responsiven Elements. Zusammenfassend konnte in dieser Arbeit erstmals die direkte dimerisierungsabhängige Glukokortikoidrezeptor-vermittelte Induktion von Occludin nachgewiesen und ein neues degeneriertes Glukokortikoid-responsives Element identifiziert werden, das für die Transaktivierung des Occludingens essentiell ist. N2 - The blood-brain-barrier mainly consists of endothelial cells and is the most important barrier between blood vessels and brain parenchyme. Occludin represents an important part of the tight junctions, which seal and protect the blood brain barrier against paracellular diffusion of solutes to the brain parenchyme and are therefore responsible for the high resistance and low permeability between cerebral capillary endothelial cells. Induction of occludin leads to increased barrier properties while a decreased occludin-level results in elevated permeability and potential impairment of the brain tissue. In former studies the positive influence of glucocorticoids on the barrier properties because of an induction of the occludin gene could be shown. This doctorial thesis showed that for an elevated occludin expression level in cerebral endothelial cells a functional glucocorticoid receptor as a homodimer is needed. This was proved comparing the transactivation levels of a wild-type glucocorticoid receptor and a mutagenised receptor lacking the ability of dimerization employing the Luciferase-Promoter-Reporter-Assay. Binding to the promoter-DNA is not possible without the formation of the receptor homodimer. Increased transactivation could only be seen using the wild-type receptor, the mutagenised receptor did not show any induction. In addition this thesis identified a glucocorticoid-receptor binding-site in the occludin promoter. This was performed analyzing the responsivity of different parts of the occludin promoter to glucocorticoid treatment. Two sequences could be found which were similar to the canonical consensus sequence and other established degenerated glucocorticoid response elements. Using the promoter-reporter-assay an elevated occludin expression could be detected after glucocorticoid treatment within the distal segment of the promoter. This distal element consisting of two half sites (5’-ACATGTnnnnACAAAT-3’) was confirmed using immunoprecipitation assays. After site directed mutagenesis of the putative glucocorticoid response element Luciferase promoter reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that disruption of the candidate binding site abolished glucocorticoid-induced reporter gene expression and binding of the glucocorticoid receptor in response to dexamethasone treatment. The fact that glucocorticoid stimulation did not affect gene expression in the mutant vector verified that the glucocorticoid response element is functional and that hormone binding is not possible after alteration of the sequence. KW - Occludin KW - Glucocorticosteroide KW - Blut-Hirn-Schranke KW - Glucocorticosteroidrezeptor KW - Glucocorticoid-responsives Element KW - Occludin KW - glucocorticoid-response element KW - blood-brain-barrier KW - glucocorticoid receptor Y1 - 2009 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-56689 ER -