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Drug-induced activation of dopamine D(1) receptor signaling and inhibition of class I/II histone deacetylase induce chromatin remodeling in reward circuitry and modulate cocaine-related behaviors.

Schroeder FA, Penta KL, Matevossian A, Jones SR, Konradi C, Tapper AR, Akbarian S
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2008 33 (12): 2981-92

PMID: 18288092 · PMCID: PMC2746694 · DOI:10.1038/npp.2008.15

Chromatin remodeling, including histone modification, is involved in stimulant-induced gene expression and addiction behavior. To further explore the role of dopamine D(1) receptor signaling, we measured cocaine-related locomotor activity and place preference in mice pretreated for up to 10 days with the D(1) agonist SKF82958 and/or the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), sodium butyrate. Cotreatment with D(1) agonist and HDACi significantly enhanced cocaine-induced locomotor activity and place preference, in comparison to single-drug regimens. However, butyrate-mediated reward effects were transient and only apparent within 2 days after the last HDACi treatment. These behavioral changes were associated with histone modification changes in striatum and ventral midbrain: (1) a generalized increase in H3 phosphoacetylation in striatal neurons was dependent on activation of D(1) receptors; (2) H3 deacetylation at promoter sequences of tyrosine hydroxylase (Th) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) in ventral midbrain, together with upregulation of the corresponding gene transcripts after cotreatment with D(1) agonist and HDACi. Collectively, these findings imply that D(1) receptor-regulated histone (phospho)acetylation and gene expression in reward circuitry is differentially regulated in a region-specific manner. Given that the combination of D(1) agonist and HDACi enhances cocaine-related sensitization and reward, the therapeutic benefits of D(1) receptor antagonists and histone acetyl-transferase inhibitors (HATi) warrant further investigation in experimental models of stimulant abuse.

MeSH Terms (25)

Acetylation Animals Brain Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Brain Chemistry Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly Cocaine Cocaine-Related Disorders Disease Models, Animal Dopamine Dopamine Agonists Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors Enzyme Inhibitors Histone Deacetylase 1 Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Histone Deacetylases Histones Male Mice Mice, Inbred C57BL Receptors, Dopamine D1 Reward Signal Transduction Synaptic Transmission Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase

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