In addition, six glucocorticoid receptor pathway genes (Slc22a5, Aqp1, Stat5a, Ampd3, Plekhf1, and Cyb561) were upregulated in GF mice, and of these only two (Stat5a and Ampd3) were upregulated in LPS-treated mice, whereas the shared gene, Stat5a, was downregulated in "depression microbiota" recipient mice.
Using high throughput technologies for the identification of genes regulated by glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and MR in brain areas responsible for specific symptoms of stress-related disorders will yield potential new drug targets for the treatment of depression and anxiety.
Given the role of GR-mediated negative feedback in mediating response to stress, and the clear link between stress and depression, it is plausible that polymorphisms in the GR gene (NR3C1) act to increase susceptibility.
Polymorphisms in the FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5) gene have been shown to influence glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity, stress response regulation, and depression risk in traumatized subjects, with most consistent findings reported for the functional variant rs1360780.
Recent research suggests an important role of FKBP5, a glucocorticoid receptor regulating co-chaperone, in the development of stress-related diseases such as depression and anxiety disorders.
Most studies showed BDNF and NR3C1 gene methylation levels were correlated with depression while the connection of SLC6A4 and depression was conflicting.
Combining both models resulted in 22 new and confirmed HSP90-independent NR3C1 inhibitors, providing two scaffolds (i.e., pyrimidine and pyrazolo-pyrimidine), which could potentially be of interest in the treatment of depression (i.e., inhibiting the glucocorticoid receptor (i.e., NR3C1), while leaving its chaperone, HSP90, unaffected).
Altered DNA methylation (DNAm) levels of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis genes has been associated with exposure to childhood maltreatment (CM) and depression; however, it is unknown whether CM and depression have joint and potentially interacting effects on the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) DNAm.
Network modeling and animal experiments suggest that these genetic differences in GR-induced transcriptional activation may mediate the risk for depression and other psychiatric disorders by altering a network of functionally related stress-sensitive genes in blood and brain.
The results do not support the hypothesis that GR dysregulation is aetiopathogenic in CFS and suggest that current and future endocrine cross-sectional studies in CFS may be vulnerable to the confounding influence of childhood trauma which is likely increased by comorbid depression.
Conclusively: (1) depression in females may result from a gene × childhood-adversity interaction and/or a dysregulated epigenetic programming of MAOA; (2) childhood-adversity subtypes may differentially impact DNA methylation at NR3C1; (3) baseline MAOA-genotypic variations may affect the extent of NR3C1 methylation.