Duclot F, Wang H, Youssef C, Liu Y, Wang Z, Kabbaj M
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States; Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States; Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States.
Horm Behav. 2016 May;81:68-73. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.04.001. Epub 2016 Apr 10.
In the socially monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), the development of a social bonding is indicated by the formation of partner preference, which involves a variety of environmental and neurochemical factors and brain structures. In a most recent study in female prairie voles, we found that treatment with the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) facilitates the formation of partner preference through up-regulation of oxytocin receptor (OTR) and vasopressin V1a receptor (V1aR) genes expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that TSA treatment also facilitates partner preference formation and alters OTR and V1aR genes expression in the NAcc in male prairie voles. We thus observed that central injection of TSA dose-dependently promoted the formation of partner preference in the absence of mating in male prairie voles. Interestingly, TSA treatment up-regulated OTR, but not V1aR, gene expression in the NAcc similarly as they were affected by mating - an essential process for naturally occurring partner preference. These data, together with others, not only indicate the involvement of epigenetic events but also the potential role of NAcc oxytocin in the regulation of partner preference in both male and female prairie voles.
在实行社会性一夫一妻制的草原田鼠（Microtus ochrogaster）中，伴侣偏好的形成表明了社会联系的发展，这涉及多种环境和神经化学因素以及脑结构。在最近一项针对雌性草原田鼠的研究中，我们发现用组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂曲古抑菌素A（TSA）处理可通过上调伏隔核（NAcc）中催产素受体（OTR）和血管升压素V1a受体（V1aR）基因的表达来促进伴侣偏好的形成。在本研究中，我们检验了这样一个假设，即TSA处理也有助于雄性草原田鼠形成伴侣偏好并改变NAcc中OTR和V1aR基因的表达。因此，我们观察到在雄性草原田鼠未交配的情况下，向其脑内注射TSA能剂量依赖性地促进伴侣偏好的形成。有趣的是，TSA处理上调了NAcc中OTR的基因表达，但未上调V1aR的基因表达，这与它们受交配影响的情况类似，而交配是自然形成伴侣偏好的一个关键过程。这些数据以及其他数据不仅表明了表观遗传事件的参与，还表明了NAcc催产素在调节雄性和雌性草原田鼠伴侣偏好中的潜在作用。
