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PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
8
pubmed:dateCreated
2010-12-2
pubmed:abstractText
The methylation and demethylation of CpG dinucleotides that are embedded in promoters play an important role in controlling gene transcription. In the mammalian brain, CpG promoter methylation is a postreplicative process mediated by a group of DNA methyltransferases (DNMT), such as DNMT1 and DNMT3a, DNMT3b. Several studies demonstrate that in addition to DNMTs, promoter methylation in the brain can be regulated by a putative DNA demethylation process that specifically removes the methyl group from the carbon-5 of cytosines. To test the existence of a possible active DNA demethylation activity in postmitotic neuronal or glial cells, we incubated an SssI methylated mouse reelin (Reln) promoter fragment (-720 to +140) with nuclear extracts from the mouse frontal cortex (FC). We observed the presence of DNA demethylation activity, which was increased in FC nuclear extracts from mice treated with valproate (VPA, 2.2 mmol/kg, twice a day for 3 days). VPA not only reduces anxiety, and cognitive deficits, and other symptoms in bipolar disorder (BP) disorder and schizophrenia (SZ) patients but also upregulates Reln and glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 (Gad67) mRNA/protein expression by reducing the methylation of their promoters. We believe that the identification of an enzyme in brain that facilitates DNA-demethylation and an understanding of how drugs induce DNA demethylation are crucial to progress in a new line of pharmacological interventions to treat neurodevelopment, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative diseases.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
1559-2308
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
5
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
730-5
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Animals, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Anticonvulsants, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Brain, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Cell Nucleus, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-CpG Islands, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-DNA Methylation, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-DNA Modification Methylases, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Extracellular Matrix Proteins, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Male, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Mental Disorders, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Mice, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Nerve Tissue Proteins, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Neurodegenerative Diseases, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Neuroglia, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Neurons, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Promoter Regions, Genetic, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Serine Endopeptidases, pubmed-meshheading:20716949-Valproic Acid
pubmed:articleTitle
Valproate induces DNA demethylation in nuclear extracts from adult mouse brain.
pubmed:affiliation
Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA. Edong@psych.uic.edu
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article