Mapping of pituitary stress-induced gene regulation connects Nrcam to negative emotions
Maria Belland Olsen,
Ann-Christin Sannes,
Kuan Yang,
Morten Birkeland Nielsen,
Ståle Valvatne Einarsen,
Jan Olav Christensen,
Ståle Pallesen,
Magnar Bjørås,
Johannes Gjerstad
Affiliations
Maria Belland Olsen
Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Corresponding author
Ann-Christin Sannes
National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway
Kuan Yang
Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Morten Birkeland Nielsen
National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Ståle Valvatne Einarsen
Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Jan Olav Christensen
National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway
Ståle Pallesen
Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Magnar Bjørås
Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
Johannes Gjerstad
National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway
Summary: Environmental stressors such as repeated social defeat may initiate powerful activation of subconscious parts of the brain. Here, we examine the consequences of such stress (induced by resident-intruder paradigm) on the pituitary gland. In male stressed vs. control rats, by RNA- and bisulfite DNA sequencing, we found regulation of genes involved in neuron morphogenesis and communication. Among these, Neuronal cell adhesion molecule (Nrcam) showed reduced transcription and reduced DNA methylation in a region corresponding to intron 1 in human NRCAM. Also, genetic variability in this area was associated with altered stress response in male humans exposed to repeated social defeat in the form of abusive supervision. Thus, our data show that the pituitary gene expression may be affected by social stress and that genetic variability in NRCAM intron 1 region influences stress-induced negative emotions. We hope our shared datasets will facilitate further exploration of the motions triggered by social stressors.
