Biology subjects

Zheng, H.

Publications and source records attributed to Zheng, H..

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Bacterium-Enabled Transient Gene Activation by Artificial Transcription Factor for Resolving Gene Regulation in Maize

Cellular functions are diversified through intricate transcription regulations, and an understanding gene regulation networks is essential to elucidating many developmental processes and environmental responses. Here, we employed the Transcriptional-Activator Like effectors (TALes), which represent a family of transcription factors that are synthesized by members of the {gamma}-proteobacterium genus Xanthomonas and secreted to host cells for activation of targeted host genes. Through delivery by the maize pathogen, Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum, designer TALes (dTALes), which are synthetic TALes, were used to induce the expression of the maize gene glossy3 (gl3), a MYB transcription factor gene involved in the cuticular wax biosynthesis. RNA-Seq analysis of leaf samples identified 146 gl3 downstream genes. Eight of the nine known genes known to be involved in the cuticular wax biosynthesis were up-regulated by at least one dTALe. A top-down Gaussian graphical model predicted that 68 gl3 downstream genes were directly regulated by GL3. A chemically induced mutant of the gene Zm00001d017418 from the gl3 downstream gene, encoding aldehyde dehydrogenase, exhibited a typical glossy leaf phenotype and reduced epicuticular waxes. The bacterial protein delivery of artificial transcription factors, dTALes, proved to be a straightforward and powerful approach for the revelation of gene regulation in plants.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Genomic analyses of 10,376 individuals provides comprehensive map of genetic variations, structure and reference haplotypes for Chinese population

Here, we initiated the Westlake BioBank for Chinese (WBBC) pilot project with 4,535 whole-genome sequencing individuals and 5,481 high-density genotyping individuals. We identified 80.99 million SNPs and INDELs, of which 38.6% are novel. The genetic evidence of Chinese population structure supported the corresponding geographical boundaries of the Qinling-Huaihe Line and Nanling Mountains. The genetic architecture within North Han was more homogeneous than South Han, and the history of effective population size of Lingnan began to deviate from the other three regions from 6 thousand years ago. In addition, we identified a novel locus (SNX29) under selection pressure and confirmed several loci associated with alcohol metabolism and histocompatibility systems. We observed significant selection of genes on epidermal cell differentiation and skin development only in southern Chinese. Finally, we provided an online imputation server (https://wbbc.westlake.edu.cn/) which could result in higher imputation accuracy compared to the existing panels, especially for lower frequency variants.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2021

Comparative genomics of Chinese and international isolates of Escherichia albertii: population structure and evolution of virulence and antimicrobial resistance

Escherichia albertii is a newly recognized species in the genus Escherichia that causes diarrhea. The population structure, genetic diversity and genomic features has not been fully examined. Here, 169 E. albertii isolates from different sources and regions in China were sequenced and combined with 312 publicly available genomes for phylogenetic and genomic analyses. The E. albertii population was divided into 2 clades and 8 lineages, with lineage 3 (L3), L5 and L8 more common in China. Clinical isolates were observed in all clades/lineages. Virulence genes were found to be distributed differently among lineages: subtypes of the intimin encoding gene eae and the cytolethal distending toxin (Cdt) gene cdtB were lineage associated, the second type three secretion system (ETT2) island was truncated in L3 and L6. Seven new eae subtypes and 1 new cdtB subtype (cdtB-VI) were found. Alarmingly, 85.9% of the Chinese E. albertii isolates were predicted to be multidrug resistant (MDR) with 35.9% harboured genes capable of conferring resistance to 10 to 14 different drug classes. By in silico multi-locus sequence typing, majority of the MDR isolates belonged to 4 STs (ST4638, ST4479, ST4633 and ST4488). Thirty-four intact plasmids carrying MDR and virulence genes, and 130 intact prophages were identified from 17 complete E. albertii genomes. Ten plasmid replicon types were found to be significantly associated with MDR. The 130 intact prophages were clustered into 5 groups, with group 5 prophages harbouring more virulence genes. Our findings provided fundamental insights into the population structure, virulence variation and MDR of E. albertii. Impact statementE. albertii is newly recognized foodborne pathogen causing diarrhea. Elucidation of its genomic features is important for surveillance and control of E. albertii infections. In this work, 169 E. albertii genomes from difference sources and regions in China were collected and sequenced, which contributed to the currently limited genomic data pool of E. albertii. In combination with 312 publicly available genomes from 14 additional countries, the population structure of E. albertii was defined. The presence and subtypes of virulence genes in different lineages were significantly different, indicating potential pathogenicity variation. Additionally, the presence of multidrug resistance (MDR) genes was alarmingly high in the Chinese dominated lineages. MDR associated STs and plasmid subtypes were identified, which could be used as sentinels for MDR surveillance. Moreover, the subtypes of plasmids and prophages were distributed differently across lineages, and were found to contribute to the acquisition of virulence and MDR genes of E. albertii. Altogether, this work reveals the diversity of E. albertii and characterized its genomic features in unprecedented detail. Data SummaryAll newly sequenced data in this work were deposited in National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) under the BioProject of PRJNA693666, including 6 complete genomes and raw reads of 164 E. albertii isolates.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2021

Sequence-specific minimizers via polar sets

Minimizers are efficient methods to sample k-mers from genomic sequences that unconditionally preserve sufficiently long matches between sequences. Well-established methods to construct efficient minimizers focus on sampling fewer k-mers on a random sequence and use universal hitting sets (sets of k-mers that appear frequently enough) to upper bound the sketch size. In contrast, the problem of sequence-specific minimizers, which is to construct efficient minimizers to sample fewer k-mers on a specific sequence such as the reference genome, is less studied. Currently, the theoretical understanding of this problem is lacking, and existing methods do not specialize well to sketch specific sequences. We propose the concept of polar sets, complementary to the existing idea of universal hitting sets. Polar sets are k-mer sets that are spread out enough on the reference, and provably specialize well to specific sequences. Link energy measures how well spread out a polar set is, and with it, the sketch size can be bounded from above and below in a theoretically sound way. This allows for direct optimization of sketch size. We propose efficient heuristics to construct polar sets, and via experiments on the human reference genome, show their practical superiority in designing efficient sequence-specific minimizers. A reference implementation and code for analyses under an open-source license are at https://github.com/kingsford-group/polarset.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2021

ATGs ubiquitination is required for circumsporozoite protein to subvert host innate immunity against malaria liver stage

Although exoerythrocytic forms (EEFs) of liver stage malaria parasite in parasitophorous vacuole (PV) encountered with robust host innate immunity, EEFs can still survive and successfully complete infection of hepatocytes, and the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. Here, we showed that sporozoite circumsporozoite protein (CSP) translocated from the parasitophorous vacuole into the hepatocyte cytoplasm significantly inhibited the killing of exo-erythrocytic forms (EEFs) by interferon-gamma (IFN-{gamma}). Attenuation of IFN-{gamma}-mediated killing of EEFs by CSP was dependent on its ability to reduce the levels of autophagy-related genes (ATGs) in hepatocytes. The ATGs downregulation occurred through its enhanced ubiquitination mediated by E3 ligase NEDD4, an enzyme that was upregulated by CSP when it translocated from the cytoplasm into the nucleus of hepatocytes via its nuclear localization signal (NLS) domain. Thus, we have revealed an unrecognized role of CSP in subverting host innate immunity and shed new light for a prophylaxis strategy against liver-stage infection.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2021

A sexual dimorphic role of the miR-465 cluster in placental development

A sexually dimorphic role of miRNAs in placental development has never been reported. Here, we show that ablation of the miR-465 cluster caused selective degeneration of female conceptuses as early as embryonic day (E)8.5, leading to a male-biased sex ratio (60% males) among miR-465 KO mice. Given that the miR-465 cluster miRNAs were predominantly expressed in the extraembryonic tissue and ablation of these miRNAs led to dysregulation of numerous critical placental genes, our data strongly suggest the miR-465 cluster is required for full developmental potential of the female, but not the male, extraembryonic tissue/placenta.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Protoporphyrin-IX nanostructures modulate their protein aggregation ability via differential oxidation and protein binding

Porphyrias are caused by genetic defects in the heme biosynthetic pathway and are associated with accumulation of high levels of porphyrins that become cytotoxic. Porphyrins, due to their amphipathic nature, spontaneously associate into different nanostructures but very little is known about the effect of porphyrin speciation on the cytotoxic effects of porphyrins. Previously we demonstrated the unique ability of fluorescent biological porphyrins, including protoporphyrin IX (PP-IX), to cause organelle selective protein aggregation, which we posit to be a major mechanism by which porphyrins exerts their cytotoxic effect. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that PP-IX-mediated protein aggregation is modulated by different PP-IX nanostructures via a mechanism that depends on their oxidizing potential and protein binding ability. We demonstrate that PP-IX nanostructure formation is reversible in nature, and that nanostructure size modulates consequent protein oxidation and aggregation potential. We also show that albumin, the most abundant serum protein, preferentially binds PP-IX dimers and enhances their oxidizing ability. Additionally, extracellular albumin protects from intracellular porphyrinogenic stress and protein aggregation by acting as a PP-IX sponge. This work highlights the importance of PP-IX speciation in the context of the porphyrias, and offers insights into potential novel therapeutic approaches.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2020

Honeybee gut microbiota modulates host behaviors and neurological processes

Honeybee is a highly social insect with a reach behavioral repertoire and is a versatile model for neurobiological research. The honeybee gut microbiota is composed of a limited number of bacterial phylotypes that play an important role in host health. However, it remains unclear whether the microbiota can shape brain profiles and behaviors. Here, we revealed that the gut microbiota is requisite for the olfactory learning and memory ability of honeybees and alters the level of neurotransmitters in the brain. Transcriptomic and proteomic analysis showed distinctive gene expression and protein signatures for gnotobiotic bees associated with different gut bacteria. Specifically, genes related to olfactory functions and labor division are most upregulated. Moreover, differentially spliced genes in the brains of colonized bees largely overlapped with the datasets for human autism. The circulating metabolome profiles identified that different gut species regulated specific module of metabolites in the host hemolymph. Most altered metabolites are involved in the amino acid and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways for the production of neuroactive compounds. Finally, antibiotic treatment disturbed the gut community and the nursing behavior of worker bees under field conditions. The brain transcripts and gut metabolism was also greatly interfered in treated bees. Collectively, we demonstrate that the gut microbiota regulates honeybee behaviors, brain gene transcription, and the circulating metabolism. Our findings highlight the contributions of honeybee gut microbes in the neurological processes with striking parallels to those found in other animals, thus providing a promising model to understand the host-microbe interactions via the gut-brain axis.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Honeybee genetics shape the strain-level structure of gut microbiota in social transmission

Honeybee gut microbiota transmitted via social interactions are beneficial to the host health. Although the microbial community is relatively stable, individual variations and high strain-level diversity have been detected across honeybees. Although the bee gut microbiota structure is influenced by environmental factors, the heritability of the gut members and the contribution of the host genetics remains elusive. Considering bees within a colony are not readily genetically identical due to the polyandry of queen, we hypothesize that the microbiota structure can be shaped by host genetics. We used shotgun metagenomics to simultaneously profile the microbiota and host genotypes of individuals from hives of four different subspecies. Gut composition is more distant between genetically different bees at both phylotype- and "sequence-discrete population"-level. We then performed a successive passaging experiment within colonies of hybrid bees generated by artificial insemination, which revealed that the microbial composition dramatically shifts across batches of bees during the social transmission. Specifically, different strains from the phylotype of Snodgrassella alvi are preferentially selected by genetically varied hosts, and strains from different hosts show a remarkably biased distribution of single-nucleotide polymorphism in the Type IV pili loci. A genome-wide association analysis identified that the relative abundance of a cluster of Bifidobacterium strains is associated with the host glutamate receptor gene that is specifically expressed in the bee brain. Finally, mono-colonization of Bifidobacterium with a specific polysaccharide utilization locus impacts the expression and alternative splicing of the gluR-B gene, which is associated with an altered circulating metabolomic profile. Our results indicated that host genetics influence the bee gut composition, and suggest a gut-brain connection implicated in the gut bacterial strain preference. Honeybees have been used extensively as a model organism for social behaviors, genetics, and gut microbiome. Further identification of host genetic function as shaping force of microbial structure will advance our understanding of the host-microbe interactions.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Prokaryotic virus Host Predictor: a Gaussian model for host prediction of prokaryotic viruses in metagenomics

BackgroundViruses are ubiquitous biological entities, estimated to be the largest reservoirs of unexplored genetic diversity on Earth. Full functional characterization and annotation of newly-discovered viruses requires tools to enable taxonomic assignment, the range of hosts, and biological properties of the virus. Here we focus on prokaryotic viruses, which include phages and archaeal viruses, and for which identifying the viral host is an essential step in characterizing the virus, as the virus relies on the host for survival. Currently, the method for determining the viral host is either to culture the virus, which is low-throughput, time-consuming, and expensive, or to computationally predict the viral hosts, which needs improvements at both accuracy and usability. Here we develop a Gaussian model to predict hosts for prokaryotic viruses with better performances than previous computational methods. ResultsWe present here Prokaryotic virus Host Predictor (PHP), a software tool using a Gaussian model, to predict hosts for prokaryotic viruses using the differences of Ae-mer frequencies between viral and host genomic sequences as features. PHP gave a host prediction accuracy of 34% (genus level) on the VirHostMatcher benchmark dataset and a host prediction accuracy of 35% (genus level) on a new dataset containing 671 viruses and 60,105 prokaryotic genomes. The prediction accuracy exceeded that of two alignment-free methods (VirHostMatcher and WIsH, 28%-34%, genus level). PHP also outperformed these two alignment-free methods much (24%-38%vs 18%-20%, genus level) when predicting hosts for prokaryotic viruses which cannot be predicted by the BLAST-based or the CRISPR-spacer-based methods alone. Requiring a minimal score for making predictions (thresholding) and taking the consensus of the top 30 predictions further improved the host prediction accuracy of PHP. ConclusionsThe Prokaryotic virus Host Predictor software tool provides an intuitive and user-friendly API for the Gaussian model described herein. This work will facilitate the rapid identification of hosts for newly-identified prokaryotic viruses in metagenomic studies. Author SummaryProkaryotic viruses which include phages and archaeal viruses play an important role in balancing the global ecosystem by regulating the composition of bacteria and archaea in water and soil. Identifying the viral host is essential for characterizing the virus, as the virus relies on the host for survival. Currently, the method for determining the viral host is either to culture the virus which is low-throughput, time-consuming, and expensive, or to computationally predict the viral hosts which needs improvements at both accuracy and usability. This study developed a Gaussian model to predict hosts for prokaryotic viruses with better performances than previous computational methods. It will contribute to the rapid identification of hosts for prokaryotic viruses in metagenomic studies, and will extend our knowledge of virus-host interactions.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2020

Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 proteome in three dimensions (3D) during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Three-dimensional structures of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviral proteins archived in the Protein Data Bank were used to analyze viral proteome evolution during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyses of spatial locations, chemical properties, and structural and energetic impacts of the observed amino acid changes in >48,000 viral proteome sequences showed how each one of the 29 viral study proteins have undergone amino acid changes. Structural models computed for every unique sequence variant revealed that most substitutions map to protein surfaces and boundary layers with a minority affecting hydrophobic cores. Conservative changes were observed more frequently in cores versus boundary layers/surfaces. Active sites and protein-protein interfaces showed modest numbers of substitutions. Energetics calculations showed that the impact of substitutions on the thermodynamic stability of the proteome follows a universal bi-Gaussian distribution. Detailed results are presented for six drug discovery targets and four structural proteins comprising the virion, highlighting substitutions with the potential to impact protein structure, enzyme activity, and functional interfaces. Characterizing the evolution of the virus in three dimensions provides testable insights into viral protein function and should aid in structure-based drug discovery efforts as well as the prospective identification of amino acid substitutions with potential for drug resistance.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Deletion of Letmd1 leads to the disruption of mitochondrial function in brown adipose tissue

Human cervical cancer oncogene (HCCR-1), also named as LETMD1, is a LETM-domain containing outer mitochondrial membrane protein which plays an important role in the carcinogenesis of cancers. Surprisingly, we found that loss of Letmd1 in mice leads to multiply severe abnormities, such as the brown adipose tissue (BAT) whitening, disruption of thermogenesis, cold-induced death, diet-induced obesity, hyperglycinemia and insulin resistance. Mechanistically, deletion of Letmd1 in BAT causes the reduction of mitochondrial calcium ion, which in turn results in the suppressed fission of mitochondria, and ultimately leads to the depletion of Ucp1-mediated BAT heat production. This study indicates that LETMD1 plays a crucial role in controlling BAT thermogenesis and energy homeostasis by regulating mitochondrial structures and functions, and also provides a novel insight for the clinical biomarker and therapeutical target of oncogene for the metabolic disorders. HighlightsO_LILetmd1 is an oncogene and also highly expressed in brown adipose tissue (BAT) of human and mice. C_LIO_LILoss of Letmd1 leads to BAT whitening, diet-induced obesity, hyperglycemia and insulin resistant. C_LIO_LILetmd1 knockout causes the disruption of thermogenesis and death at 4{degrees}C exposure. C_LIO_LIDeletion of Letmd1 results in mitochondrial calcium homeostasis disorders. C_LI Graphic abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=159 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/388199v2_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (65K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@bee6adorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@11a7cc1org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1f4699forg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@142699a_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

physiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Maternal transmission of a paramutant phenotype requires intact DNMT2 functions in the male germline

INTRODUCTION Abstract INTRODUCTION Results DISCUSSION METHODS AND MATERIALS SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS Funding Author contributions Competing interests Data and materials availability Supplemental Figures REFERENCES DNA methylation, as a major epigenetic modification in the genome of higher eukaryotes, is catalyzed by DNA methyltransferase enzymes (DNMTs) by addition of a methyl group to the 5th carbon position of cytosine, resulting 5-methylcytosine (5mC) (1, 2). DNMT1 is the most abundant DNA methyltransferase in mammalian cells, and mainly methylate hemi-methylated CpG dinucleotides as a maintenance methyltransferase, although DNMT1 has also been ...

genetics↗

bioRxiv2020

Piezo2 mediates ultrasonic hearing via cochlear outer hair cells in mice

Ultrasonic hearing is exploited for hunting and navigation as in echolocation by microbats and bottleneck dolphins, and for social communication like ultrasonic vocalization by mice and rats. However, the molecular and cellular basis for ultrasonic hearing is not known yet. Here we show that knockout of the mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO2 in cochlea disrupts the ultrasonic hearing but not the low-frequency hearing in mice, as shown by audiometry and acoustically-associative freezing behavior. Deletion of Piezo2 in the outer hair cells specifically abolishes the associative learning of the mice upon hearing the ultrasonic frequency. Ex vivo cochlear Ca2+ imaging revealed that the ultrasonic transduction requires both PIEZO2 and the hair-cell mechanotransduction channel. Together, our study demonstrates that the outer hair cells are the effector cells with PIEZO2 as an essential molecule for ultrasonic hearing in mice. Significance StatementSome animals have evolved an incredible ability for vocalizing and hearing ultrasonic frequencies that is inaudible for humans (> 20 kHz). For many years, it has been considered that animals hear ultrasonic frequencies with their cochlear hair cells, using the identical set of mechanotransduction molecules in the hair bundles for hearing audible frequencies. Here, we show that the mice lacking the mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO2 hardly hear ultrasonic frequencies, while can still be sensitive to audible frequencies. Thus, animals may use a partially different mechanism for sensing physiological ultrasound.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Genomic features underlying the evolutionary transitions of Apibacter to honey bee gut symbionts

The symbiotic bacteria associated with honey bee gut have likely transformed from a free-living or parasitic lifestyle, through a close evolutionary association with the insect host. However, little is known about the genomic mechanism underlying bacterial transition to exclusive adaptation to the bee gut. Here we compared the genomes of bee gut symbionts Apibacter with their close relatives living in different lifestyles. We found that despite of general reduction in the Apibacter genome, genes involved in amino acid synthesis and monosaccharide detoxification were retained, which were likely beneficial to the host. Interestingly, the microaerobic Apibacter species have specifically acquired genes encoding for the nitrate respiration (NAR). The NAR system is also conserved in the cohabiting bee microbe Snodgrassella, although with a differed structure. This convergence implies a crucial role of respiratory nitrate reduction for microaerophilic microbiomes to colonize bee gut epithelium. Genes involved in lipid, histidine degradation are substantially lost in Apibacter, indicating a transition of the energy source utilization. Particularly, genes involved in the phenylacetate degradation to generate host toxic compounds, as well as other virulence factors were lost, suggesting the loss of pathogenicity. Antibiotic resistance genes were only sporadically distributed among Apibacter species, but condensed in their pathogenic relatives, which may be related to the remotely living feature and less exposure to antibiotics of their bee hosts. Collectively, this study advances our understanding of genomic transition underlying specialization in bee gut symbionts. ImportanceInvestigations aiming to uncover the genetic determinants underlying the transition to a gut symbiotic lifestyle were scarce. The vertical transmitted honey bee gut symbionts of genus Apibacter provided an rare opportunity to tackle this, as evolving from family Flavobacteriaceae, they had phylogenetic close relatives living various lifestyles. Here, we documented that Apibacter have both preserved and horizontally acquired host beneficial genes including monosaccharides detoxification that may have seeded a mutualistic relationship with the host. In contrast, multiple virulence factors and antibiotic resistance genes have been lost. Importantly, an highly efficient and genomic well organized respiratory nitrate reduction pathway is conserved across all Apibacter spp., as well as in majority of Snodgrassella, which colonize the same habitat as Apibacter, suggesting an crucial role it played in living inside the gut. These findings highlight genomic changes paving ways to the transition to a honey bee gut symbiotic lifestyle.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2020

Reduction of neuronal activity mediated by blood-vessel regression in the brain

The brain vasculature supplies neurons with glucose and oxygen, but little is known about how vascular plasticity contributes to brain function. Using longitudinal in vivo imaging, we reported that a substantial proportion of blood vessels in the adult brain sporadically occluded and regressed. Their regression proceeded through sequential stages of blood-flow occlusion, endothelial cell collapse, relocation or loss of pericytes, and retraction of glial endfeet. Regressing vessels were found to be widespread in mouse, monkey and human brains. Both brief occlusions of the middle cerebral artery and lipopolysaccharide-mediated inflammation induced an increase of vessel regression. Blockage of leukocyte adhesion to endothelial cells alleviated LPS-induced vessel regression. We further revealed that blood vessel regression caused a reduction of neuronal activity due to a dysfunction in mitochondrial metabolism and glutamate production. Our results elucidate the mechanism of vessel regression and its role in neuronal function in the adult brain.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Chromosome-level Genome Assembly of a Regenerable Maize Inbred Line A188

The highly embryogenic and transformable maize inbred line A188 is an attractive model for analyzing maize gene function. Here we constructed a chromosome-level genome assembly of A188 using long reads and optical maps. Genome comparison of A188 with the reference line B73 identified pervasive structural variation, including a 1.8 Mb duplication on the Gametophyte factor1 locus for unilateral cross-incompatibility and six inversions of 0.7 Mb or greater. Increased copy number of the gene, carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 1 (ccd1) in A188 is associated with elevated expression during seed development. High ccd1 expression together with low expression of yellow endosperm 1 (y1) condition reduced carotenoid accumulation, which accounts for the white seed phenotype of A188 that contrasts with the yellow seed of B73 that has high expression of y1 and low expression of the single-copy ccd1. Further, transcriptome and epigenome analyses with the A188 reference genome revealed enhanced expression of defense pathways and altered DNA methylation patterns of embryonic callus.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2020

Single-dose ethanol intoxication causes acute and lasting neuronal changes in the brain

Alcohol intoxication at early ages is a risk factor for development of addictive behavior. To uncover neuronal molecular correlates of acute ethanol intoxication, we used stable-isotope labeled mice combined with quantitative mass spectrometry to screen over 2000 hippocampal proteins of which 72 changed synaptic abundance up to two-fold after ethanol exposure. Among those were mitochondrial proteins and proteins important for neuronal morphology, including MAP6 and Ankyrin-G. Based on these candidate proteins, we found acute and lasting molecular, cellular, and behavioral changes following a single intoxication in alcohol-naive mice. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed a shortening of axon initial segments. Longitudinal two-photon in vivo imaging showed increased synaptic dynamics and mitochondrial trafficking in axons. Knockdown of mitochondrial trafficking in dopaminergic neurons abolished conditioned alcohol preference in Drosophila. This introduces mitochondrial trafficking as a process implicated in reward learning, and highlights the potential of high-resolution proteomics to identify cellular mechanisms relevant for addictive behavior.

neuroscience↗