Cited by 612Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorEpigenetics and DNA MethylationNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Dnmt3a regulates emotional behavior and spine plasticity in the nucleus accumbens

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LaPlant, Quincey, Vialou, Vincent, Covington, Herbert E, Dumitriu, Dani, Feng, Jian, Warren, Brandon L, Maze, Ian, Dietz, David M +19 more·2010·Nature Neuroscience

Abstract

Despite abundant expression of DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) in brain, the regulation and behavioral role of DNA methylation remain poorly understood. We found that Dnmt3a expression was regulated in mouse nucleus accumbens (NAc) by chronic cocaine use and chronic social defeat stress. Moreover, NAc-specific manipulations that block DNA methylation potentiated cocaine reward and exerted antidepressant-like effects, whereas NAc-specific Dnmt3a overexpression attenuated cocaine reward and was pro-depressant. On a cellular level, we found that chronic cocaine use selectively increased thin dendritic spines on NAc neurons and that DNA methylation was both necessary and sufficient to mediate these effects. These data establish the importance of Dnmt3a in the NAc in regulating cellular and behavioral plasticity to emotional stimuli.

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Authors
LaPlant, Q., Vialou, V., Covington, H. E., Dumitriu, D., Feng, J., Warren, B. L., Maze, I., Dietz, D. M., Watts, E. L., Iñiguez, S. D., Koo, J. W., Mouzon, E., Renthal, W., Hollis, F., Wang, H., Noonan, M. A., Ren, Y., Eisch, A. J., Bolaños, C. A., Kabbaj, M., Xiao, G., Neve, R. L., Hurd, Y. L., Oosting, R. S., Fan, G., Morrison, J. H., & Nestler, E. J.
Affiliations
  • The University of Texas at Dallas (US)
  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
  • Florida State University (US)
  • The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (US)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
  • Utrecht University (NL)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
Corresponding author
Nestler, Eric J
Venue
Nature Neuroscience
Published
2010-08-22
Volume
13
Issue
9
Pages
1137-1143
ISSN
  • 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-1726
OpenAlex
W2121423419
Cited by
612
References
49
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 47 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 48 · 2016: 46 · 2015: 49 · 2014: 69 · 2013: 54 · 2012: 43
FWCI
19.37
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Aging (R37AG006647)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (F30MH083402, P50MH066172)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R33DA027592, R21DA027592, P01DA008227, R01DA014133)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Keywords
DNMT3A, DNA methylation, nucleus accumbens, cocaine reward, social defeat stress, dendritic spine plasticity, emotional behavior, depression, antidepressant-like effects, chronic cocaine use
MeSH terms
DNA Methyltransferase 3A, Animals, Chronic Disease, Cocaine, Depression, DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases, Dominance-Subordination, Emotions, Gene Expression Regulation, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Neuronal Plasticity, Neurons, Nucleus Accumbens, Stress, Psychological, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors, DNA Methylation, Rats, Long-Evans, Dendritic Spines, Mice, Rats

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