The marker of alkyl DNA base damage, N7-methylguanine, is associated with semen quality in men.

Sperm DNA contains a range of DNA base damage that can arise, in part, from exposure to methylating agents. However, the effects are not fully characterized and so the aim of this study was to investigate associations between semen quality and the levels of N7-methyldeoxyguanosine (N7-MedG), a marker of exposure to methylating agents, and other markers of DNA damage and DNA methylation. Sperm samples were collected from 105 men attending an assisted reproduction clinic as part of a couple undergoing treatment for infertility and semen quality assessed manually according to WHO guidelines. Semen levels of N7-MedG, quantified by immunoslotblot, were significantly higher in men with sperm concentration < 15 × 106/ml (p ≤ 0.01), semen volume < 1.5 ml (p ≤ 0.05) and also in men with any aspect of semen quality below WHO reference levels (p ≤ 0.001). Measures of neutral Comet DNA damage were correlated with semen quality in a univariate analysis but not after adjustment for N7-MedG levels. Sperm concentration was negatively associated with % methylation at the gene for DAZL but no other marker of global or gene-specific DNA methylation. Results support the hypothesis that the known toxic and DNA damaging properties of alkylating agent exposure may have direct deleterious consequences on semen quality.

Distinct chromatin structures at the monoamine oxidase-A promoter correlate with allele-specific expression in SH-SY5Y cells.

Monoamine oxidase-A (MAOA) metabolises monoamines and is implicated in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. A polymorphic repetitive DNA domain, termed the uVNTR (upstream variable number tandem repeat), located at the promoter of the MAOA gene is a risk factor for many of these disorders. MAOA is on the X chromosome suggesting gender could play a role in regulation. We analysed MAOA regulation in the human female cell line, SH-SY5Y, which is polymorphic for the uVNTR. This heterozygosity allowed us to correlate allele-specific gene expression with allele-specific transcription factor binding and epigenetic marks for MAOA. Gene regulation was analysed under basal conditions and in response to the mood stabiliser sodium valproate. Both alleles were transcriptionally active under basal growth conditions; however, the alleles showed distinct transcription factor binding and epigenetic marks at their respective promoters. Exposure of the cells to sodium valproate resulted in differential allelic expression which correlated with allele-specific changes in distinct transcription factor binding and epigenetic marks at the region encompassing the uVNTR. Biochemically our model for MAOA promoter function has implications for gender differences in gene × environment responses in which the uVNTR has been implicated as a genetic risk.

Methylome of human skeletal muscle after acute & chronic resistance exercise training, detraining & retraining.

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification that can regulate gene expression following environmental encounters without changes to the genetic code. Using Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip Arrays (850,000 CpG sites) we analysed for the first time, DNA isolated from untrained human skeletal muscle biopsies (vastus lateralis) at baseline (rest) and immediately following an acute (single) bout of resistance exercise. In the same participants, we also analysed the methylome following a period of muscle growth (hypertrophy) evoked via chronic (repeated bouts-3 sessions/wk) resistance exercise (RE) (training) over 7-weeks, followed by complete exercise cessation for 7-weeks returning muscle back to baseline levels (detraining), and finally followed by a subsequent 7-week period of RE-induced hypertrophy (retraining). These valuable methylome data sets described in the present manuscript and deposited in an open-access repository can now be shared and re-used to enable the identification of epigenetically regulated genes/networks that are modified after acute anabolic stimuli and hypertrophy, and further investigate the phenomenon of epigenetic memory in skeletal muscle.

Circulating levels of dickkopf-1, osteoprotegerin and sclerostin are higher in old compared with young men and women and positively associated with whole-body bone mineral density in older adults.

Bone mineral density declines with increasing older age. We examined the levels of circulating factors known to regulate bone metabolism in healthy young and older adults. The circulating levels of dickkopf-1, osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin and sclerostin were positively associated with whole-body bone mineral density (WBMD) in older adults, despite the average WBMD being lower and circulating dickkopf-1, osteoprotegerin and sclerostin being higher in old than young. INTRODUCTION: This study aims to investigate the relationship between whole-body bone mineral density (WBMD) and levels of circulating factors with known roles in bone remodelling during 'healthy' ageing. METHODS: WBMD and fasting plasma concentrations of dickkopf-1, fibroblast growth factor-23, osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin, osteopontin and sclerostin were measured in 272 older subjects (69 to 81 years; 52% female) and 171 younger subjects (18-30 years; 53% female). RESULTS: WBMD was lower in old than young. Circulating osteocalcin was lower in old compared with young, while dickkopf-1, osteoprotegerin and sclerostin were higher in old compared with young. These circulating factors were each positively associated with WBMD in the older adults and the relationships remained after adjustment for covariates (r values ranging from 0.174 to 0.254, all p < 0.01). In multivariate regression, the body mass index, circulating sclerostin and whole-body lean mass together accounted for 13.8% of the variation with WBMD in the older adults. In young adults, dickkopf-1 and body mass index together accounted for 7.7% of variation in WBMD. CONCLUSION: Circulating levels of dickkopf-1, osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin and sclerostin are positively associated with WBMD in community-dwelling older adults, despite the average WBMD being lower and circulating dickkopf-1, osteoprotegerin and sclerostin being higher in old than young.

Intergenerational accumulation of impairments in maternal behavior following postnatal social stress.

Early adversity such as depressed maternal care can have long-term physiological and behavioral effects on offspring and future generations. Exposure to chronic social stress (CSS), an ethologically model of postpartum depression and anxiety, during lactation impairs maternal care and exerts similar effects on the F1 dam offspring of the stressed F0 dams. These changes associate with increased corticosterone and neuroendocrine alterations. CSS F2 offspring further display decreased social behavior as juveniles and adults and decreased basal levels of corticosterone. This current study investigates the intergenerational inheritance of alterations in maternal behavior in F2 CSS dams together with neuroendocrine and immune markers to explore whether aspects of maternal behavior are intergenerationally inherited through immune and neuroendocrine mechanisms. We find that defects in maternal care behavior persist into the F2 generation with F2 dams exhibiting a pervasively depressed maternal care and increased restlessness throughout lactation. This occurs together with reduced basal cortisol (in contrast to an increase in F1 dams), a lack of changes in neuroendocrine gene expression, and reduced serum ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule-1) levels - a marker for inflammation and blood-brain barrier integrity. The data support the hypothesis that the effects of chronic social stress can accumulate across multiple generations to depress maternal care, increase restlessness and alter basal functioning of the immune system and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis.

Early life trauma, depression and the glucocorticoid receptor gene--an epigenetic perspective.

BACKGROUND: Hopes to identify genetic susceptibility loci accounting for the heritability seen in unipolar depression have not been fully realized. Family history remains the 'gold standard' for both risk stratification and prognosis in complex phenotypes such as depression. Meanwhile, the physiological mechanisms underlying life-event triggers for depression remain opaque. Epigenetics, comprising heritable changes in gene expression other than alterations of the nucleotide sequence, may offer a way to deepen our understanding of the aetiology and pathophysiology of unipolar depression and optimize treatments. A heuristic target for exploring the relevance of epigenetic changes in unipolar depression is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene (NR3C1) has been found to be susceptible to epigenetic modification, specifically DNA methylation, in the context of environmental stress such as early life trauma, which is an established risk for depression later in life. METHOD: In this paper we discuss the progress that has been made by studies that have investigated the relationship between depression, early trauma, the HPA axis and the NR3C1 gene. Difficulties with the design of these studies are also explored. RESULTS: Future efforts will need to comprehensively address epigenetic natural histories at the population, tissue, cell and gene levels. The complex interactions between the epigenome, genome and environment, as well as ongoing nosological difficulties, also pose significant challenges. CONCLUSIONS: The work that has been done so far is nevertheless encouraging and suggests potential mechanistic and biomarker roles for differential DNA methylation patterns in NR3C1 as well as novel therapeutic targets.

Effects of prenatal and postnatal depression, and maternal stroking, at the glucocorticoid receptor gene.

In animal models, prenatal and postnatal stress is associated with elevated hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA) reactivity mediated via altered glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene expression. Postnatal tactile stimulation is associated with reduced HPA reactivity mediated via increased GR gene expression. In this first study in humans to examine the joint effects of prenatal and postnatal environmental exposures, we report that GR gene (NR3C1) 1-F promoter methylation in infants is elevated in the presence of increased maternal postnatal depression following low prenatal depression, and that this effect is reversed by self-reported stroking of the infants by their mothers over the first weeks of life.

An investigation of visual hallucinosis and visual sensory status in dementia.

INTRODUCTION: Visual hallucinosis occurs frequently amongst patients with dementia and there is some evidence of an association between hallucinosis and impaired visual function. This study examined the association between objectively rated visual acuity, ambient illumination levels and hallucinosis in patients with dementia. METHODS: Thirty dementia patients with visual hallucinosis plus 30 non-hallucinating dementia patients were recruited from referrals to community mental health teams in Leicestershire. Data were collected by means of a carer interview (including the Neuro-Psychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR)), patient assessment (including Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and measures of corrected visual acuity) and photometric assessment of the room most frequently occupied by the subject. RESULTS: Hallucinators and non-hallucinators did not differ significantly in respect of age, cognitive status or global dementia severity. Fifty per cent of hallucinators had a Snellen visual acuity of 6/24 or worse compared with 27% of non-hallucinators. Comparison of LogMAR transformed values for distance (Snellen chart) and near-vision (Sussex test-types) revealed significantly worse visual acuity for hallucinators on both measures (Mann-Whitney p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Ambient illumination in the centre of the room under conditions of natural plus artificial lighting was significantly lower for hallucinating subjects than for non-hallucinators (median values 200 versus 345 Lux respectively; Mann-Whitney p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These results are consistent with previous findings suggesting an association between visual hallucinations and poor visual acuity in patients with dementia, and introduce environmental illumination as another possible aetiologically relevant factor. Interventions aimed at improving visual function in this patient group now require evaluation.

Mutation screening in exons 3 and 4 of alpha-synuclein in sporadic Parkinson's and sporadic and familial dementia with Lewy bodies cases.

Recently it has been reported that a missense G(88)C mutation within exon 3 and a missense G(209)A mutation within exon 4 of the alpha-synuclein gene were linked to familial Parkinson's Disease (PD). We decided to investigate if these and any other mutations in exons 3 and 4 of the alpha-synuclein gene could be detected in sixty two sporadic PD and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) patients. Four cases of familial DLB were also studied, two of which were from the same family. Single stranded conformational polymorphism, DNA sequencing analyses and PCR-RFLP of exons 3 and 4 failed to reveal any nucleotide changes. However, three nucleotide differences occurred in the intron 4 sequence compared to the published sequence. This study adds further support to the idea that these particular mutation in the alpha-synuclein gene are a rare case of PD and now, as we have shown here, also of DLB.