Abstract
Binge alcohol drinking in adolescence leads to increased risk for alcohol use and other psychiatric disorders in adulthood. The transcription factor cAMP-response element binding (CREB) protein is involved in the neuronal response to adult ethanol exposure, but its role in the enduring effects of adolescent alcohol exposure in adulthood is unknown. We exposed male rats to adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) or saline (AIS) during post-natal days 28–41 and evaluated the epigenetic regulation of CREB dynamics in the adult amygdala. A subset of these adult rats was exposed to an acute ethanol challenge. AIE decreased CREB, phosphorylated CREB, CREB-binding protein (CBP) and p300 protein levels in adult amygdaloid brain structures. AIE exposure also causes deficits in Creb1, Cbp, and p300 mRNA expression in the amygdala of AIE adult rats which are normalized after acute ethanol exposure. Interestingly, occupancy of acetylated histone H3K9/14 proteins at specific locations in the Creb1, Cbp, and p300 gene promoter regions was decreased in the amygdala of AIE adult rats and was normalized by acute ethanol exposure. These results suggest that AIE exposure epigenetically reduces CREB and other related transcriptional activators in the amygdala in adulthood that may be associated with the behavioral effects of adolescent alcohol exposure.
Highlights
Binge alcohol drinking in adolescence leads to increased risk for alcohol use and other psychiatric disorders in adulthood
Creb[1] mRNA levels are significantly decreased (t (10) = 4.15, p = 0.002) in the amygdala of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) adult rats compared to adolescent intermittent saline (AIS) adult rats (Fig. 1c)
Post hoc comparison indicated a significant decrease by AIE (p = 0.007) and an increase in p300 mRNA levels by acute alcohol exposure in both AIS (p < 0.001) and AIE (p < 0.001) adult rats (Fig. 4a). These results suggest that AIE produces long-lasting reductions in the mRNA levels of Creb[1], Cbp, and p300 in the amygdala which are normalized by acute ethanol challenge in adulthood
Summary
Binge alcohol drinking in adolescence leads to increased risk for alcohol use and other psychiatric disorders in adulthood. Occupancy of acetylated histone H3K9/14 proteins at specific locations in the Creb[1], Cbp, and p300 gene promoter regions was decreased in the amygdala of AIE adult rats and was normalized by acute ethanol exposure. These results suggest that AIE exposure epigenetically reduces CREB and other related transcriptional activators in the amygdala in adulthood that may be associated with the behavioral effects of adolescent alcohol exposure. CBP and p300 possess intrinsic histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity, catalyzing the addition of acetyl groups to N-terminal tails of histone[21,22,23] This epigenetic modification is generally associated with increased gene transcription[23]
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