Ovarian steroids regulate gene expression related to DNA repair and neurodegenerative diseases in serotonin neurons of macaques

Depression often accompanies the peri-menopausal transition and it often precedes overt symptomology in common neurodegenerative diseases (NDD; Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington, ALS). Serotonin dysfunction is frequently found in the different etiologies of depression. We have shown that ovariectomized (Ovx) monkeys treated with estradiol (E) for 28 days supplement with placebo or progesterone (P) on days 14-28 had reduced DNA fragmentation in serotonin neurons of the dorsal raphe nucleus; and long-term Ovx monkeys had fewer serotonin neurons than intact controls. We questioned the effect of E alone or E+P on gene expression related to DNA repair, protein folding (chaperones), the ubiquitin proteosome, axon transport, and NDD specific genes in serotonin neurons. Ovx macaques were treated with placebo, E or E+P (n=3/group) for 1 month. Serotonin neurons were laser captured and subjected to microarray analysis and qRT-PCR. Increases were confirmed with qRT-PCR in 5 genes that code for proteins involved in repair of strand breaks and nucleotide excision. NBN1, PCNA, GADD45A, RAD23A and GTF2H5 significantly increased with E or E+P treatment (all ANOVA p< 0.01). Chaperone genes HSP70, HSP60 and HSP27 significantly increased with E or E+P treatment (all ANOVA p<0.05). HSP90 showed a similar trend. Ubiquinase coding genes UBEA5, UBE2D3 and UBE3A (Parkin) increased with E or E+P (all ANOVA p<0.003). Transport related genes coding kinesin, dynein, and dynactin increased with E or E+P (all ANOVA p<0.03). SCNA (α synuclein) and ADAM10 (α secretase) increased (both ANOVA p<0.02), but PSEN1 (presenilin1) decreased (ANOVA p<0.02) with treatment. APP decreased 10-fold with E or E+P administration. Newman-Keuls posthoc comparisons indicated variation in the response to E alone versus E+P across the different genes. In summary, E or E+P increased gene expression for DNA repair mechanisms in serotonin neurons, thereby rendering them less vulnerable to stress-induced DNA fragmentation. In addition, E or E+P regulated 4 genes encoding proteins that are often misfolded or malfunctioning in neuronal populations subserving overt NDD symptomology. The expression and regulation of these genes in serotonergic neurons invites speculation that they may mediate an underlying disease process in NDDs, which in turn may be ameliorated or delayed with timely hormone therapy in women.