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Optimized Analysis of DNA Methylation and Gene Expression from Small, Anatomically-defined Areas of the Brain
Published on: July 12, 2012
Diet and the epigenetic (re)programming of phenotypic differences in behavior.
Patrick O McGowan1, Michael J Meaney, Moshe Szyf
1Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Brain Research
|August 13, 2008
Summary
Environmental factors like maternal care and diet can alter epigenetic programming, influencing gene expression and long-term phenotypic traits. These epigenetic changes in the brain are dynamic and can be modified, impacting behavior and mental health.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Epigenetics
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Phenotypic diversity arises from genetic and epigenetic mechanisms controlling gene expression.
- Epigenetic reprogramming, including DNA methylation and histone modifications, occurs during development and is sensitive to environmental factors.
- Environmental influences like maternal behavior and diet can lead to sustained phenotypic differences by altering gene expression patterns in the brain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of epigenetic mechanisms in mediating the effects of environmental influences on phenotypic plasticity.
- To explore how maternal behavior and diet impact gene expression and epigenetic modifications in the brain.
- To examine the potential for reversing epigenetic changes and influencing behavioral plasticity through pharmacological and dietary interventions.
Main Methods:
- Studied natural variations in maternal behavior in rats and their effects on offspring stress reactivity and gene expression.
- Analyzed changes in histone acetylation, DNA methylation, and transcription factor binding in response to maternal behavior.
- Investigated the reversal of epigenetic effects through cross-fostering and pharmacological treatments (Trichostatin A, L-methionine).
Main Results:
- Maternal behavior variations induced long-term changes in offspring gene expression, including the glucocorticoid receptor, linked to epigenetic modifications.
- Early postnatal cross-fostering and adult pharmacological interventions reversed these environmentally induced epigenetic changes.
- Dietary methionine levels, influenced by diet, were shown to affect epigenetic status and behavioral plasticity.
Conclusions:
- The epigenome is stable yet dynamic, capable of regulating phenotypic plasticity through environmental influences.
- Dietary factors, particularly methyl content, can significantly impact DNA methylation, gene expression, and potentially human behavior and mental health.
- Epigenetic programming in the brain is a key mechanism linking environment, behavior, and phenotype.
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