Sample records for abnormal stress responses

  1. Abnormal stress responsivity in a rodent developmental disruption model of schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Zimmerman, Eric C; Bellaire, Mark; Ewing, Samuel G; Grace, Anthony A

    2013-10-01

    Although numerous studies have implicated stress in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, less is known about how the effects of stress interact with genetic, developmental, and/or environmental determinants to promote disease progression. In particular, it has been proposed that in humans, stress exposure in adolescence could combine with a predisposition towards increased stress sensitivity, leading to prodromal symptoms and eventually psychosis. However, the neurobiological substrates for this interaction are not fully characterized. Previous work in our lab has demonstrated that rats born to dams administered with the DNA-methylating agent methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) at gestational day 17 exhibit as adults behavioral and anatomical abnormalities consistent with those observed in patients with schizophrenia. Here, we examined behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to stress in the MAM model of schizophrenia. MAM-treated male rats were exposed to acute and repeated footshock stress at prepubertal, peripubteral, and adult ages. Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), freezing, and corticosterone responses were quantified. We found that juvenile MAM-treated rats emitted significantly more calls, spent more time vocalizing, emitted calls at a higher rate, and showed more freezing in response to acute footshock stress when compared with their saline (SAL) treated counterparts, and that this difference is not present in older animals. In addition, adolescent MAM-treated animals displayed a blunted HPA axis corticosterone response to acute footshock that did not adapt after 10 days of stress exposure. These data demonstrate abnormal stress responsivity in the MAM model of schizophrenia and suggest that these animals are more sensitive to the effects of stress in youth.

  2. Familial Risk for Insomnia Is Associated With Abnormal Cortisol Response to Stress.

    PubMed

    Drake, Christopher L; Cheng, Philip; Almeida, David M; Roth, Thomas

    2017-10-01

    Abnormalities in the stress system have been implicated in insomnia. However, studies examining physiological stress regulation in insomnia have not consistently detected differences in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis response to stress. One explanation may be that deficits in the stress system are associated specifically with a biological vulnerability to insomnia rather than the phenotypic expression of insomnia. To examine stress response as a function of vulnerability to insomnia, this study tested response to the Trier Social Stress Test in a sample of healthy sleepers with varying familial risks for insomnia. Thirty-five healthy individuals with and without familial risk for insomnia were recruited to complete a laboratory stressor. Participants with one or both biological parents with insomnia were categorized as positive for familial risk, whereas those without biological parents with insomnia were categorized as negative for familial risk. Participants completed the Trier Social Stress Test in the laboratory, and psychological and physiological (autonomic and HPA-axis) responses were compared. Despite self-reported increases in anxiety, those positive for familial risk exhibited a blunted cortisol response relative to those without familial risk for insomnia. Individuals with blunted cortisol also reported heightened reactivity to personal life stressors, including increased sleep disturbances, elevated cognitive intrusions, and more behavioral avoidance. Findings from this study provide initial evidence that abnormal stress regulation may be a biological predisposing factor conferred via familial risk for insomnia. This deficit may also predict negative consequences over time, including insomnia and the associated psychiatric comorbidities. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. Abnormal stress echocardiography findings in cardiac amyloidosis.

    PubMed

    Ong, Kevin C; Askew, J Wells; Dispenzieri, Angela; Maleszewski, Joseph J; Klarich, Kyle W; Anavekar, Nandan S; Mulvagh, Sharon L; Grogan, Martha

    2016-06-01

    Cardiac involvement in immunoglobulin light chain (amyloid light chain, AL) amyloidosis is characterized by myocardial interstitial deposition but can also cause obstructive deposits in the coronary microvasculature. We retrospectively identified 20 patients who underwent stress echocardiography within 1 year prior to the histologic diagnosis of AL amyloidosis. Only patients with cardiac amyloidosis and no known obstructive coronary disease were included. Stress echocardiograms (13 exercise; 7 dobutamine) were performed for evaluation of dyspnea and/or chest pain. Stress-induced wall motion abnormalities (WMAs) occurred in 11 patients (55%), 4 of whom had normal left ventricular wall thickness. Coronary angiogram was performed in 9 of 11 patients and demonstrated no or mild epicardial coronary artery disease. Seven (54%) patients had an abnormal exercise blood pressure which occurred with similar likelihood between those with and without stress-induced WMAs. Stress-induced WMAs and abnormal exercise blood pressure may occur in patients with cardiac AL amyloidosis despite the absence of significant epicardial coronary artery disease. This finding should raise the possibility of cardiac amyloidosis even in the absence of significant myocardial thickening.

  4. Glutamatergic Response to Heat Pain Stress in Schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Chiappelli, Joshua; Shi, Qiaoyun; Wijtenburg, Sarah Andrea; Quiton, Raimi; Wisner, Krista; Gaston, Frank; Kodi, Priyadurga; Gaudiot, Christopher; Kochunov, Peter; Rowland, Laura M; Hong, Liyi Elliot

    2018-06-06

    Regulation of stress response involves top-down mechanisms of the frontal-limbic glutamatergic system. As schizophrenia is associated with glutamatergic abnormalities, we hypothesized that schizophrenia patients may have abnormal glutamatergic reactivity within the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), a key region involved in perception of and reaction to stress. To test this, we developed a somatic stress paradigm involving pseudorandom application of safe but painfully hot stimuli to the forearm of participants while they were undergoing serial proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure changes in glutamate and glutamine levels in the dACC. This paradigm was tested in a sample of 21 healthy controls and 23 patients with schizophrenia. Across groups, glutamate levels significantly decreased following exposure to thermal pain, while ratio of glutamine to glutamate significantly increased. However, schizophrenia patients exhibited an initial increase in glutamate levels during challenge that was significantly different from controls, after controlling for heat pain tolerance. Furthermore, in patients, the acute glutamate response was positively correlated with childhood trauma (r = .41, P = .050) and inversely correlated with working memory (r = -.49, P = .023). These results provide preliminary evidence for abnormal glutamatergic response to stress in schizophrenia patients, which may point toward novel approaches to understanding how stress contributes to the illness.

  5. Abnormal tibiofemoral contact stress and its association with altered kinematics following center-center ACL reconstruction: an in vitro study

    PubMed Central

    Imhauser, Carl; Mauro, Craig; Choi, Daniel; Rosenberg, Eric; Mathew, Stephen; Nguyen, Joseph; Ma, Yan; Wickiewicz, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    Background Abnormal tibiofemoral contact stress and aberrant kinematics may influence the progression of osteoarthritis in the ACL-deficient and the ACL-reconstructed knee. However, relationships between contact stress and kinematics following ACL reconstruction are poorly understood. Therefore, we posed the following research questions: (1) How do ACL deficiency and reconstruction affect kinematics of and contact stress in the tibiofemoral joint? (2) What kinematic differences are associated with abnormal contact stress following ACL reconstruction? Hypothesis/Purpose Center-center ACL reconstruction will not restore knee kinematics and contact stress. Correlations will exist between abnormal contact stress and aberrant kinematics following ACL reconstruction will exist. Study Design Controlled laboratory study Methods Clinical tests of anterior and rotational stability were simulated on eleven cadaveric knees using an industrial robot. Tests were conducted with the ACL intact, sectioned, and after single bundle ACL reconstruction using a quadrupled hamstring autograft with tunnels drilled through the center of the native footprints. Kinematics were recorded during the tests. Contact stress was continuously recorded from a stress transducer fixed to the tibial plateau and mean contact stress was calculated regionally. Results ACL deficiency resulted in increased mean contact stress in the posterior sectors of the medial and lateral compartments under anterior and rotational loads, respectively. Reconstruction reduced stress in these locations; however contact stress abnormalities remained. On average, kinematics were overconstrained following ACL reconstruction (≤1.8mm and ≤2.6° in all directions). However, combinations of overconstrained and underconstrained motions in ab/adduction and medial-lateral translation in response to combined moments, and axial rotation, anterior-posterior and medial-lateral translation in response to an anterior load were

  6. Abnormal tibiofemoral contact stress and its association with altered kinematics after center-center anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: an in vitro study.

    PubMed

    Imhauser, Carl; Mauro, Craig; Choi, Daniel; Rosenberg, Eric; Mathew, Stephen; Nguyen, Joseph; Ma, Yan; Wickiewicz, Thomas

    2013-04-01

    Abnormal tibiofemoral contact stress and aberrant kinematics may influence the progression of osteoarthritis in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-deficient and the ACL-reconstructed knee. However, relationships between contact stress and kinematics after ACL reconstruction are poorly understood. Therefore, we posed the following research questions: (1) How do ACL deficiency and reconstruction affect the kinematics of and contact stress in the tibiofemoral joint? (2) What kinematic differences are associated with abnormal contact stress after ACL reconstruction? Center-center ACL reconstruction will not restore knee kinematics and contact stress. Correlations will exist between abnormal contact stress and aberrant kinematics after ACL reconstruction. Controlled laboratory study. Clinical tests of anterior and rotational stability were simulated on 11 cadaveric knees using an industrial robot. Tests were conducted with the ACL intact, sectioned, and after single-bundle ACL reconstruction using a quadrupled hamstring autograft with tunnels drilled through the center of the native footprints. Kinematics were recorded during the tests. Contact stress was continuously recorded from a stress transducer fixed to the tibial plateau, and mean contact stress was calculated regionally. ACL deficiency resulted in increased mean contact stress in the posterior sectors of the medial and lateral compartments under anterior and rotational loads, respectively. Reconstruction reduced stress in these locations; however, contact stress abnormalities remained. On average, kinematics were overconstrained after ACL reconstruction (≤1.8 mm and ≤2.6° in all directions). However, combinations of overconstrained and underconstrained motions in abduction/adduction and medial-lateral translation in response to combined moments, and anterior-posterior translation, medial-lateral translation, and axial rotation in response to an anterior load were associated with abnormal mean contact

  7. Abnormalities in neuroendocrine stress response in psychosis: the role of endocannabinoids.

    PubMed

    Appiah-Kusi, E; Leyden, E; Parmar, S; Mondelli, V; McGuire, P; Bhattacharyya, S

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this article is to summarize current evidence regarding alterations in the neuroendocrine stress response system and endocannabinoid system and their relationship in psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Exposure to stress is linked to the development of a number of psychiatric disorders including psychosis. However, the precise role of stress in the development of psychosis and the possible mechanisms that might underlie this are not well understood. Recently the cannabinoid hypothesis of schizophrenia has emerged as a potential line of enquiry. Endocannabinoid levels are increased in patients with psychosis compared with healthy volunteers; furthermore, they increase in response to stress, which suggests another potential mechanism for how stress might be a causal factor in the development of psychosis. However, research regarding the links between stress and the endocannabinoid system is in its infancy. Evidence summarized here points to an alteration in the baseline tone and reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as well as in various components of the endocannabinoid system in patients with psychosis. Moreover, the precise nature of the inter-relationship between these two systems is unclear in man, especially their biological relevance in the context of psychosis. Future studies need to simultaneously investigate HPA axis and endocannabinoid alterations both at baseline and following experimental perturbation in healthy individuals and those with psychosis to understand how they interact with each other in health and disease and obtain mechanistic insight as to their relevance to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

  8. The association between acute mental stress and abnormal left atrial electrophysiology.

    PubMed

    O'Neal, Wesley T; Hammadah, Muhammad; Sandesara, Pratik B; Almuwaqqat, Zakaria; Samman-Tahhan, Ayman; Gafeer, Mohamad M; Abdelhadi, Naser; Wilmot, Kobina; Al Mheid, Ibhar; Bremner, Douglas J; Kutner, Michael; Soliman, Elsayed Z; Shah, Amit J; Quyyumi, Arshed A; Vaccarino, Viola

    2017-10-01

    Acute stress may trigger atrial fibrillation (AF), but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We examined if acute mental stress results in abnormal left atrial electrophysiology as detected by more negative deflection of P-wave terminal force in lead V 1 (PTFV 1 ), a well-known marker of AF risk. We examined this hypothesis in 422 patients (mean age = 56 ± 10 years; 61% men; 44% white) with stable coronary heart disease who underwent mental (speech task) stress testing. PTFV 1 was defined as the duration (milliseconds) times the value of the depth (μV) of the downward deflection (terminal portion) of the P-wave in lead V 1 measured on digital electrocardiograms (ECG). Electrocardiographic left atrial abnormality was defined as PTFV 1 ≤ -4000 μV*ms. Mean PTFV 1 values during stress and recovery were compared with rest. The percentage of participants who developed left atrial abnormality during stress and recovery was compared with the percentage at rest. Compared with rest, PTFV 1 became more negative during mental stress (mean change =  -348, 95% CI = [-515, -182]; P < 0.001) and no change was observed at recovery (mean change = 12, 95%CI = [-148, 172]; P = 0.89). A larger percentage of participants showed left atrial abnormality on ECGs obtained at stress (n = 163, 39%) and recovery (n = 142, 34%) compared with rest (n = 127, 30%). Acute mental stress alters left atrial electrophysiology, suggesting that stressful situations promote adverse transient electrical changes to provide the necessary substrate for AF. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Psychosocial stress predicts abnormal glucose metabolism: the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study.

    PubMed

    Williams, Emily D; Magliano, Dianna J; Tapp, Robyn J; Oldenburg, Brian F; Shaw, Jonathan E

    2013-08-01

    The evidence supporting a relationship between stress and diabetes has been inconsistent. This study examined the effects of stress on abnormal glucose metabolism, using a population-based sample of 3,759, with normoglycemia at baseline, from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study. Perceived stress and stressful life events were measured at baseline, with health behavior and anthropometric information also collected. Oral glucose tolerance tests were undertaken at baseline and 5-year follow-up. The primary outcome was the development of abnormal glucose metabolism (impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, and type 2 diabetes), according to WHO 1999 criteria. Perceived stress predicted incident abnormal glucose metabolism in women but not men, after multivariate adjustment. Life events showed an inconsistent relationship with abnormal glucose metabolism. Perceived stress predicted abnormal glucose metabolism in women. Healthcare professionals should consider psychosocial adversity when assessing risk factor profiles for the development of diabetes.

  10. Psychological stress exposure to aged mice causes abnormal feeding patterns with changes in the bout number.

    PubMed

    Yamada, Chihiro; Mogami, Sachiko; Hattori, Tomohisa

    2017-11-09

    Stress responses are affected by aging. However, studies on stress-related changes in feeding patterns with aging subject are minimal. We investigated feeding patterns induced by two psychological stress models, revealing characteristics of stress-induced feeding patterns as "meal" and "bout" (defined as the minimum feeding behavior parameters) in aged mice. Feeding behaviors of C57BL/6J mice were monitored for 24 h by an automatic monitoring device. Novelty stress reduced the meal amount over the 24 h in both young and aged mice, but as a result of a time course study it was persistent in aged mice. In addition, the decreased bout number was more pronounced in aged mice than in young mice. The 24-h meal and bout parameters did not change in either the young or aged mice following water avoidance stress (WAS). However, the meal amount and bout number increased in aged mice for 0-6 h after WAS exposure but remained unchanged in young mice. Our findings suggest that changes in bout number may lead to abnormal stress-related feeding patterns and may be one tool for evaluating eating abnormality in aged mice.

  11. Stressors, Resources, and Stress Responses in Pregnant African American Women

    PubMed Central

    Giurgescu, Carmen; Kavanaugh, Karen; Norr, Kathleen F.; Dancy, Barbara L.; Twigg, Naomi; McFarlin, Barbara L.; Engeland, Christopher G.; Hennessy, Mary Dawn; White-Traut, Rosemary C.

    2013-01-01

    This research aimed to develop an initial understanding of the stressors, stress responses, and personal resources that impact African American women during pregnancy, potentially leading to preterm birth. Guided by the ecological model, a prospective, mixed-methods, complementarity design was used with 11 pregnant women and 8 of their significant others. Our integrated analysis of quantitative and qualitative data revealed 2 types of stress responses: high stress responses (7 women) and low stress responses (4 women). Patterns of stress responses were seen in psychological stress and cervical remodeling (attenuation or cervical length). All women in the high stress responses group had high depression and/or low psychological well-being and abnormal cervical remodeling at one or both data collection times. All but 1 woman had at least 3 sources of stress (racial, neighborhood, financial, or network). In contrast, 3 of the 4 women in the low stress responses group had only 2 sources of stress (racial, neighborhood, financial, or network) and 1 had none; these women also reported higher perceived support. The findings demonstrate the importance of periodically assessing stress in African American women during pregnancy, particularly related to their support network as well as the positive supports they receive. PMID:23360946

  12. Exacerbated immune stress response during experimental magnesium deficiency results from abnormal cell calcium homeostasis.

    PubMed

    Malpuech-Brugère, C; Rock, E; Astier, C; Nowacki, W; Mazur, A; Rayssiguier, Y

    1998-01-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the potential mechanism underlying the enhanced inflammatory processes during magnesium deficit. In this study, exacerbated response to live bacteria and platelet activating factors was shown in rats fed a magnesium-deficient diet. Peritoneal cells from these animals also showed enhanced superoxide anion production and calcium mobilising potency following in vitro stimulation. The latter effect occurred very early in the course of magnesium deficiency. These studies first showed that an abnormal calcium handling induced by extracellular magnesium depression in vivo may be at the origin of exacerbated inflammatory response.

  13. p53 -Dependent and -Independent Nucleolar Stress Responses

    PubMed Central

    Olausson, Karl Holmberg; Nistér, Monica; Lindström, Mikael S.

    2012-01-01

    The nucleolus has emerged as a cellular stress sensor and key regulator of p53-dependent and -independent stress responses. A variety of abnormal metabolic conditions, cytotoxic compounds, and physical insults induce alterations in nucleolar structure and function, a situation known as nucleolar or ribosomal stress. Ribosomal proteins, including RPL11 and RPL5, become increasingly bound to the p53 regulatory protein MDM2 following nucleolar stress. Ribosomal protein binding to MDM2 blocks its E3 ligase function leading to stabilization and activation of p53. In this review we focus on a number of novel regulators of the RPL5/RPL11-MDM2-p53 complex including PICT1 (GLTSCR2), MYBBP1A, PML and NEDD8. p53-independent pathways mediating the nucleolar stress response are also emerging and in particular the negative control that RPL11 exerts on Myc oncoprotein is of importance, given the role of Myc as a master regulator of ribosome biogenesis. We also briefly discuss the potential of chemotherapeutic drugs that specifically target RNA polymerase I to induce nucleolar stress. PMID:24710530

  14. Resveratrol Treatment after Status Epilepticus Restrains Neurodegeneration and Abnormal Neurogenesis with Suppression of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation.

    PubMed

    Mishra, Vikas; Shuai, Bing; Kodali, Maheedhar; Shetty, Geetha A; Hattiangady, Bharathi; Rao, Xiaolan; Shetty, Ashok K

    2015-12-07

    Antiepileptic drug therapy, though beneficial for restraining seizures, cannot thwart status epilepticus (SE) induced neurodegeneration or down-stream detrimental changes. We investigated the efficacy of resveratrol (RESV) for preventing SE-induced neurodegeneration, abnormal neurogenesis, oxidative stress and inflammation in the hippocampus. We induced SE in young rats and treated with either vehicle or RESV, commencing an hour after SE induction and continuing every hour for three-hours on SE day and twice daily thereafter for 3 days. Seizures were terminated in both groups two-hours after SE with a diazepam injection. In contrast to the vehicle-treated group, the hippocampus of animals receiving RESV during and after SE presented no loss of glutamatergic neurons in hippocampal cell layers, diminished loss of inhibitory interneurons expressing parvalbumin, somatostatin and neuropeptide Y in the dentate gyrus, reduced aberrant neurogenesis with preservation of reelin + interneurons, lowered concentration of oxidative stress byproduct malondialdehyde and pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha, normalized expression of oxidative stress responsive genes and diminished numbers of activated microglia. Thus, 4 days of RESV treatment after SE is efficacious for thwarting glutamatergic neuron degeneration, alleviating interneuron loss and abnormal neurogenesis, and suppressing oxidative stress and inflammation. These results have implications for restraining SE-induced chronic temporal lobe epilepsy.

  15. Antagonistic interplay between hypocretin and leptin in the lateral hypothalamus regulates stress responses.

    PubMed

    Bonnavion, Patricia; Jackson, Alexander C; Carter, Matthew E; de Lecea, Luis

    2015-02-19

    The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functions to coordinate behavioural and physiological responses to stress in a manner that depends on the behavioural state of the organism. However, the mechanisms through which arousal and metabolic states influence the HPA axis are poorly understood. Here using optogenetic approaches in mice, we show that neurons that produce hypocretin (Hcrt)/orexin in the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) regulate corticosterone release and a variety of behaviours and physiological hallmarks of the stress response. Interestingly, we found that Hcrt neuronal activity and Hcrt-mediated stress responses were inhibited by the satiety hormone leptin, which acts, in part, through a network of leptin-sensitive neurons in the LHA. These data demonstrate how peripheral metabolic signals interact with hypothalamic neurons to coordinate stress and arousal and suggest one mechanism through which hyperarousal or altered metabolic states may be linked with abnormal stress responses.

  16. Glutamatergic system abnormalities in posttraumatic stress disorder.

    PubMed

    Nishi, Daisuke; Hashimoto, Kenji; Noguchi, Hiroko; Hamazaki, Kei; Hamazaki, Tomohito; Matsuoka, Yutaka

    2015-12-01

    Accumulating evidence suggests involvement of the glutamatergic system in the biological mechanisms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but few studies have demonstrated an association between glutamatergic system abnormalities and PTSD diagnosis or severity. We aimed to examine whether abnormalities in serum glutamate and in the glutamine/glutamate ratio were associated with PTSD diagnosis and severity in severely injured patients at risk for PTSD and major depressive disorder (MDD). This is a nested case-control study in TPOP (Tachikawa project for prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder with polyunsaturated fatty acid) trial. Diagnosis and severity of PTSD were assessed 3 months after the accidents using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale. The associations of glutamate levels and the glutamine/glutamate ratio with diagnosis and severity of PTSD and MDD were investigated by univariate and multiple linear regression analyses. Ninety-seven of 110 participants (88 %) completed assessments at 3 months. Serum glutamate levels were significantly higher for participants with full or partial PTSD than for participants without PTSD (p = 0.049) and for participants with MDD than for participants without MDD (p = 0.048). Multiple linear regression analyses showed serum glutamate levels were significantly positively associated with PTSD severity (p = 0.02) and MDD severity (p = 0.03). The glutamine/glutamate ratio was also significantly inversely associated with PTSD severity (p = 0.03), but not with MDD severity (p = 0.07). These findings suggest that the glutamatergic system may play a major role in the pathogenesis of PTSD and the need for new treatments targeting the glutamatergic system to be developed for PTSD.

  17. Mitochondrial functions modulate neuroendocrine, metabolic, inflammatory, and transcriptional responses to acute psychological stress

    PubMed Central

    Picard, Martin; McManus, Meagan J.; Gray, Jason D.; Nasca, Carla; Moffat, Cynthia; Kopinski, Piotr K.; Seifert, Erin L.; McEwen, Bruce S.; Wallace, Douglas C.

    2015-01-01

    The experience of psychological stress triggers neuroendocrine, inflammatory, metabolic, and transcriptional perturbations that ultimately predispose to disease. However, the subcellular determinants of this integrated, multisystemic stress response have not been defined. Central to stress adaptation is cellular energetics, involving mitochondrial energy production and oxidative stress. We therefore hypothesized that abnormal mitochondrial functions would differentially modulate the organism’s multisystemic response to psychological stress. By mutating or deleting mitochondrial genes encoded in the mtDNA [NADH dehydrogenase 6 (ND6) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI)] or nuclear DNA [adenine nucleotide translocator 1 (ANT1) and nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT)], we selectively impaired mitochondrial respiratory chain function, energy exchange, and mitochondrial redox balance in mice. The resulting impact on physiological reactivity and recovery from restraint stress were then characterized. We show that mitochondrial dysfunctions altered the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, sympathetic adrenal–medullary activation and catecholamine levels, the inflammatory cytokine IL-6, circulating metabolites, and hippocampal gene expression responses to stress. Each mitochondrial defect generated a distinct whole-body stress-response signature. These results demonstrate the role of mitochondrial energetics and redox balance as modulators of key pathophysiological perturbations previously linked to disease. This work establishes mitochondria as stress-response modulators, with implications for understanding the mechanisms of stress pathophysiology and mitochondrial diseases. PMID:26627253

  18. Cardiac Responses to Thermal, Physical, and Emotional Stress

    PubMed Central

    Taggart, Peter; Parkinson, Peter; Carruthers, Malcolm

    1972-01-01

    We have studied the effect of a short period of exposure to the intense heat of a sauna bath on the electrocardiogram and plasma catecholamine, free fatty acid, and triglyceride concentrations in 17 subjects with apparently normal hearts and 18 persons with coronary heart disease. Similar observations were made on 11 of the 17 normal subjects and on 7 of the persons with coronary heart disease in response to exercise. Exposure to heat was associated with an increase in plasma adrenaline with no change in noradrenaline, free fatty acid, or triglyceride concentrations. Exercise was associated with the expected increase in both plasma noradrenaline and adrenaline concentrations. A heart rate up to 180 beats/min was observed in response to both heat and exercise. Apart from the ST-T changes inherent to sinus tachycardia, ST-T segment abnormalities were frequent in response to heat in both the subjects with normal and abnormal hearts, but little change occurred in the ST-T configuration when the subjects were exercised to produce comparable heart rates. Ectopic beats, sometimes numerous and multifocal, were observed in some subjects of both groups in response to heat, but not to exercise. It seems likely that the net unbalanced adrenaline component of the increased plasma catecholamine concentrations (which is also seen in certain emotional stress situations) is predominantly responsible for ischaemic-like manifestations of the electrocardiogram in susceptible subjects. The observations provide further validation for previously reported studies that it is the increased plasma noradrenaline in response to emotional stress that is associated with the release of free fatty acids and ultimate hypertriglyceridaemia, of probable importance in the aetiology of atheroma. ImagesFIG. 1FIG. 2FIG. 3FIG. 4FIG. 5FIG. 6 PMID:4114377

  19. Endocrine stress responses and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    PubMed

    Siddiqui, Azaz; Madhu, S V; Sharma, S B; Desai, N G

    2015-08-13

    This study was carried to ascertain whether stress responses are associated with abnormalities in glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and pancreatic beta cell function and risk of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Salivary cortisol, a marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and salivary α-amylase, a marker of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) were compared in 125 subjects of newly detected diabetes mellitus (NDDM) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) subjects who were diagnosed on the basis of oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Assessment of stress in them was done through stress scales - presumptive stressful life events scale (PSLES), perceived stress scale (PSS) and sense of coherence (SOC) and correlated with these and other stress response markers. Significantly higher 10 pm salivary cortisol and post dexamethasone salivary cortisol were found in NDDM subjects as compared to NGT. 10 pm salivary cortisol correlated significantly with fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2 h plasma glucose (2h PG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) while post dex salivary cortisol correlated with 2h PG, HbA1c and salivary α-amylase with 2h PG. Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that body mass index (OR: 1.840), SOC (OR: 0.688) and 10 pm salivary cortisol (OR: 1.427) were the strongest predictors of NDDM. The results of the present study indicate that NDDM subjects display significantly higher chronic stress and stress responses when compared to subjects with NGT. Chronic stress and endocrine stress responses are significantly associated with glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus.

  20. Streptozotocin induced oxidative stress, innate immune system responses and behavioral abnormalities in male mice.

    PubMed

    Amiri, Shayan; Haj-Mirzaian, Arya; Momeny, Majid; Amini-Khoei, Hossein; Rahimi-Balaei, Maryam; Poursaman, Simin; Rastegar, Mojgan; Nikoui, Vahid; Mokhtari, Tahmineh; Ghazi-Khansari, Mahmoud; Hosseini, Mir-Jamal

    2017-01-06

    Recent evidence indicates the involvement of inflammatory factors and mitochondrial dysfunction in the etiology of psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression. To investigate the possible role of mitochondrial-induced sterile inflammation in the co-occurrence of anxiety and depression, in this study, we treated adult male mice with the intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion of a single low dose of streptozotocin (STZ, 0.2mg/mouse). Using valid and qualified behavioral tests for the assessment of depressive and anxiety-like behaviors, we showed that STZ-treated mice exhibited behaviors relevant to anxiety and depression 24h following STZ treatment. We observed that the co-occurrence of anxiety and depressive-like behaviors in animals were associated with abnormal mitochondrial function, nitric oxide overproduction and, the increased activity of cytosolic phospholipase A 2 (cPLA 2 ) in the hippocampus. Further, STZ-treated mice had a significant upregulation of genes associated with the innate immune system such as toll-like receptors 2 and 4. Pathological evaluations showed no sign of neurodegeneration in the hippocampus of STZ-treated mice. Results of this study revealed that behavioral abnormalities provoked by STZ, as a cytotoxic agent that targets mitochondria and energy metabolism, are associated with abnormal mitochondrial activity and, consequently the initiation of innate-inflammatory responses in the hippocampus. Our findings highlight the role of mitochondria and innate immunity in the formation of sterile inflammation and behaviors relevant to anxiety and depression. Also, we have shown that STZ injection (i.c.v.) might be an animal model for depression and anxiety disorders based on sterile inflammation. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Salivary kynurenic acid response to psychological stress: inverse relationship to cortical glutamate in schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Chiappelli, Joshua; Rowland, Laura M; Notarangelo, Francesca M; Wijtenburg, S Andrea; Thomas, Marian A R; Pocivavsek, Ana; Jones, Aaron; Wisner, Krista; Kochunov, Peter; Schwarcz, Robert; Hong, L Elliot

    2018-04-18

    Frontal glutamatergic synapses are thought to be critical for adaptive, long-term stress responses. Prefrontal cortices, including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) contribute to stress perception and regulation, and are involved in top-down regulation of peripheral glucocorticoid and inflammatory responses to stress. Levels of kynurenic acid (KYNA) in saliva increase in response to psychological stress, and this stress-induced effect may be abnormal in people with schizophrenia. Here we test the hypothesis that ACC glutamatergic functioning may contribute to the stress-induced salivary KYNA response in schizophrenia. In 56 patients with schizophrenia and 58 healthy controls, our results confirm that levels of KYNA in saliva increase following psychological stress. The magnitude of the effect correlated negatively with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) glutamate + glutamine (r = -.31, p = .017) and glutamate (r = -0.27, p = .047) levels in the ACC in patients but not in the controls (all p ≥ .45). Although, a causal relationship cannot be ascertained in this cross-sectional study, these findings suggest a potentially meaningful link between central glutamate levels and kynurenine pathway response to stress in individuals with schizophrenia.

  2. Crop Production under Drought and Heat Stress: Plant Responses and Management Options

    PubMed Central

    Fahad, Shah; Bajwa, Ali A.; Nazir, Usman; Anjum, Shakeel A.; Farooq, Ayesha; Zohaib, Ali; Sadia, Sehrish; Nasim, Wajid; Adkins, Steve; Saud, Shah; Ihsan, Muhammad Z.; Alharby, Hesham; Wu, Chao; Wang, Depeng; Huang, Jianliang

    2017-01-01

    Abiotic stresses are one of the major constraints to crop production and food security worldwide. The situation has aggravated due to the drastic and rapid changes in global climate. Heat and drought are undoubtedly the two most important stresses having huge impact on growth and productivity of the crops. It is very important to understand the physiological, biochemical, and ecological interventions related to these stresses for better management. A wide range of plant responses to these stresses could be generalized into morphological, physiological, and biochemical responses. Interestingly, this review provides a detailed account of plant responses to heat and drought stresses with special focus on highlighting the commonalities and differences. Crop growth and yields are negatively affected by sub-optimal water supply and abnormal temperatures due to physical damages, physiological disruptions, and biochemical changes. Both these stresses have multi-lateral impacts and therefore, complex in mechanistic action. A better understanding of plant responses to these stresses has pragmatic implication for remedies and management. A comprehensive account of conventional as well as modern approaches to deal with heat and drought stresses have also been presented here. A side-by-side critical discussion on salient responses and management strategies for these two important abiotic stresses provides a unique insight into the phenomena. A holistic approach taking into account the different management options to deal with heat and drought stress simultaneously could be a win-win approach in future. PMID:28706531

  3. Abnormal behavior with hump characteristics in current stressed a-InGaZnO thin film transistors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Woo-Sic; Cho, Yong-Jung; Lee, Yeol-Hyeong; Park, JeongKi; Kim, GeonTae; Kim, Ohyun

    2017-11-01

    We investigated the degradation mechanism of a-InGaZnO TFTs under simultaneous gate and drain bias stress. Gate and drain bias of 20 V were applied simultaneously to induce current stress, and abnormal turn-around behavior in transfer characteristics with a hump phenomenon were identified. Hump characteristics were interpreted in terms of parasitic current path, and the degradation itself was found to be caused dominantly by the electrical field and to be accelerated with current by Joule heating. The mechanism of asymmetrical degradation after current stress was also investigated. By decomposing the curves into two curves and measuring the relaxation behavior of the stressed TFTs, we also found that abnormal turn-around behavior in the transfer characteristics was related to acceptor-like states.

  4. Estimation of stress relaxation time for normal and abnormal breast phantoms using optical technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Udayakumar, K.; Sujatha, N.

    2015-03-01

    Many of the early occurring micro-anomalies in breast may transform into a deadliest cancer tumor in future. Probability of curing early occurring abnormalities in breast is more if rightly identified. Even in mammogram, considered as a golden standard technique for breast imaging, it is hard to pick up early occurring changes in the breast tissue due to the difference in mechanical behavior of the normal and abnormal tissue when subjected to compression prior to x-ray or laser exposure. In this paper, an attempt has been made to estimate the stress relaxation time of normal and abnormal breast mimicking phantom using laser speckle image correlation. Phantoms mimicking normal breast is prepared and subjected to precise mechanical compression. The phantom is illuminated by a Helium Neon laser and by using a CCD camera, a sequence of strained phantom speckle images are captured and correlated by the image mean intensity value at specific time intervals. From the relation between mean intensity versus time, tissue stress relaxation time is quantified. Experiments were repeated for phantoms with increased stiffness mimicking abnormal tissue for similar ranges of applied loading. Results shows that phantom with more stiffness representing abnormal tissue shows uniform relaxation for varying load of the selected range, whereas phantom with less stiffness representing normal tissue shows irregular behavior for varying loadings in the given range.

  5. Fluid shear stress as a regulator of gene expression in vascular cells: possible correlations with diabetic abnormalities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Papadaki, M.; Eskin, S. G.; Ruef, J.; Runge, M. S.; McIntire, L. V.

    1999-01-01

    Diabetes mellitus is associated with increased frequency, severity and more rapid progression of cardiovascular diseases. Metabolic perturbations from hyperglycemia result in disturbed endothelium-dependent relaxation, activation of coagulation pathways, depressed fibrinolysis, and other abnormalities in vascular homeostasis. Atherosclerosis is localized mainly at areas of geometric irregularity at which blood vessels branch, curve and change diameter, and where blood is subjected to sudden changes in velocity and/or direction of flow. Shear stress resulting from blood flow is a well known modulator of vascular cell function. This paper presents what is currently known regarding the molecular mechanisms responsible for signal transduction and gene regulation in vascular cells exposed to shear stress. Considering the importance of the hemodynamic environment of vascular cells might be vital to increasing our understanding of diabetes.

  6. Ulcerative Dermatitis in C57BL/6 Mice Exhibits an Oxidative Stress Response Consistent with Normal Wound Healing

    PubMed Central

    Williams, Lisa K; Csaki, Lauren S; Cantor, Rita M; Reue, Karen; Lawson, Greg W

    2012-01-01

    Ulcerative dermatitis (UD) is a common syndrome of unknown etiology that results in profound morbidity in C57BL/6 mice and lines on a C57BL/6 background. The lesions are due to severe pruritus-induced self-trauma, progressing from superficial excoriations to deep ulcerations. UD may be behavioral in origin, with ulcerative lesions resulting from self-mutilating behavior in response to unresolved inflammation or compulsion. Alternatively, abnormal oxidative damage may be a mechanism underlying UD. To evaluate whether UD behaves similarly to normal wounds, consistent with a secondary self-inflicted lesion, or is a distinct disorder with abnormal wound response, we evaluated expression levels of genes representing various arms of the oxidative stress response pathway UD-affected and unwounded C57BL/6J mice. No evidence indicated that UD wounds have a defect in the oxidative stress response. Our findings are consistent with an understanding of C57BL/6 UD lesions as typical rather than atypical wounds. PMID:22776048

  7. Determination of stress responses induced by aluminum in maize (Zea mays).

    PubMed

    Vardar, Filiz; Ismailoğlu, Işil; Inan, Deniz; Unal, Meral

    2011-06-01

    To assess the alternative responses to aluminum toxicity, maize (Zea mays L. cv Karadeniz yıldızı) roots were exposed to different concentrations of AlCl3 (150, 300 and 450 μM). Aluminum reduced the root elongation by 39.6% in 150 μM, 44.1% in 300 μM, 50.1% in 450 μM AlCl3 after 96 h period. To correlate the root elongation with the alternative stress responses including aluminum accumulation, lipid peroxidation, mitotic abnormalities, reduction of starch content, intracellular Ca2+ accumulation, callose formation, lignin deposition and peroxidase activity, cytochemical and biochemical tests were performed. The results indicated that aluminum accumulation and lipid peroxidation were observed more densely on the root cap and the outer cortex cells. In addition to morphological deformations, cytochemical analysis displayed cellular deformations. Furthermore, mitotic abnormalities were observed such as c-mitosis, micronuclei, bi- and trinucleated cells in aluminum treated root tips. Aluminum treatment induced starch reduction, callose formation, lignin accumulation and intracellular Ca2+ increase. Moreover, the peroxidase activity increased significantly by 3, 4.4 and 7.7 times higher than in that of control after 96 h, respectively. In conclusion, aluminum is significantly stressful in maize culminating in morphological and cellular alterations.

  8. Abnormal Fear Memory as a Model for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

    PubMed

    Desmedt, Aline; Marighetto, Aline; Piazza, Pier-Vincenzo

    2015-09-01

    For over a century, clinicians have consistently described the paradoxical co-existence in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of sensory intrusive hypermnesia and declarative amnesia for the same traumatic event. Although this amnesia is considered as a critical etiological factor of the development and/or persistence of PTSD, most current animal models in basic neuroscience have focused exclusively on the hypermnesia, i.e., the persistence of a strong fear memory, neglecting the qualitative alteration of fear memory. The latest is characterized by an underrepresentation of the trauma in the context-based declarative memory system in favor of its overrepresentation in a cue-based sensory/emotional memory system. Combining psychological and neurobiological data as well as theoretical hypotheses, this review supports the idea that contextual amnesia is at the core of PTSD and its persistence and that altered hippocampal-amygdalar interaction may contribute to such pathologic memory. In a first attempt to unveil the neurobiological alterations underlying PTSD-related hypermnesia/amnesia, we describe a recent animal model mimicking in mice some critical aspects of such abnormal fear memory. Finally, this line of argument emphasizes the pressing need for a systematic comparison between normal/adaptive versus abnormal/maladaptive fear memory to identify biomarkers of PTSD while distinguishing them from general stress-related, potentially adaptive, neurobiological alterations. Copyright © 2015 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Neuroendocrine responses to psychological stress in eumenorrheic and oligomenorrheic women.

    PubMed

    McComb, Jacalyn J Robert; Qian, Xu-Ping; Veldhuis, Johannes D; J McGlone, John; Norman, Reid L

    2006-03-01

    Neuroendocrine adaptive responses to psychological stress include activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sometimes suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. In women who experience chronic stress, these responses are probably responsible for disturbances in the menstrual cycle. In the present experiment, we investigated the effect of an acutely stressful situation on the physiological and neuroendocrine responses in college age women. We hypothesized that females who are experiencing some degree of abnormal menstrual function or women who have less-robust cycles (oligomenorrheic females) would exhibit differences in gonadotropin secretion from eumenorrheic females when exposed to psychological stressors. Fifteen women completed this study: eumenorrheic (n = 5) and oligomenorrheic women (n = 5) who experienced a series of psychological stressors, and eumenorrheic controls (n = 5). Blood samples were taken at 10 min intervals for 8 h (09:00-17:00) in each woman during the mid-follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. The psychological stressors were administered for 1 h beginning at 13:00 h. Luteinizing hormone (LH), growth hormone (GH) and cortisol were measured in each sample to assess the effect of stress on secretion of these hormones. Deconvolution analysis was used to analyze pulsatile hormone secretion and the approximate entropy (ApEn) statistic analyzed the regularity of release of each hormone. Although, there were significant changes in heart rate (HR), skin resistance (SR) and cortisol levels in the stressed women during the psychological stressor compared to resting baseline values but not in the controls, there was no difference in either LH or GH secretion between women who experienced stress and those who did not. Furthermore, there were no differences in the LH or GH secretion patterns in the oligomenorrheic and eumenorrheic women exposed to the psychological stressor.

  10. Response to an Abnormal Ovarian Cancer Screening Test Result: Test of the Social Cognitive Processing and Cognitive Social Health Information Processing Models

    PubMed Central

    Andrykowski, Michael A.; Pavlik, Edward J.

    2009-01-01

    All cancer screening tests produce a proportion of abnormal results requiring follow-up. Consequently, the cancer screening setting is a natural laboratory for examining psychological and behavioral response to a threatening health-related event. This study tested hypotheses derived from the Social Cognitive Processing and Cognitive-Social Health Information Processing models in trying to understand response to an abnormal ovarian cancer (OC) screening test result. Women (n=278) receiving an abnormal screening test result a mean of 7 weeks earlier were assessed prior to a repeat screening test intended to clarify their previous abnormal result. Measures of disposition (optimism, informational coping style), social environment (social support and constraint), emotional processing, distress, and benefit finding were obtained. Regression analyses indicated greater distress was associated with greater social constraint and emotional processing and a monitoring coping style in women with a family history of OC. Distress was unrelated to social support. Greater benefit finding was associated with both greater social constraint and support and greater distress. The primacy of social constraint in accounting for both benefit-finding and distress was noteworthy and warrants further research on the role of social constraint in adaptation to stressful events. PMID:20419561

  11. Balancing uncertainty and acceptance: understanding Chinese women's responses to an abnormal cervical smear result.

    PubMed

    Twinn, Sheila

    2006-09-01

    The aims of this study were to examine the responses of Hong Kong Chinese women receiving an abnormal smear result and to compare any differences in responses depending on the diagnosis of the abnormal smear. The implementation of cervical screening programmes has resulted in an increasing number of women receiving an abnormal smear result requiring cytological surveillance or referral for colposcopy. Evidence suggests that women frequently misunderstood such results, believing that they already have cancer. However, little is known about the responses of Chinese women in this situation. An exploratory qualitative study. Face-to-face semi-structured tape-recorded interviews were undertaken with 66 women sampled opportunistically from an urban centre of a major non-governmental service provider. Amongst this sample, 22 women required cytological surveillance, 20 required treatment for vaginitis and 24 were referred for colposcopy. Thematic analysis was undertaken of the translated interviews within and across groups to identify categories and themes illustrating women's responses to an abnormal smear result. An important difference in the comparison of the data sets was that of women's understanding of the cause of the abnormal result. Women with vaginitis understood the cause of their abnormality, whereas those in the other groups remained unclear about their abnormality, generating feelings of fear and uncertainty. Trust in practitioners influenced women's acceptance of the result. Although responses of Chinese women are similar to those in other population groups, with those referred for colposcopy experiencing greater anxiety than those undergoing cytological surveillance, balancing feelings of uncertainty and acceptance influenced Chinese women's responses to their abnormal results and allowed them to make sense of their result in their everyday life. Trust in the practitioner was essential to the acceptance of their result. Such findings highlight implications

  12. Neuroimaging in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Other Stress-related Disorders

    PubMed Central

    Bremner, J. Douglas

    2009-01-01

    Synopsis Traumatic stress has a broad range of effects on the brain. Brain areas implicated in the stress response include the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Studies in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychiatric disorders related to stress have replicated findings in animal studies by finding alterations in these brain areas. Brain regions implicated in PTSD also play an important role in memory function, highlighting the important interplay between memory and the traumatic stress response. Abnormalities in these brain areas are hypothesized to underlie symptoms of PTSD and other stress-related psychiatric disorders. PMID:17983968

  13. The Surgically Induced Stress Response

    PubMed Central

    Finnerty, Celeste C.; Mabvuure, Nigel Tapiwa; Ali, Arham; Kozar, Rosemary A.; Herndon, David N.

    2013-01-01

    The stress response to surgery, critical illness, trauma, and burns encompasses derangements of metabolic and physiological processes which induce perturbations in the inflammatory, acute phase, hormonal, and genomic responses. Hypermetabolism and hypercatabolism result, leading to muscle wasting, impaired immune function and wound healing, organ failure, and death. The surgery-induced stress response is largely similar to that triggered by traumatic injuries; the duration of the stress response, however, varies according to the severity of injury (surgical or traumatic). This spectrum of injuries and insults ranges from small lacerations to severe insults such as large poly-traumatic and burn injuries. Although the stress response to acute trauma evolved to improve chances of survival following injury, in modern surgical practice the stress response can be detrimental. PMID:24009246

  14. Plant Nucleolar Stress Response, a New Face in the NAC-Dependent Cellular Stress Responses.

    PubMed

    Ohbayashi, Iwai; Sugiyama, Munetaka

    2017-01-01

    The nucleolus is the most prominent nuclear domain, where the core processes of ribosome biogenesis occur vigorously. All these processes are finely orchestrated by many nucleolar factors to build precisely ribosome particles. In animal cells, perturbations of ribosome biogenesis, mostly accompanied by structural disorders of the nucleolus, cause a kind of cellular stress to induce cell cycle arrest, senescence, or apoptosis, which is called nucleolar stress response. The best-characterized pathway of this stress response involves p53 and MDM2 as key players. p53 is a crucial transcription factor that functions in response to not only nucleolar stress but also other cellular stresses such as DNA damage stress. These cellular stresses release p53 from the inhibition by MDM2, an E3 ubiquitin ligase targeting p53, in various ways, which leads to p53-dependent activation of a set of genes. In plants, genetic impairments of ribosome biogenesis factors or ribosome components have been shown to cause characteristic phenotypes, including a narrow and pointed leaf shape, implying a common signaling pathway connecting ribosomal perturbations and certain aspects of growth and development. Unlike animals, however, plants have neither p53 nor MDM2 family proteins. Then the question arises whether plant cells have a nucleolar stress response pathway. In recent years, it has been reported that several members of the plant-specific transcription factor family NAC play critical roles in the pathways responsive to various cellular stresses. In this mini review, we outline the plant cellular stress response pathways involving NAC transcription factors with reference to the p53-MDM2-dependent pathways of animal cells, and discuss the possible involvement of a plant-unique, NAC-mediated pathway in the nucleolar stress response in plants.

  15. Polε Instability Drives Replication Stress, Abnormal Development, and Tumorigenesis.

    PubMed

    Bellelli, Roberto; Borel, Valerie; Logan, Clare; Svendsen, Jennifer; Cox, Danielle E; Nye, Emma; Metcalfe, Kay; O'Connell, Susan M; Stamp, Gordon; Flynn, Helen R; Snijders, Ambrosius P; Lassailly, François; Jackson, Andrew; Boulton, Simon J

    2018-05-17

    DNA polymerase ε (POLE) is a four-subunit complex and the major leading strand polymerase in eukaryotes. Budding yeast orthologs of POLE3 and POLE4 promote Polε processivity in vitro but are dispensable for viability in vivo. Here, we report that POLE4 deficiency in mice destabilizes the entire Polε complex, leading to embryonic lethality in inbred strains and extensive developmental abnormalities, leukopenia, and tumor predisposition in outbred strains. Comparable phenotypes of growth retardation and immunodeficiency are also observed in human patients harboring destabilizing mutations in POLE1. In both Pole4 -/- mouse and POLE1 mutant human cells, Polε hypomorphy is associated with replication stress and p53 activation, which we attribute to inefficient replication origin firing. Strikingly, removing p53 is sufficient to rescue embryonic lethality and all developmental abnormalities in Pole4 null mice. However, Pole4 -/- p53 +/- mice exhibit accelerated tumorigenesis, revealing an important role for controlled CMG and origin activation in normal development and tumor prevention. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. The nature of neuroendocrine abnormalities in depression: a controversial issue in contemporary psychiatry.

    PubMed

    von Zerssen, D; Berger, M; Dose, M; Doerr, P; Krieg, C; Bossert, S; Riemann, D; Pirke, K M; Dolhofer, R; Müller, O A

    1986-01-01

    Neuroendocrine abnormalities in depression have been regarded, by many authors, as relatively specific markers of nosological subtypes of the disorder, e.g. primary vs. secondary, endogenous vs. non-endogenous or unipolar vs. bipolar depression. They should reflect the same changes in central neurotransmitters (e.g. noradrenergic insufficiency and/or cholinergic hyperactivity) that were hypothesized as the cause of clinical symptoms. This view is challenged on the basis of our own neuroendocrine investigations in 317 psychiatric patients and 103 normal controls. According to these studies the abnormalities are nosologically rather unspecific. They are induced by a large variety of factors, e.g. emotional stress associated with the clinical symptomatology, weight loss due to malnutrition as a consequence of reduced appetite, medication and drug withdrawal. Stress-induced hypercortisolism appears to be the most common abnormality that may trigger other neuroendocrine dysfunctions, such as a blunted TSH response to TRH. Differences in neuroendocrine abnormalities of depressives are probably due to variations in the manifold factors influencing the hormonal axes involved, to temporal changes in hormonal patterns (e.g. one abnormality triggering another) and to individual differences in the basic activity and the responsiveness of the various axes.

  17. Multi-Wave Prospective Examination of the Stress-Reactivity Extension of Response Styles Theory of Depression in High-Risk Children and Early Adolescents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abela, John R. Z.; Hankin, Benjamin L.; Sheshko, Dana M.; Fishman, Michael B.; Stolow, Darren

    2012-01-01

    The current study tested the stress-reactivity extension of response styles theory of depression (Nolen-Hoeksema "Journal of Abnormal Psychology" 100:569-582, 1991) in a sample of high-risk children and early adolescents from a vulnerability-stress perspective using a multi-wave longitudinal design. In addition, we examined whether obtained…

  18. Bruxism affects stress responses in stressed rats.

    PubMed

    Sato, Chikatoshi; Sato, Sadao; Takashina, Hirofumi; Ishii, Hidenori; Onozuka, Minoru; Sasaguri, Kenichi

    2010-04-01

    It has been proposed that suppression of stress-related emotional responses leads to the simultaneous activation of both sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and that the expression of these emotional states has a protective effect against ulcerogenesis. In the present study, we investigated whether stress-induced bruxism activity (SBA) has a physiological effect of on the stress-induced changes of the stomach, thymus, and spleen as well as blood leukocytes, cortisol, and adrenaline. This study demonstrated that SBA attenuated the stress-induced ulcer genesis as well as degenerative changes of thymus and spleen. SBA also attenuated increases of adrenaline, cortisol, and neutrophils in the blood. In conclusion, expression of aggression through SBA during stress exposure attenuates both stress-induced ANS response, including gastric ulcer formation.

  19. Unravelling the pathophysiology of delirium: a focus on the role of aberrant stress responses

    PubMed Central

    MacLullich, Alasdair MJ; Ferguson, Karen J; Miller, Thomas; de Rooij, Sophia EJA; Cunningham, Colm

    2015-01-01

    Delirium is a common and serious acute neuropsychiatric syndrome with core features of inattention and cognitive impairment, and associated features including changes in arousal, altered sleep-wake cycle, and other changes in mental status. The main risk factors are old age, cognitive impairment, and other comorbidities. Though delirium has consistent core clinical features, it has a very wide range of precipitating factors, including acute illness, surgery, trauma, and drugs. The molecular mechanisms by which these precipitating factors lead to delirium are largely obscure. In this article we attempt to narrow down some specific causal pathways. We propose a basic classification for the aetiological factors: (a) direct brain insults, and (b) aberrant stress responses. Direct brain insults are largely indiscriminate and include general and regional energy deprivation (eg. hypoxia, hypoglycaemia, stroke), metabolic abnormalities (eg. hyponatraemia, hypercalcaemia), and the effects of drugs. Aberrant stress responses are conceptually and mechanistically distinct in that they constitute adverse effects of stress-response pathways which, in health, are adaptive. Ageing and central nervous system disease, two major predisposing factors for delirium, are associated with alterations in the magnitude or duration of stress and sickness behaviour responses, and increased vulnerability to the effects of these responses. We discuss in detail two stress response systems that are likely to be involved in the pathophysiology of delirium: inflammation and the sickness behaviour response, and activity of the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. We conclude by discussing the implications for future research and the development of new therapies for delirium. PMID:18707945

  20. Abnormal IgG4 antibody response to aeroallergens in allergic patients.

    PubMed

    Jeannin, P; Delneste, Y; Tillie-Leblond, I; Wallaert, B; carlier, A; Pestel, J; Tonnel, A B

    1994-01-01

    Various studies have suggested the involvement of immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) antibodies (Ab) in the physiopathology of allergic disorders. Recently, an abnormal IgG4 Ab production in response to immunization has been reported in some atopic patients. Thus, in order to evidence in allergic patients, a potential abnormal IgG4 Ab response to aeroallergens following natural exposure, we compared, in 34 patients sensitive to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and in 16 healthy subjects, the IgG4 Ab response to D. pteronyssinus, grass pollen and cat dander, using a solid-phase radioimmunoassay. Since some patients were also sensitive to grass pollen and/or to cat dander, we analyzed, in all patients, the IgG4 Ab responses both towards the allergen(s) they were sensitive to (sensitizing allergen) or not (unrelated allergen). The results showed that 90% of the patients produced levels of antisensitizing allergen(s) IgG4 Ab significantly higher than the controls; this IgG4 Ab response was correlated with the corresponding specific IgE Ab level. In addition, among these patients, around 40% presented high levels of IgG4 Ab to the unrelated allergen(s). Thus, in allergic patients, while specific IgE Ab define the nature of the sensitizing allergen, the presence of IgG4 Ab directed against various allergens seems in relation with an abnormal isotype regulation associated with atopic disorders.

  1. HPA-Axis Hormone Modulation of Stress Response Circuitry Activity in Women with Remitted Major Depression

    PubMed Central

    Holsen, Laura M.; Lancaster, Katie; Klibanski, Anne; Whitfield-Gabrieli, Susan; Cherkerzian, Sara; Buka, Stephen; Goldstein, Jill M.

    2013-01-01

    Decades of clinical and basic research indicate significant links between altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis hormone dynamics and major depressive disorder (MDD). Recent neuroimaging studies of MDD highlight abnormalities in stress response circuitry regions which play a role in the regulation of the HPA-axes. However, there is a dearth of research examining these systems in parallel, especially as related to potential trait characteristics. The current study addresses this gap by investigating neural responses to a mild visual stress challenge with real-time assessment of adrenal hormones in women with MDD in remission and controls. 15 women with recurrent MDD in remission (rMDD) and 15 healthy control women were scanned on a 3T Siemens MR scanner while viewing neutral and negative (stress-evoking) stimuli. Blood samples were obtained before, during, and after scanning for measurement of HPA-axis hormone levels. Compared to controls, rMDD women demonstrated higher anxiety ratings, increased cortisol levels, and hyperactivation in the amygdala and hippocampus, p<0.05, FWE-corrected in response to the stress challenge. Among rMDD women, amygdala activation was negatively related to cortisol changes and positively associated with duration of remission. Findings presented here provide evidence for differential effects of altered HPA-axis hormone dynamics on hyperactivity in stress response circuitry regions elicited by a well-validated stress paradigm in women with recurrent MDD in remission. PMID:23891965

  2. Advances and New Concepts in Alcohol-Induced Organelle Stress, Unfolded Protein Responses and Organ Damage.

    PubMed

    Ji, Cheng

    2015-06-03

    Alcohol is a simple and consumable biomolecule yet its excessive consumption disturbs numerous biological pathways damaging nearly all organs of the human body. One of the essential biological processes affected by the harmful effects of alcohol is proteostasis, which regulates the balance between biogenesis and turnover of proteins within and outside the cell. A significant amount of published evidence indicates that alcohol and its metabolites directly or indirectly interfere with protein homeostasis in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) causing an accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins, which triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR) leading to either restoration of homeostasis or cell death, inflammation and other pathologies under severe and chronic alcohol conditions. The UPR senses the abnormal protein accumulation and activates transcription factors that regulate nuclear transcription of genes related to ER function. Similarly, this kind of protein stress response can occur in other cellular organelles, which is an evolving field of interest. Here, I review recent advances in the alcohol-induced ER stress response as well as discuss new concepts on alcohol-induced mitochondrial, Golgi and lysosomal stress responses and injuries.

  3. [Regulation of heat shock gene expression in response to stress].

    PubMed

    Garbuz, D G

    2017-01-01

    Heat shock (HS) genes, or stress genes, code for a number of proteins that collectively form the most ancient and universal stress defense system. The system determines the cell capability of adaptation to various adverse factors and performs a variety of auxiliary functions in normal physiological conditions. Common stress factors, such as higher temperatures, hypoxia, heavy metals, and others, suppress transcription and translation for the majority of genes, while HS genes are upregulated. Transcription of HS genes is controlled by transcription factors of the HS factor (HSF) family. Certain HSFs are activated on exposure to higher temperatures or other adverse factors to ensure stress-induced HS gene expression, while other HSFs are specifically activated at particular developmental stages. The regulation of the main mammalian stress-inducible factor HSF1 and Drosophila melanogaster HSF includes many components, such as a variety of early warning signals indicative of abnormal cell activity (e.g., increases in intracellular ceramide, cytosolic calcium ions, or partly denatured proteins); protein kinases, which phosphorylate HSFs at various Ser residues; acetyltransferases; and regulatory proteins, such as SUMO and HSBP1. Transcription factors other than HSFs are also involved in activating HS gene transcription; the set includes D. melanogaster GAF, mammalian Sp1 and NF-Y, and other factors. Transcription of several stress genes coding for molecular chaperones of the glucose-regulated protein (GRP) family is predominantly regulated by another stress-detecting system, which is known as the unfolded protein response (UPR) system and is activated in response to massive protein misfolding in the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial matrix. A translational fine tuning of HS protein expression occurs via changing the phosphorylation status of several proteins involved in translation initiation. In addition, specific signal sequences in the 5'-UTRs of some HS

  4. Proportionate Responses to Life Events Influence Clinicians’ Judgments Of Psychological Abnormality

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Nancy S.; Paulus, Daniel J.; Gonzalez, Jeffrey S.; Khalife, Danielle

    2012-01-01

    Psychological abnormality is a fundamental concept in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR; APA, 2000) and in all clinical evaluations. How do practicing clinical psychologists use the context of life events to judge the abnormality of a person’s current behaviors? The appropriate role of life-event context in assessment has long been the subject of intense debate and scrutiny among clinical theorists, yet relatively little is known about clinicians’ own judgments in practice. We propose a proportionate-response hypothesis, such that judgments of abnormality are influenced by whether the behaviors are a disproportionate response to past events, rendering them difficult to understand or explain. We presented licensed, practicing clinical psychologists (N=77) with vignettes describing hypothetical people’s behaviors (disordered, mildly distressed, or unaffected) that had been preceded by either traumatic or mildly distressing events. Experts’ judgments of abnormality were strongly and systematically influenced by the degree of mismatch between the past event and current behaviors in strength and valence, such that the greater the mismatch, the more abnormal the person seemed. A separate, additional group of clinical psychologists (N=20) further confirmed that the greater the degree of mismatch, the greater the perceived difficulty in understanding the patient. These findings held true across clinicians of different theoretical orientations and in disorders for which these patterns of judgments ran contrary to formal recommendations in the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000). The rationality of these effects and implications for clinical decision science are discussed. PMID:22142425

  5. The nurse response to abnormal vital sign recording in the emergency department.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Kimberly D; Mueller, Lindsey; Winkelman, Chris

    2017-01-01

    To examine what occurs after a recorded observation of at least one abnormal vital sign in the emergency department. The aims were to determine how often abnormal vital signs were recorded, what interventions were documented, and what factors were associated with documented follow-up for abnormal vital signs. Monitoring quality of care, and preventing or intervening before harm occurs to patients are central to nurses' roles. Abnormal vital signs have been associated with poor patient outcomes and require follow-up after the observation of abnormal readings to prevent patient harm related to a deteriorating status. This documentation is important to quality and safety of care. Observational, retrospective chart review. Modified Early Warning Score was calculated for all recorded vital signs for 195 charts. Comparisons were made between groups: (1) no abnormal vital signs, (2) abnormal vital sign present, but normal Modified Early Warning Score and (3) critically abnormal Modified Early Warning Score. About 62·1% of charts had an abnormal vital sign documented. Critically abnormal values were present in 14·9%. No documentation was present in 44·6% of abnormal cases. When interventions were documented, it was usually to notify the physician. The timing within the emergency department visit when the abnormalities were observed and the degree of abnormality had significant relationships to the presence of documentation. It is doubtful that nurses do not recognise abnormalities because more severely abnormal vital signs were more likely to have documented follow-up. Perhaps the interruptive nature of the emergency department or the prioritised actions of the nurse impacted documentation within this study. Further research is required to determine why follow-up is not being documented. To ensure safety and quality of patient care, accurate documentation of responses to abnormal vital signs is required. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Perinatal asphyxia exerts lifelong effects on neuronal responsiveness to stress in specific brain regions in the rat.

    PubMed

    Salchner, Peter; Engidawork, Ephrem; Hoeger, Harald; Lubec, Barbara; Singewald, Nicolas

    2003-09-01

    Perinatal asphyxia (PA) causes irreversible damage to the brain of newborns and can produce neurologic and behavioral changes later in life. To identify neuronal substrates underlying the effects of PA, we investigated whether and how neuronal responsiveness to an established stress challenge is affected. We used Fos expression as a marker of neuronal activation and examined the pattern of Fos expression in response to acute swim stress in 24-month-old rats exposed to a 20-minute PA insult. Swim stress produced a similar pattern of Fos expression in control and asphyxiated rats in 34 brain areas. Asphyxiated rats displayed a higher number of stress-induced Fos-positive cells in the nucleus of the solitary tract, parabrachial nucleus, periaqueductal gray, paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, nucleus accumbens, caudate-putamen, and prelimbic cortex. No differences in the Fos response to stress were observed in other regions, including the locus ceruleus, amygdala, hippocampus, or septum. These data provide functional anatomic evidence that PA has lifelong effects on neuronal communication and leads to an abnormal, augmented neuronal responsiveness to stress in specific brain areas, particularly in the main telencephalic target regions of the mesencephalic dopamine projections, as well as in a functionally related set of brain regions associated with autonomic and neuroendocrine regulation.

  7. Sex differences, hormones, and fMRI stress response circuitry deficits in psychoses.

    PubMed

    Goldstein, Jill M; Lancaster, Katie; Longenecker, Julia M; Abbs, Brandon; Holsen, Laura M; Cherkerzian, Sara; Whitfield-Gabrieli, Susan; Makris, Nicolas; Tsuang, Ming T; Buka, Stephen L; Seidman, Larry J; Klibanski, Anne

    2015-06-30

    Response to stress is dysregulated in psychosis (PSY). fMRI studies showed hyperactivity in hypothalamus (HYPO), hippocampus (HIPP), amygdala (AMYG), anterior cingulate (ACC), orbital and medial prefrontal (OFC; mPFC) cortices, with some studies reporting sex differences. We predicted abnormal steroid hormone levels in PSY would be associated with sex differences in hyperactivity in HYPO, AMYG, and HIPP, and hypoactivity in PFC and ACC, with more severe deficits in men. We studied 32 PSY cases (50.0% women) and 39 controls (43.6% women) using a novel visual stress challenge while collecting blood. PSY males showed BOLD hyperactivity across all hypothesized regions, including HYPO and ACC by FWE-correction. Females showed hyperactivity in HIPP and AMYG and hypoactivity in OFC and mPFC, the latter FWE-corrected. Interaction of group by sex was significant in mPFC (F = 7.00, p = 0.01), with PSY females exhibiting the lowest activity. Male hyperactivity in HYPO and ACC was significantly associated with hypercortisolemia post-stress challenge, and mPFC with low androgens. Steroid hormones and neural activity were dissociated in PSY women. Findings suggest disruptions in neural circuitry-hormone associations in response to stress are sex-dependent in psychosis, particularly in prefrontal cortex. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. In vivo immunoprotective role of Indigofera tinctoria and Scoparia dulcis aqueous extracts against chronic noise stress induced immune abnormalities in Wistar albino rats.

    PubMed

    Madakkannu, Boothapandi; Ravichandran, Ramanibai

    2017-01-01

    Indigofera tinctoria and Scoparia dulcis are being widely used in Indian folk medicine for the treatment of various disorders. Environmental noise pollution is thought to be an important factor for many health problems and it causes immune abnormalities. In the present study immune-regulating potential of I. tinctoria and S. dulcis aqueous extracts on innate and adaptive immune system of wistar albino rats was evaluated during normal and chronic noise induced stress conditions. The results demonstrated that both I. tinctoria and S. dulcis aqueous extracts (200 mg/kg b.w) showed immunostimulant effect on both innate and adaptive immune response of wistar albino rat compared to control group under normal condition. The noise stress (100 dB for 1 h, 20 days) induced animals showed suppressive effects on immune response by decreasing macrophage phagocytosis, antibody secretion by spleen cells, humoral immune response, proliferation of lymphocytes, cytotoxicity, TNF α expression, granzyme B and perforin expression in splenic NK cells. Similarly, noise stress also caused DNA damage in tissues. However, the suppressed effects induced by noise stress on rat immune system were significantly prevented by oral administration of both I. tinctoria and S. dulcis aqueous extracts. Considering all these results it is suggested that the selected medicinal plant's aqueous extracts have the potential to prevent the effects of noise stress induced rat immune system and explore a strong immunostimulant potential applicable to clinical practices.

  9. Do abnormal responses show utilitarian bias?

    PubMed

    Kahane, Guy; Shackel, Nicholas

    2008-03-20

    Neuroscience has recently turned to the study of utilitarian and non-utilitarian moral judgement. Koenigs et al. examine the responses of normal subjects and those with ventromedial-prefrontal-cortex (VMPC) damage to moral scenarios drawn from functional magnetic resonance imaging studies by Greene et al., and claim that patients with VMPC damage have an abnormally "utilitarian" pattern of moral judgement. It is crucial to the claims of Koenigs et al. that the scenarios of Greene et al. pose a conflict between utilitarian consequence and duty: however, many of them do not meet this condition. Because of this methodological problem, it is too early to claim that VMPC patients have a utilitarian bias.

  10. Fibroblast Growth Factor 8 Deficiency Compromises the Functional Response of the Serotonergic System to Stress

    PubMed Central

    Brooks, Leah R.; Pals, Heide L.; Enix, Courtney L.; Woolaver, Rachel A.; Paul, Evan D.; Lowry, Christopher A.; Tsai, Pei-San

    2014-01-01

    Functionally heterogeneous populations of serotonergic neurons, located within the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR), play a role in stress-related behaviors and neuropsychiatric illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Abnormal development of these neurons may permanently alter their structure and connections, making the organism more susceptible to anxiety-related disorders. A factor that critically regulates the development of serotonergic neurons is fibroblast growth factor 8 (Fgf8). In this study, we used acute restraint stress followed by behavioral testing to examine whether Fgf8 signaling during development is important for establishing functional stress- and anxiety-related DR neurocircuits in adulthood. Wild-type and heterozygous male mice globally hypomorphic for Fgf8 were exposed to acute restraint stress and then tested for anxiety-like behavior on the elevated plus-maze. Further, we measured c-Fos immunostaining as a marker of serotonergic neuronal activation and tissue 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations as a marker of serotonin functional output. Results showed that Fgf8 hypomorphs exhibited 1) an exaggerated response of DR anxiety-promoting circuits and 2) a blunted response of a DR panic-inhibiting circuit to stress, effects that together were associated with increased baseline anxiety-like behavior. Overall, our results provide a neural substrate upon which Fgf8 deficiency could affect stress response and support the hypothesis that developmental disruptions of serotonergic neurons affect their postnatal functional integrity. PMID:24992493

  11. Fibroblast growth factor 8 deficiency compromises the functional response of the serotonergic system to stress.

    PubMed

    Brooks, Leah R; Pals, Heide L; Enix, Courtney L; Woolaver, Rachel A; Paul, Evan D; Lowry, Christopher A; Tsai, Pei-San

    2014-01-01

    Functionally heterogeneous populations of serotonergic neurons, located within the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR), play a role in stress-related behaviors and neuropsychiatric illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Abnormal development of these neurons may permanently alter their structure and connections, making the organism more susceptible to anxiety-related disorders. A factor that critically regulates the development of serotonergic neurons is fibroblast growth factor 8 (Fgf8). In this study, we used acute restraint stress followed by behavioral testing to examine whether Fgf8 signaling during development is important for establishing functional stress- and anxiety-related DR neurocircuits in adulthood. Wild-type and heterozygous male mice globally hypomorphic for Fgf8 were exposed to acute restraint stress and then tested for anxiety-like behavior on the elevated plus-maze. Further, we measured c-Fos immunostaining as a marker of serotonergic neuronal activation and tissue 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations as a marker of serotonin functional output. Results showed that Fgf8 hypomorphs exhibited 1) an exaggerated response of DR anxiety-promoting circuits and 2) a blunted response of a DR panic-inhibiting circuit to stress, effects that together were associated with increased baseline anxiety-like behavior. Overall, our results provide a neural substrate upon which Fgf8 deficiency could affect stress response and support the hypothesis that developmental disruptions of serotonergic neurons affect their postnatal functional integrity.

  12. Early caregiving and physiological stress responses.

    PubMed

    Luecken, Linda J; Lemery, Kathryn S

    2004-05-01

    Inadequate early caregiving has been associated with risks of stress-related psychological and physical illness over the life span. Dysregulated physiological stress responses may represent a mechanism linking early caregiving to health outcomes. This paper reviews evidence linking early caregiving to physiological responses that can increase vulnerability to stress-related illness. A number of high-risk family characteristics, including high conflict, divorce, abuse, and parental psychopathology, are considered in the development of stress vulnerability. Three theoretical pathways linking caregiving to physiological stress responses are outlined: genetic, psychosocial, and cognitive-affective. Exciting preliminary evidence suggests that early caregiving can impact long-term physiological stress responses. Directions for future research in this area are suggested.

  13. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axes: sex differences in regulation of stress responsivity.

    PubMed

    Oyola, Mario G; Handa, Robert J

    2017-09-01

    Gonadal hormones play a key role in the establishment, activation, and regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. By influencing the response and sensitivity to releasing factors, neurotransmitters, and hormones, gonadal steroids help orchestrate the gain of the HPA axis to fine-tune the levels of stress hormones in the general circulation. From early life to adulthood, gonadal steroids can differentially affect the HPA axis, resulting in sex differences in the responsivity of this axis. The HPA axis influences many physiological functions making an organism's response to changes in the environment appropriate for its reproductive status. Although the acute HPA response to stressors is a beneficial response, constant activation of this circuitry by chronic or traumatic stressful episodes may lead to a dysregulation of the HPA axis and cause pathology. Compared to males, female mice and rats show a more robust HPA axis response, as a result of circulating estradiol levels which elevate stress hormone levels during non-threatening situations, and during and after stressors. Fluctuating levels of gonadal steroids in females across the estrous cycle are a major factor contributing to sex differences in the robustness of HPA activity in females compared to males. Moreover, gonadal steroids may also contribute to epigenetic and organizational influences on the HPA axis even before puberty. Correspondingly, crosstalk between the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) and HPA axes could lead to abnormalities of stress responses. In humans, a dysregulated stress response is one of the most common symptoms seen across many neuropsychiatric disorders, and as a result, such interactions may exacerbate peripheral pathologies. In this review, we discuss the HPA and HPG axes and review how gonadal steroids interact with the HPA axis to regulate the stress circuitry during all stages in life.

  14. Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal and hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axes: sex differences in regulation of stress responsivity

    PubMed Central

    Oyola, Mario G.; Handa, Robert J.

    2018-01-01

    Gonadal hormones play a key role in the establishment, activation, and regulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. By influencing the response and sensitivity to releasing factors, neurotransmitters, and hormones, gonadal steroids help orchestrate the gain of the HPA axis to fine-tune the levels of stress hormones in the general circulation. From early life to adulthood, gonadal steroids can differentially affect the HPA axis, resulting in sex differences in the responsivity of this axis. The HPA axis influences many physiological functions making an organism’s response to changes in the environment appropriate for its reproductive status. Although the acute HPA response to stressors is a beneficial response, constant activation of this circuitry by chronic or traumatic stressful episodes may lead to a dysregulation of the HPA axis and cause pathology. Compared to males, female mice and rats show a more robust HPA axis response, as a result of circulating estradiol levels which elevate stress hormone levels during non-threatening situations, and during and after stressors. Fluctuating levels of gonadal steroids in females across the estrous cycle are a major factor contributing to sex differences in the robustness of HPA activity in females compared to males. Moreover, gonadal steroids may also contribute to epigenetic and organizational influences on the HPA axis even before puberty. Correspondingly, crosstalk between the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) and HPA axes could lead to abnormalities of stress responses. In humans, a dysregulated stress response is one of the most common symptoms seen across many neuropsychiatric disorders, and as a result, such interactions may exacerbate peripheral pathologies. In this review, we discuss the HPA and HPG axes and review how gonadal steroids interact with the HPA axis to regulate the stress circuitry during all stages in life. PMID:28859530

  15. Predictors of responses to stress among families coping with poverty-related stress.

    PubMed

    Santiago, Catherine DeCarlo; Etter, Erica Moran; Wadsworth, Martha E; Raviv, Tali

    2012-05-01

    This study tested how poverty-related stress (PRS), psychological distress, and responses to stress predicted future effortful coping and involuntary stress responses one year later. In addition, we explored age, sex, ethnicity, and parental influences on responses to stress over time. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses conducted with 98 low-income families (300 family members: 136 adults, 82 school-aged children, 82 adolescents) revealed that primary control coping, secondary control coping, disengagement, involuntary engagement, and involuntary disengagement each significantly predicted future use of that response. Primary and secondary control coping also predicted less maladaptive future responses to stress, while involuntary responses to stress undermined the development of adaptive responding. Age, sex, and interactions among PRS and prior coping were also found to predict certain responses to stress. In addition, child subgroup analyses demonstrate the importance of parental modeling of coping and involuntary stress responses, and warmth/nurturance and monitoring practices. Results are discussed with regard to the implications for preventive interventions with families in poverty.

  16. Losartan corrects abnormal frequency response of renal vasculature in congestive heart failure.

    PubMed

    DiBona, Gerald F; Sawin, Linda L

    2003-11-01

    In congestive heart failure, renal blood flow is decreased and renal vascular resistance is increased in a setting of increased activity of both the sympathetic nervous and renin-angiotensin systems. The renal vasoconstrictor response to renal nerve stimulation is enhanced. This is associated with an abnormality in the low-pass filter function of the renal vasculature wherein higher frequencies (> or =0.01 Hz) within renal sympathetic nerve activity are not normally attenuated and are passed into the renal blood flow signal. This study tested the hypothesis that excess angiotensin II action mediates the abnormal frequency response characteristics of the renal vasculature in congestive heart failure. In anesthetized rats, the renal vasoconstrictor response to graded frequency renal nerve stimulation was significantly greater in congestive heart failure than in control rats. Losartan attenuated the renal vasoconstrictor response to a significantly greater degree in congestive heart failure than in control rats. In control rats, the frequency response of the renal vasculature was that of a first order (-20 dB/frequency decade) low-pass filter with a corner frequency (-3 dB, 30% attenuation) of 0.002 Hz and 97% attenuation (-30 dB) at > or =0.1 Hz. In congestive heart failure rats, attenuation did not exceed 45% (-5 dB) over the frequency range of 0.001-0.6 Hz. The frequency response of the renal vasculature was not affected by losartan treatment in control rats but was completely restored to normal by losartan treatment in congestive heart failure rats. The enhanced renal vasoconstrictor response to renal nerve stimulation and the associated abnormality in the frequency response characteristics of the renal vasculature seen in congestive heart failure are mediated by the action of angiotensin II on renal angiotensin II AT1 receptors.

  17. Stressed (acute) mice display neuroimmunodysregulation and defective innate immune response against coliform infection.

    PubMed

    Mehrzad, Jalil; Shajari, Majid; Saleh-Moghaddam, Massoud; Sarmad-Nabavi, Mohammad

    2015-09-01

    We examined the impact of acute restraint stress (ARS) with(out) intraperitoneal E. coli infection on TLR4 mRNA abundance in brain and spleen, clinical signs, cytokines and oxidative loads and peritoneal E. coli growth in balb/c mice. ARS exacerbated E. coli virulence and behavioral abnormality. At different post-stress hour the pattern and intensity of TLR4 activity differed in brain and spleen. While TLR4 stimulation in spleen of E. coli-infected mice was maximal, it superseded in brain of post-stressed E. coli-infected mice. ARS and E. coli infection elicited systemic pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant status, with defective peritoneal E. coli clearance in post-ARS mice. Continuous TLR4 activation in post-stressed mice partially disarms innate immune response, and contributes to inappropriate host-E. coli interactions and thus neuroimmune dysregulation/toxicity. The description of these observed novel effects induced by ARS will provide a basis for deeper investigations of the effects from increasingly stress-oriented rural/urban life upon neuroimmune system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Spreading Photoparoxysmal EEG Response is Associated with an Abnormal Cortical Excitability Pattern

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Siniatchkin, Michael; Groppa, Sergey; Jerosch, Bettina; Muhle, Hiltrud; Kurth, Christoph; Shepherd, Alex J.; Siebner, Hartwig; Stephani, Ulrich

    2007-01-01

    Photosensitivity or photoparoxysmal response (PPR) is a highly heritable electroencephalographic trait characterized by an abnormal cortical response to intermittent photic stimulation (IPS). In PPR-positive individuals, IPS induces spikes, spike-waves or intermittent slow waves. The PPR may be restricted to posterior visual areas (i.e. local PPR…

  19. A risk score for predicting coronary artery disease in women with angina pectoris and abnormal stress test finding.

    PubMed

    Lo, Monica Y; Bonthala, Nirupama; Holper, Elizabeth M; Banks, Kamakki; Murphy, Sabina A; McGuire, Darren K; de Lemos, James A; Khera, Amit

    2013-03-15

    Women with angina pectoris and abnormal stress test findings commonly have no epicardial coronary artery disease (CAD) at catheterization. The aim of the present study was to develop a risk score to predict obstructive CAD in such patients. Data were analyzed from 337 consecutive women with angina pectoris and abnormal stress test findings who underwent cardiac catheterization at our center from 2003 to 2007. Forward selection multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent predictors of CAD, defined by ≥50% diameter stenosis in ≥1 epicardial coronary artery. The independent predictors included age ≥55 years (odds ratio 2.3, 95% confidence interval 1.3 to 4.0), body mass index <30 kg/m(2) (odds ratio 1.9, 95% confidence interval 1.1 to 3.1), smoking (odds ratio 2.6, 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 4.8), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (odds ratio 2.9, 95% confidence interval 1.5 to 5.5), family history of premature CAD (odds ratio 2.4, 95% confidence interval 1.0 to 5.7), lateral abnormality on stress imaging (odds ratio 2.8, 95% confidence interval 1.5 to 5.5), and exercise capacity <5 metabolic equivalents (odds ratio 2.4, 95% confidence interval 1.1 to 5.6). Assigning each variable 1 point summed to constitute a risk score, a graded association between the score and prevalent CAD (ptrend <0.001). The risk score demonstrated good discrimination with a cross-validated c-statistic of 0.745 (95% confidence interval 0.70 to 0.79), and an optimized cutpoint of a score of ≤2 included 62% of the subjects and had a negative predictive value of 80%. In conclusion, a simple clinical risk score of 7 characteristics can help differentiate those more or less likely to have CAD among women with angina pectoris and abnormal stress test findings. This tool, if validated, could help to guide testing strategies in women with angina pectoris. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. RESEARCH: Conceptualizing Environmental Stress: A Stress-Response Model of Coastal Sandy Barriers.

    PubMed

    Gabriel; Kreutzwiser

    2000-01-01

    / The purpose of this paper is to develop and apply a conceptual framework of environmental stress-response for a geomorphic system. Constructs and methods generated from the literature were applied in the development of an integrative stress-response framework using existing environmental assessment techniques: interaction matrices and a systems diagram. Emphasis is on the interaction between environmental stress and the geomorphic environment of a sandy barrier system. The model illustrates a number of stress concepts pertinent to modeling environmental stress-response, including those related to stress-dependency, frequency-recovery relationships, environmental heterogeneity, spatial hierarchies and linkages, and temporal change. Sandy barrier stress-response and recovery are greatly impacted by fluctuating water levels, stress intensity and frequency, as well as environmental gradients such as differences in sediment storage and supply. Aspects of these stress-response variables are articulated in terms of three main challenges to management: dynamic stability, spatial integrity, and temporal variability. These in turn form the framework for evaluative principles that may be applied to assess how policies and management practices reflect key biophysical processes and human stresses identified by the model.

  1. Audiological characteristics of infants with abnormal transient evoked otoacoustic emission and normal auditory brainstem response.

    PubMed

    Huang, Lihui; Han, Demin; Guo, Ying; Liu, Sha; Cui, Xiaoyan; Mo, Lingyan; Qi, Beier; Cai, Zhenghua; Liu, Hui; En, Hui; Guo, Liansheng

    2008-10-01

    Audiological characteristics were investigated in 81 ears of 53 infants with abnormal transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) and normal auditory brainstem response (ABR). The relationship between ABR and other hearing testing methods, including 40Hz auditory event-related potential (40Hz-AERP), auditory steady state response (ASSR), distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), tympanometry, and acoustic reflex, was analyzed. Of the 81 ears, 18 ears (22.2%) were normal, while 63 ears (77.8%) were abnormal according to the tests. Testing of the 40 Hz AERP (36 ears) and ASSR (45 ears) revealed that 14 ears (38.9%) and 27 ears (60.0%) were abnormal, respectively. Testing of DPOAE in 68 ears revealed that 50 ears (73.5%) were abnormal. Testing of tympanometry in 50 ears and acoustic reflex in 47 ears revealed that 9 ears (18%) and 27 ears (57.4%) were abnormal, respectively. The present data suggests that the hearing of infants cannot be sufficiently evaluated with ABR only and that it must be evaluated with integrative audiological testing methods.

  2. [Effect of occupational stress on cardiovascular function of different vocational population].

    PubMed

    Yao, San-qiao; Fan, Xue-yun; Jin, Yu-lan; Bai, Yu-ping; Qu, Yin-e; Zhou, Yuan

    2003-02-01

    To study the effect of occupational stress on cardiovascular function of different vocational population. The occupational stressors, risk factors of cardiovascular diseases were investigated by questionnaire in 839 people with 4 kinds of jobs. Blood pressure, sugar, and lipid were detected at the same time. Blood pressure were higher in the groups of old age, long standing and teachers, and the abnormal rate of blood pressure was 21.69%. There was no difference in abnormal ECG among ages, standing and occupation, and the abnormal rate of ECG was 19.07%. Job control, job demands, job responsibility, role in a job and shift work were the main stress factors affecting systolic and diastolic blood pressure. More conflict in job, less chance of participation, severe job loads were the risk factors of primary hypertension. Accident due to job responsibility, job responsibility, role in a job were the main risk factors of abnormal electrocardiograph. Self-respect and activity beyond work were the good modifiers of heart function. Occupational stress has certain effect on cardiovascular function.

  3. Are automatic postural responses in patients with Parkinson's disease abnormal due to their stooped posture?

    PubMed

    Bloem, B R; Beckley, D J; van Dijk, J G

    1999-02-01

    Abnormal automatic postural responses are thought to contribute to balance impairment in Parkinson's disease. However, because postural responses are modifiable by stance, we have speculated that some postural abnormalities in patients with Parkinson's disease are secondary to their stooped stance. We have studied this assumption by assessing automatic postural responses in 30 healthy subjects who were instructed either to stand upright or to assume a typical parkinsonian posture. During both conditions, subjects received 20 serial 4 degrees 'toe-up' rotational perturbations from a supporting forceplate. We recorded short-latency (SL) and medium-latency (ML) responses from stretched gastrocnemius muscles and long-latency (LL) responses from shortened tibialis anterior muscles. We also assessed changes in the center of foot pressure (CFP) and the center of gravity (COG). The results were qualitatively compared to a previously described group of patients with Parkinson's disease who, under these circumstances, typically have large ML responses, small LL responses and insufficient voluntary postural corrections, accompanied by a slow rate of backward CFP displacement and an increased posterior COG displacement. The stooped posture resulted in unloading of medial gastrocnemius muscles and loading of tibialis anterior muscles. Onset latencies of stretch responses in gastrocnemius muscles were delayed in stooped subjects, but the onset of LL responses was markedly reduced. Amplitudes of both ML and LL responses were reduced in stooped subjects. Prestimulus COG and, to a lesser extent, CFP were shifted forwards in stooped subjects. Posterior COG displacement and the rate of backward CFP displacement were diminished in stooped subjects. Voluntary postural corrections were unchanged while standing stooped. These results indicate that some postural abnormalities of patients with Parkinson's disease (most notably the reduced LL responses) can be reproduced in healthy subjects

  4. HACE1-dependent protein degradation provides cardiac protection in response to haemodynamic stress

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Liyong; Chen, Xin; Sharma, Parveen; Moon, Mark; Sheftel, Alex D.; Dawood, Fayez; Nghiem, Mai P.; Wu, Jun; Li, Ren-Ke; Gramolini, Anthony O.; Sorensen, Poul H.; Penninger, Josef M.; Brumell, John H.; Liu, Peter P.

    2014-03-01

    The HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase HACE1 is a tumour suppressor known to regulate Rac1 activity under stress conditions. HACE1 is increased in the serum of patients with heart failure. Here we show that HACE1 protects the heart under pressure stress by controlling protein degradation. Hace1 deficiency in mice results in accelerated heart failure and increased mortality under haemodynamic stress. Hearts from Hace1-/- mice display abnormal cardiac hypertrophy, left ventricular dysfunction, accumulation of LC3, p62 and ubiquitinated proteins enriched for cytoskeletal species, indicating impaired autophagy. Our data suggest that HACE1 mediates p62-dependent selective autophagic turnover of ubiquitinated proteins by its ankyrin repeat domain through protein-protein interaction, which is independent of its E3 ligase activity. This would classify HACE1 as a dual-function E3 ligase. Our finding that HACE1 has a protective function in the heart in response to haemodynamic stress suggests that HACE1 may be a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for heart disease.

  5. Tornado disasters and stress responses.

    PubMed

    Godleski, L S

    1997-04-01

    Each year, a number of tornados rip through Kentucky, leaving fear, destruction, and human injury in their path. Persons who endure these catastrophes often experience a variety of stress responses. The psychological and medical sequelae include depression, acute and post-traumatic stress disorders, substance abuse, anxiety, and somatization. It is especially important for the Kentucky practitioner to be able to recognize and screen for pathology following a tornado disaster in order to provide leadership in ascertaining treatment for such stress responses.

  6. STRESS RESPONSE STUDIES USING ANIMAL MODELS

    EPA Science Inventory

    This presentation will provide the evidence that ozone exposure in animal models induce neuroendocrine stress response and this stress response modulates lung injury and inflammation through adrenergic and glucocorticoid receptors.

  7. Anger responses to psychosocial stress predict heart rate and cortisol stress responses in men but not women.

    PubMed

    Lupis, Sarah B; Lerman, Michelle; Wolf, Jutta M

    2014-11-01

    While previous research has suggested that anger and fear responses to stress are linked to distinct sympathetic nervous system (SNS) stress responses, little is known about how these emotions predict hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity. Further, earlier research primarily relied on retrospective self-report of emotion. The current study aimed at addressing both issues in male and female individuals by assessing the role of anger and fear in predicting heart rate and cortisol stress responses using both self-report and facial coding analysis to assess emotion responses. We exposed 32 healthy students (18 female; 19.6±1.7 yr) to an acute psychosocial stress paradigm (TSST) and measured heart rate and salivary cortisol levels throughout the protocol. Anger and fear before and after stress exposure was assessed by self-report, and video recordings of the TSST were assessed by a certified facial coder to determine emotion expression (FACS). Self-reported emotions and emotion expressions did not correlate (all p>.23). Increases in self-reported fear predicted blunted cortisol responses in men (β=0.41, p=.04). Also for men, longer durations of anger expression predicted exaggerated cortisol responses (β=0.67 p=.004), and more anger incidences predicted exaggerated cortisol and heart rate responses (β=0.51, p=.033; β=0.46, p=.066, resp.). Anger and fear did not predict SNS or HPA activity for females (all p>.23). The current differential self-report and facial coding findings support the use of multiple modes of emotion assessment. Particularly, FACS but not self-report revealed a robust anger-stress association that could have important downstream health effects for men. For women, future research may clarify the role of other emotions, such as self-conscious expressions of shame, for physiological stress responses. A better understanding of the emotion-stress link may contribute to behavioral interventions targeting health-promoting ways of

  8. Anger responses to psychosocial stress predict heart rate and cortisol stress responses in men but not women

    PubMed Central

    Lupis, Sarah B.; Lerman, Michelle; Wolf, Jutta M.

    2014-01-01

    While previous research has suggested that anger and fear responses to stress are linked to distinct sympathetic nervous system (SNS) stress responses, little is known about how these emotions predict hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity. Further, earlier research primarily relied on retrospective self-report of emotion. The current study aimed at addressing both issues in male and female individuals by assessing the role of anger and fear in predicting heart rate and cortisol stress responses using both self-report and facial coding analysis to assess emotion responses. We exposed 32 healthy students (18 female; 19.6+/−1.7 yrs.) to an acute psychosocial stress paradigm (TSST) and measured heart rate and salivary cortisol levels throughout the protocol. Anger and fear before and after stress exposure was assessed by self-report, and video recordings of the TSST were assessed by a certified facial coder to determine emotion expression (FACS). Self-reported emotions and emotion expressions did not correlate (all p > .23). Increases in self-reported fear predicted blunted cortisol responses in men (β = 0.41, p = .04). Also for men, longer durations of anger expression predicted exaggerated cortisol responses (β = 0.67 p = .004), and more anger incidences predicted exaggerated cortisol and heart rate responses (β = 0.51, p = .033; β = 0.46, p = .066, resp.). Anger and fear did not predict SNS or HPA activity for females (all p > .23). The current differential self-report and facial coding findings support the use of multiple modes of emotion assessment. Particularly, FACS but not self-report revealed a robust anger-stress association that could have important downstream health effects for men. For women, future research may clarify the role of other emotions, such as self-conscious expressions of shame, for physiological stress responses. A better understanding of the emotion-stress link may contribute to behavioral interventions targeting health

  9. Responses to Fiscal Stress in Higher Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Robert A., Ed.

    Proceedings of the 1981 University of Arizona conference on responses to fiscal stress in higher education are presented. Topics include the impact of the federal government on higher education, state and institutional responses to new federal policies, developing responses to fiscal stress, alternate perspectives on fiscal stress, and tactical…

  10. Generalized Unsafety Theory of Stress: Unsafe Environments and Conditions, and the Default Stress Response

    PubMed Central

    Brosschot, Jos F.; Thayer, Julian F.

    2018-01-01

    Prolonged physiological stress responses form an important risk factor for disease. According to neurobiological and evolution-theoretical insights the stress response is a default response that is always “on” but inhibited by the prefrontal cortex when safety is perceived. Based on these insights the Generalized Unsafety Theory of Stress (GUTS) states that prolonged stress responses are due to generalized and largely unconsciously perceived unsafety rather than stressors. This novel perspective necessitates a reconstruction of current stress theory, which we address in this paper. We discuss a variety of very common situations without stressors but with prolonged stress responses, that are not, or not likely to be caused by stressors, including loneliness, low social status, adult life after prenatal or early life adversity, lack of a natural environment, and less fit bodily states such as obesity or fatigue. We argue that in these situations the default stress response may be chronically disinhibited due to unconsciously perceived generalized unsafety. Also, in chronic stress situations such as work stress, the prolonged stress response may be mainly caused by perceived unsafety in stressor-free contexts. Thus, GUTS identifies and explains far more stress-related physiological activity that is responsible for disease and mortality than current stress theories. PMID:29518937

  11. Generalized Unsafety Theory of Stress: Unsafe Environments and Conditions, and the Default Stress Response.

    PubMed

    Brosschot, Jos F; Verkuil, Bart; Thayer, Julian F

    2018-03-07

    Prolonged physiological stress responses form an important risk factor for disease. According to neurobiological and evolution-theoretical insights the stress response is a default response that is always "on" but inhibited by the prefrontal cortex when safety is perceived. Based on these insights the Generalized Unsafety Theory of Stress (GUTS) states that prolonged stress responses are due to generalized and largely unconsciously perceived unsafety rather than stressors. This novel perspective necessitates a reconstruction of current stress theory, which we address in this paper. We discuss a variety of very common situations without stressors but with prolonged stress responses, that are not, or not likely to be caused by stressors, including loneliness, low social status, adult life after prenatal or early life adversity, lack of a natural environment, and less fit bodily states such as obesity or fatigue. We argue that in these situations the default stress response may be chronically disinhibited due to unconsciously perceived generalized unsafety. Also, in chronic stress situations such as work stress, the prolonged stress response may be mainly caused by perceived unsafety in stressor-free contexts. Thus, GUTS identifies and explains far more stress-related physiological activity that is responsible for disease and mortality than current stress theories.

  12. Transcriptome responses to heat- and cold-stress in ladybirds (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulasnt) analyzed by deep-sequencing.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yuhong; Wu, Hongsheng; Xie, Jiaqin; Jiang, Ruixin; Deng, Congshuang; Pang, Hong

    2015-11-19

    Changed temperature not only threaten agricultural production, but they also affect individual biological behavior, population and community of many insects, and consequently reduce the stability of our ecosystem. Insect's ability to respond to temperature stress evolved through a complex adaptive process, thus resulting in varied temperature tolerance among different insects. Both high and low extreme temperatures are detrimental to insect development since they constitute an important abiotic stress capable of inducing abnormal biological responses. Many studies on heat or cold tolerance of ladybirds have focused on measurements of physiological and biochemical indexes such as supercooling point, higher/lower lethal temperatures, survival rate, dry body weight, water content, and developmental duration. And studies of the molecular mechanisms of ladybird responses to heat or cold stress have focused on single genes, such as those encoding heat shock proteins, but has not been analyzed by transcriptome profiling. In this study, we report the use of Digital Gene Expression (DGE) tag profiling to gain insight into transcriptional events associated with heat- and cold-stress in C. montrouzieri. About 6 million tags (49 bp in length) were sequenced in a heat stress group, a cold stress group and a negative control group. We obtained 687 and 573 genes that showed significantly altered expression levels following heat and cold shock treatments, respectively. Analysis of the global gene expression pattern suggested that 42 enzyme-encoding genes mapped to many Gene Ontology terms are associated with insect's response to heat- and cold-stress. These results provide a global assessment of genes and molecular mechanisms involved in heat and cold tolerance.

  13. Plant responses to water stress

    PubMed Central

    Kar, Rup Kumar

    2011-01-01

    Terrestrial plants most often encounter drought stress because of erratic rainfall which has become compounded due to present climatic changes.Responses of plants to water stress may be assigned as either injurious change or tolerance index. One of the primary and cardinal changes in response to drought stress is the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is being considered as the cause of cellular damage. However, recently a signaling role of such ROS in triggering the ROS scavenging system that may confer protection or tolerance against stress is emerging. Such scavenging system consists of antioxidant enzymes like SOD, catalase and peroxidases, and antioxidant compounds like ascorbate, reduced glutathione; a balance between ROS generation and scavenging ultimately determines the oxidative load. As revealed in case of defence against pathogen, signaling via ROS is initiated by NADPH oxidase-catalyzed superoxide generation in the apoplastic space (cell wall) followed by conversion to hydrogen peroxide by the activity of cell wall-localized SOD. Wall peroxidase may also play role in ROS generation for signaling. Hydrogen peroxide may use Ca2+ and MAPK pathway as downstream signaling cascade. Plant hormones associated with stress responses like ABA and ethylene play their role possibly via a cross talk with ROS towards stress tolerance, thus projecting a dual role of ROS under drought stress. PMID:22057331

  14. Abnormal B cell memory subsets dominate HIV-specific responses in infected individuals

    PubMed Central

    Kardava, Lela; Moir, Susan; Shah, Naisha; Wang, Wei; Wilson, Richard; Buckner, Clarisa M.; Santich, Brian H.; Kim, Leo J.Y.; Spurlin, Emily E.; Nelson, Amy K.; Wheatley, Adam K.; Harvey, Christopher J.; McDermott, Adrian B.; Wucherpfennig, Kai W.; Chun, Tae-Wook; Tsang, John S.; Li, Yuxing; Fauci, Anthony S.

    2014-01-01

    Recently, several neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies have been isolated from memory B cells of HIV-infected individuals. Despite extensive evidence of B cell dysfunction in HIV disease, little is known about the cells from which these rare HIV-specific antibodies originate. Accordingly, we used HIV envelope gp140 and CD4 or coreceptor (CoR) binding site (bs) mutant probes to evaluate HIV-specific responses in peripheral blood B cells of HIV-infected individuals at various stages of infection. In contrast to non-HIV responses, HIV-specific responses against gp140 were enriched within abnormal B cells, namely activated and exhausted memory subsets, which are largely absent in the blood of uninfected individuals. Responses against the CoRbs, which is a poorly neutralizing epitope, arose early, whereas those against the well-characterized neutralizing epitope CD4bs were delayed and infrequent. Enrichment of the HIV-specific response within resting memory B cells, the predominant subset in uninfected individuals, did occur in certain infected individuals who maintained low levels of plasma viremia and immune activation with or without antiretroviral therapy. The distribution of HIV-specific responses among memory B cell subsets was corroborated by transcriptional analyses. Taken together, our findings provide valuable insight into virus-specific B cell responses in HIV infection and demonstrate that memory B cell abnormalities may contribute to the ineffectiveness of the antibody response in infected individuals. PMID:24892810

  15. The Yeast Environmental Stress Response Regulates Mutagenesis Induced by Proteotoxic Stress

    PubMed Central

    Shor, Erika; Fox, Catherine A.; Broach, James R.

    2013-01-01

    Conditions of chronic stress are associated with genetic instability in many organisms, but the roles of stress responses in mutagenesis have so far been elucidated only in bacteria. Here, we present data demonstrating that the environmental stress response (ESR) in yeast functions in mutagenesis induced by proteotoxic stress. We show that the drug canavanine causes proteotoxic stress, activates the ESR, and induces mutagenesis at several loci in an ESR-dependent manner. Canavanine-induced mutagenesis also involves translesion DNA polymerases Rev1 and Polζ and non-homologous end joining factor Ku. Furthermore, under conditions of chronic sub-lethal canavanine stress, deletions of Rev1, Polζ, and Ku-encoding genes exhibit genetic interactions with ESR mutants indicative of ESR regulating these mutagenic DNA repair processes. Analyses of mutagenesis induced by several different stresses showed that the ESR specifically modulates mutagenesis induced by proteotoxic stress. Together, these results document the first known example of an involvement of a eukaryotic stress response pathway in mutagenesis and have important implications for mechanisms of evolution, carcinogenesis, and emergence of drug-resistant pathogens and chemotherapy-resistant tumors. PMID:23935537

  16. Acute effects of heroin on negative emotional processing: relation of amygdala activity and stress-related responses.

    PubMed

    Schmidt, André; Borgwardt, Stefan; Gerber, Hana; Wiesbeck, Gerhard A; Schmid, Otto; Riecher-Rössler, Anita; Smieskova, Renata; Lang, Undine E; Walter, Marc

    2014-08-15

    Negative emotional states and abnormal stress reactivity are central components in drug addiction. The brain stress system in the amygdala is thought to play a key role in the maintenance of drug dependence through negative reinforcement. Although acute heroin administration was found to reduce anxiety, craving, and stress hormone release, whether these effects are reflected in amygdala activity has not yet been investigated. With a randomized, crossover, double-blind design, saline and heroin were administered to 22 heroin-dependent patients, whereas 17 healthy control subjects were included for the placebo administration only. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate blood oxygen level-dependent responses during fearful faces processing. Stress reactivity was measured by adrenocorticotropic hormone levels and by cortisol concentrations in serum and saliva 60 min after substance administration. Anxiety and craving levels were assessed with self-report ratings. Heroin administration acutely reduced the left amygdala response to fearful faces relative to the saline injection. Patients receiving saline showed a significantly higher left amygdala response to fearful faces than healthy control subjects, whose activity did not differ from patients receiving heroin. The left amygdala activity correlated significantly with scores on state-anxiety and levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone, serum cortisol, and saliva cortisol among all patients and control subjects. Our results show a direct relation between the acute heroin effects on stress-related emotions, stress reactivity, and left amygdala response to negative facial expressions. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying negative reinforcement in heroin addiction and the effects of regular heroin substitution. © 2013 Society of Biological Psychiatry Published by Society of Biological Psychiatry All rights reserved.

  17. Coping and Responses to Stress in Navajo Adolescents: Psychometric Properties of the Responses to Stress Questionnaire

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wadsworth, Martha E.; Rieckmann, Traci; Benson, Molly A.; Compas, Bruce E.

    2004-01-01

    This study tested the factor structure of coping and stress responses in Navajo adolescents and examined the reliability and validity of the Responses to Stress Questionnaire (RSQ; Connor-Smith, Compas, Wadsworth, Thomsen, & Saltzman, 2000) with this population. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that a correlated five-factor model of…

  18. Response to Hyperosmotic Stress

    PubMed Central

    Saito, Haruo; Posas, Francesc

    2012-01-01

    An appropriate response and adaptation to hyperosmolarity, i.e., an external osmolarity that is higher than the physiological range, can be a matter of life or death for all cells. It is especially important for free-living organisms such as the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. When exposed to hyperosmotic stress, the yeast initiates a complex adaptive program that includes temporary arrest of cell-cycle progression, adjustment of transcription and translation patterns, and the synthesis and retention of the compatible osmolyte glycerol. These adaptive responses are mostly governed by the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) pathway, which is composed of membrane-associated osmosensors, an intracellular signaling pathway whose core is the Hog1 MAP kinase (MAPK) cascade, and cytoplasmic and nuclear effector functions. The entire pathway is conserved in diverse fungal species, while the Hog1 MAPK cascade is conserved even in higher eukaryotes including humans. This conservation is illustrated by the fact that the mammalian stress-responsive p38 MAPK can rescue the osmosensitivity of hog1Δ mutations in response to hyperosmotic challenge. As the HOG pathway is one of the best-understood eukaryotic signal transduction pathways, it is useful not only as a model for analysis of osmostress responses, but also as a model for mathematical analysis of signal transduction pathways. In this review, we have summarized the current understanding of both the upstream signaling mechanism and the downstream adaptive responses to hyperosmotic stress in yeast. PMID:23028184

  19. Absence of neurogenic response following robust predator-induced stress response.

    PubMed

    Lau, Catherine; Hebert, Mark; Vani, Marc A; Walling, Sue; Hayley, Shawn; Lagace, Diane C; Blundell, Jacqueline

    2016-12-17

    Traumatic events contribute to a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Identifying the neural mechanisms that affect the stress response may improve treatment for stress-related disorders. Neurogenesis, the production of neurons, occurs within the adult brain and disturbances in neurogenesis in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampus have been linked to mood and anxiety disorders. Chronic stress models have mainly suggested correlations with stress reducing adult SGZ neurogenesis, whereas acute stress models and those with a naturalistic component that are also associated with long-lasting behavioral changes have produced inconsistent results. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to examine the effects of acute predator stress on adult neurogenesis. Predator stress involved a single 10-min unprotected rat to cat exposure that has previously been shown to produce contextual fear, hyperarousal, and anxiety-like behavior lasting at least 3weeks. As expected, predator stress produced a stress response as detected by elevated corticosterone (CORT) levels immediately after stress. Despite this robust stress response, there was no significant difference between stressed and handled control rats in the number of proliferating or surviving cells as assessed by a 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine-immunoreactive (BrdU-IR) labeling 2h or 4weeks post-stress throughout the rostro-caudal axis of the SGZ, respectively. Additionally, 90% of 4-week-old BrdU-IR cells in both conditions expressed NeuN, suggesting no change in cell fate with stress exposure. Overall, these data give caution to the notion that acute predator stress can alter the production or survival of adult-generated cells. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Emotional withdrawal, CT abnormalities and drug response in late life depression.

    PubMed

    Altamura, A Carlo; Bassetti, Roberta; Santini, Annalisa; Frisoni, G B; Mundo, Emanuela

    2004-03-01

    In this study, the authors investigated if CNS degenerative abnormalities could correlate with depressive symptoms in elderly patients, if the presence of mild/moderate cognitive impairment could be related to the response to treatment and the role of peculiar clinical features in influencing the response to treatment. Fifty-three patients (60-75 years) diagnosed as affected by late onset (after 60 years) Major Depressive Episodes according to DSM-IV criteria were studied. Brain vascular and degenerative markers were assessed by computed tomography (CT) through measurements of a lateralized version of the bifrontal index and a rating scale addressing subcortical disease. The presence of mild/moderate cognitive impairment [(24-28 total score at the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)], and of specific symptoms were assessed at baseline and evaluated with respect to the antidepressant response. Patients with CT abnormalities showed higher baseline scores on Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) items "late insomnia" (t=-2.674, P=.002), "somatic symptoms" (t=-3.355 P=.002), and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) item "emotional withdrawal" (t=-3.355, P=.002). No significant correlation was found between the vascular index and baseline clinical symptoms, while the HAM-D "depressed mood" item was negatively correlated to the right frontal index (R=-0.692, P=.006). Patients with CT abnormalities showed a lower reduction of HAM-D total scores than patients with normal CT (time effect: F=29.277, P<.0001; group effect: F=5.154, P<.03), while a significant reduction of symptoms in time (time effect: F=33.33, P<.0001) but no differences between groups were found on Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A). Both patients with and without mild cognitive impairment improved on the HAM-D (time effect: F=19.668, P<.0001), BPRS (time effect: F=18.345, P<.0001), and HAM-A (time effect: F=17.959, P<.0001) total scores. Patients with emotional withdrawal showed lower

  1. Aging causes decreased resistance to multiple stresses and a failure to activate specific stress response pathways.

    PubMed

    Dues, Dylan J; Andrews, Emily K; Schaar, Claire E; Bergsma, Alexis L; Senchuk, Megan M; Van Raamsdonk, Jeremy M

    2016-04-01

    In this work, we examine the relationship between stress resistance and aging. We find that resistance to multiple types of stress peaks during early adulthood and then declines with age. To dissect the underlying mechanisms, we use C. elegans transcriptional reporter strains that measure the activation of different stress responses including: the heat shock response, mitochondrial unfolded protein response, endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response, hypoxia response, SKN-1-mediated oxidative stress response, and the DAF-16-mediated stress response. We find that the decline in stress resistance with age is at least partially due to a decreased ability to activate protective mechanisms in response to stress. In contrast, we find that any baseline increase in stress caused by the advancing age is too mild to detectably upregulate any of the stress response pathways. Further exploration of how worms respond to stress with increasing age revealed that the ability to mount a hormetic response to heat stress is also lost with increasing age. Overall, this work demonstrates that resistance to all types of stress declines with age. Based on our data, we speculate that the decrease in stress resistance with advancing age results from a genetically-programmed inactivation of stress response pathways, not accumulation of damage.

  2. Aging causes decreased resistance to multiple stresses and a failure to activate specific stress response pathways

    PubMed Central

    Bergsma, Alexis L.; Senchuk, Megan M.; Van Raamsdonk, Jeremy M.

    2016-01-01

    In this work, we examine the relationship between stress resistance and aging. We find that resistance to multiple types of stress peaks during early adulthood and then declines with age. To dissect the underlying mechanisms, we use C. elegans transcriptional reporter strains that measure the activation of different stress responses including: the heat shock response, mitochondrial unfolded protein response, endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response, hypoxia response, SKN-1-mediated oxidative stress response, and the DAF-16-mediated stress response. We find that the decline in stress resistance with age is at least partially due to a decreased ability to activate protective mechanisms in response to stress. In contrast, we find that any baseline increase in stress caused by the advancing age is too mild to detectably upregulate any of the stress response pathways. Further exploration of how worms respond to stress with increasing age revealed that the ability to mount a hormetic response to heat stress is also lost with increasing age. Overall, this work demonstrates that resistance to all types of stress declines with age. Based on our data, we speculate that the decrease in stress resistance with advancing age results from a genetically-programmed inactivation of stress response pathways, not accumulation of damage. PMID:27053445

  3. Planktonic foraminiferal abnormalities in coastal and open marine eastern Mediterranean environments: A natural stress monitoring approach in recent and early Holocene marine systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Antonarakou, A.; Kontakiotis, G.; Zarkogiannis, S.; Mortyn, P. G.; Drinia, H.; Koskeridou, E.; Anastasakis, G.

    2018-05-01

    Marine environmental status can be assessed through the study of bio-indicator species. Here, we monitor natural environmental stress by the occurrence of morphologically abnormal planktonic foraminiferal specimens from a suite of surface sediments in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. We also compare Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) abnormality observations from sapropel S1-derived sediments in the Aegean, Libyan and Levantine basins, since they provide a direct record of a natural stress experiment that took place over past time scales. At initial sapropel deposition levels, we observe increased growth asymmetry in Globigerinoides ruber twinned and twisted individuals, possibly associated with eutrophication and anoxia. In modern material, a range of malformations and aberrant morphologies from slight deformity with smaller or overdeveloped chambers to more severe deformity with abnormally protruding or misplaced chambers, distorted spirals, and double tests is also observed, as a result of the hypersaline, oligotrophic and oxygen-depleted nature of the Mediterranean Sea water column. Overall, we highlight the current use of the relative abundance of abnormal tests as a bio-indicator for monitoring natural stress, especially the occurrence of twin specimens as indicative of high-salinity stress conditions, and further illustrate the necessity to map both their spatial and temporal distribution for accurate paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Such an approach presents the advantage to rapidly provide information over wide spatial and temporal scales, extending our ability to monitor a wide variety of environments (from coastal to the open-sea). However, further investigations should extend this approach to test the robustness of our findings in a number of similar oceanic settings.

  4. Mechanical Stress Induces Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses via a Novel cis-Element

    PubMed Central

    Walley, Justin W; Coughlan, Sean; Hudson, Matthew E; Covington, Michael F; Kaspi, Roy; Banu, Gopalan; Harmer, Stacey L; Dehesh, Katayoon

    2007-01-01

    Plants are continuously exposed to a myriad of abiotic and biotic stresses. However, the molecular mechanisms by which these stress signals are perceived and transduced are poorly understood. To begin to identify primary stress signal transduction components, we have focused on genes that respond rapidly (within 5 min) to stress signals. Because it has been hypothesized that detection of physical stress is a mechanism common to mounting a response against a broad range of environmental stresses, we have utilized mechanical wounding as the stress stimulus and performed whole genome microarray analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana leaf tissue. This led to the identification of a number of rapid wound responsive (RWR) genes. Comparison of RWR genes with published abiotic and biotic stress microarray datasets demonstrates a large overlap across a wide range of environmental stresses. Interestingly, RWR genes also exhibit a striking level and pattern of circadian regulation, with induced and repressed genes displaying antiphasic rhythms. Using bioinformatic analysis, we identified a novel motif overrepresented in the promoters of RWR genes, herein designated as the Rapid Stress Response Element (RSRE). We demonstrate in transgenic plants that multimerized RSREs are sufficient to confer a rapid response to both biotic and abiotic stresses in vivo, thereby establishing the functional involvement of this motif in primary transcriptional stress responses. Collectively, our data provide evidence for a novel cis-element that is distributed across the promoters of an array of diverse stress-responsive genes, poised to respond immediately and coordinately to stress signals. This structure suggests that plants may have a transcriptional network resembling the general stress signaling pathway in yeast and that the RSRE element may provide the key to this coordinate regulation. PMID:17953483

  5. Cortisol Reactivity to Stress and Its Association With White Matter Integrity in Adults With Schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Nugent, Katie L; Chiappelli, Joshua; Sampath, Hemalatha; Rowland, Laura M; Thangavelu, Kavita; Davis, Beshaun; Du, Xiaoming; Muellerklein, Florian; Daughters, Stacey; Kochunov, Peter; Hong, L Elliot

    2015-09-01

    Although acute hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response to stress is often adaptive, prolonged responses may have detrimental effects. Many components of white matter structures are sensitive to prolonged cortisol exposure. We aimed to identify a behavioral laboratory assay for cortisol response related to brain pathophysiology in schizophrenia. We hypothesized that an abnormally prolonged cortisol response to stress may be linked to abnormal white matter integrity in patients with schizophrenia. Acute and prolonged salivary cortisol response was measured outside the scanner at pretest and then at 0, 20, and 40 minutes after a psychological stress task in patients with schizophrenia (n = 45) and controls (n = 53). Tract-averaged white matter was measured by 64-direction diffusion tensor imaging in a subset of patients (n = 30) and controls (n = 33). Patients who did not tolerate the psychological stress task and quit had greater acute (t = 2.52 [p = .016] and t = 3.51 [p = .001] at 0 and 20 minutes) and prolonged (t = 3.62 [p = .001] at 40 minutes) cortisol reactivity compared with patients who finished the task. Abnormally prolonged cortisol reactivity in patients was significantly associated with reduced white matter integrity (r = -0.468, p = .009). Regardless of task completion status, acute cortisol response was not related to the white matter measures in patients or controls. This paradigm was successful at identifying a subset of patients whose cortisol response was associated with brain pathophysiology. Abnormal cortisol response may adversely affect white matter integrity, partly explaining this pathology observed in schizophrenia. Prolonged stress responses may be targeted for intervention to test for protective effects against white matter damages.

  6. The role of anxiety in cortisol stress response and cortisol recovery in boys with oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder.

    PubMed

    Schoorl, Jantiene; Rijn, Sophie van; Wied, Minet de; van Goozen, Stephanie; Swaab, Hanna

    2016-11-01

    Children with antisocial and aggressive behaviors have been found to show abnormal neurobiological responses to stress, specifically impaired cortisol stress reactivity. The role of individual characteristics, such as comorbid anxiety, in the stress response is far less studied. Furthermore, this study extended previous studies in that not only baseline and reactivity to a psychosocial stressor were examined, but also recovery from a stressor. These three phases of cortisol could be impacted differentially in boys with oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD) with (+ANX) and without anxiety (-ANX). The results revealed that cortisol patterns in response to psychosocial stress were different for boys with ODD/CD+ANX (n=32), ODD/CD-ANX (n=22) and non-clinical controls (NC) (n=34), with age range of 7.8-12.9 years. The ODD/CD-ANX group showed lower overall cortisol levels than the NC group. When considering the three phases of cortisol separately, the ODD/CD-ANX group had lower baseline cortisol levels relative to the other groups, whereas the ODD/CD+ANX showed an impaired cortisol recovery response. Within those with ODD/CD, callous-unemotional traits were predictive of high baseline cortisol levels. Also, anxiety predicted high baseline and recovery cortisol levels, whereas a high number of CD symptoms predicted reduced cortisol stress reactivity. These results clearly indicate that comorbid anxiety is an important factor in explaining differences in stress response profiles in boys with ODD/CD; although boys with CD/ODD are generally characterized by an impaired cortisol stress response, we found that those with comorbid anxiety showed impaired cortisol recovery, whereas those without anxiety showed reduced baseline cortisol levels. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Nucleolus-derived mediators in oncogenic stress response and activation of p53-dependent pathways.

    PubMed

    Stępiński, Dariusz

    2016-08-01

    Rapid growth and division of cells, including tumor ones, is correlated with intensive protein biosynthesis. The output of nucleoli, organelles where translational machineries are formed, depends on a rate of particular stages of ribosome production and on accessibility of elements crucial for their effective functioning, including substrates, enzymes as well as energy resources. Different factors that induce cellular stress also often lead to nucleolar dysfunction which results in ribosome biogenesis impairment. Such nucleolar disorders, called nucleolar or ribosomal stress, usually affect cellular functioning which in fact is a result of p53-dependent pathway activation, elicited as a response to stress. These pathways direct cells to new destinations such as cell cycle arrest, damage repair, differentiation, autophagy, programmed cell death or aging. In the case of impaired nucleolar functioning, nucleolar and ribosomal proteins mediate activation of the p53 pathways. They are also triggered as a response to oncogenic factor overexpression to protect tissues and organs against extensive proliferation of abnormal cells. Intentional impairment of any step of ribosome biosynthesis which would direct the cells to these destinations could be a strategy used in anticancer therapy. This review presents current knowledge on a nucleolus, mainly in relation to cancer biology, which is an important and extremely sensitive element of the mechanism participating in cellular stress reaction mediating activation of the p53 pathways in order to counteract stress effects, especially cancer development.

  8. Alternative Splicing Control of Abiotic Stress Responses.

    PubMed

    Laloum, Tom; Martín, Guiomar; Duque, Paula

    2018-02-01

    Alternative splicing, which generates multiple transcripts from the same gene, is an important modulator of gene expression that can increase proteome diversity and regulate mRNA levels. In plants, this post-transcriptional mechanism is markedly induced in response to environmental stress, and recent studies have identified alternative splicing events that allow rapid adjustment of the abundance and function of key stress-response components. In agreement, plant mutants defective in splicing factors are severely impaired in their response to abiotic stress. Notably, mounting evidence indicates that alternative splicing regulates stress responses largely by targeting the abscisic acid (ABA) pathway. We review here current understanding of post-transcriptional control of plant stress tolerance via alternative splicing and discuss research challenges for the near future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Adulthood stress responses in rats are variably altered as a factor of adolescent stress exposure.

    PubMed

    Moore, Nicole L T; Altman, Daniel E; Gauchan, Sangeeta; Genovese, Raymond F

    2016-05-01

    Stress exposure during development may influence adulthood stress response severity. The present study investigates persisting effects of two adolescent stressors upon adulthood response to predator exposure (PE). Rats were exposed to underwater trauma (UWT) or PE during adolescence, then to PE after reaching adulthood. Rats were then exposed to predator odor (PO) to test responses to predator cues alone. Behavioral and neuroendocrine assessments were conducted to determine acute effects of each stress experience. Adolescent stress altered behavioral response to adulthood PE. Acoustic startle response was blunted. Bidirectional changes in plus maze exploration were revealed as a factor of adolescent stress type. Neuroendocrine response magnitude did not predict severity of adolescent or adult stress response, suggesting that different adolescent stress events may differentially alter developmental outcomes regardless of acute behavioral or neuroendocrine response. We report that exposure to two different stressors in adolescence may differentially affect stress response outcomes in adulthood. Acute response to an adolescent stressor may not be consistent across all stressors or all dependent measures, and may not predict alterations in developmental outcomes pertaining to adulthood stress exposure. Further studies are needed to characterize factors underlying long-term effects of a developmental stressor.

  10. Cortical stimulation evokes abnormal responses in the dopamine-depleted rat basal ganglia.

    PubMed

    Kita, Hitoshi; Kita, Takako

    2011-07-13

    The motor cortex (MC) sends massive projections to the basal ganglia. Motor disabilities in patients and animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD) may be caused by dopamine (DA)-depleted basal ganglia that abnormally process the information originating from MC. To study how DA depletion alters signal transfer in the basal ganglia, MC stimulation-induced (MC-induced) unitary responses were recorded from the basal ganglia of control and 6-hydroxydopamine-treated hemi-parkinsonian rats anesthetized with isoflurane. This report describes new findings about how DA depletion alters MC-induced responses. MC stimulation evokes an excitation in normally quiescent striatal (Str) neurons projecting to the globus pallidus external segment (GPe). After DA-depletion, the spontaneous firing of Str-GPe neurons increases, and MC stimulation evokes a shorter latency excitation followed by a long-lasting inhibition that was invisible under normal conditions. The increased firing activity and the newly exposed long inhibition generate tonic inhibition and a disfacilitation in GPe. The disfacilitation in GPe is then amplified in basal ganglia circuitry and generates a powerful long inhibition in the basal ganglia output nucleus, the globus pallidus internal segment. Intra-Str injections of a behaviorally effective dose of DA precursor l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine effectively reversed these changes. These newly observed mechanisms also support the generation of pauses and burst activity commonly observed in the basal ganglia of parkinsonian subjects. These results suggest that the generation of abnormal response sequences in the basal ganglia contributes to the development of motor disabilities in PD and that intra-Str DA supplements effectively suppress abnormal signal transfer.

  11. Neuroendocrine abnormalities in hypothalamic amenorrhea: spectrum, stability, and response to neurotransmitter modulation.

    PubMed

    Perkins, R B; Hall, J E; Martin, K A

    1999-06-01

    To characterize the neuroendocrine patterns of abnormal GnRH secretion in hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA), 49 women with primary and secondary HA underwent frequent sampling of LH in a total of 72 baseline studies over 12-24 h. A subset of women participated in more than one study to address 1) the variability of LH pulse patterns over time; and 2) the impact of modulating opioid, dopaminergic, and adrenergic tone on LH secretory patterns. The frequency and amplitude of LH secretion was compared with that seen in the early follicular phase (EFP) of normally cycling women. The spectrum of abnormalities of LH pulses was 8% apulsatile, 27% low frequency/low amplitude, 8% low amplitude/normal frequency, 43% low frequency/normal amplitude, 14% normal frequency/normal amplitude. Of patients studied overnight, 45% demonstrated a pubertal pattern of augmented LH secretion during sleep. Of patients studied repeatedly, 75% demonstrated at least 2 different patterns of LH secretion, and 33% reverted at least once to a normal pattern of secretion. An increase in LH pulse frequency was seen in 12 of 15 subjects in response to naloxone (opioid receptor antagonist). Clonidine (alpha-2 adrenergic agonist) was associated with a decrease in mean LH in 3 of 3 subjects. An increase in LH pulse frequency was seen in 4 of 8 subjects in response to metoclopramide (dopamine receptor antagonist), but the response was not statistically significant. Baseline abnormalities in LH secretion did not appear to influence response to neurotransmitter modulation. 1) HA represents a spectrum of disordered GnRH secretion that can vary over time; 2) LH pulse patterns at baseline do not appear to influence the ability to respond to neurotransmitter modulation; 3) Opioid and adrenergic tone appear to influence the hypothalamic GnRH pulse generator in some individuals with HA.

  12. Stress proteins and the immune response.

    PubMed

    Moseley, P

    2000-07-25

    The heat shock or stress response is one of the most highly conserved adaptive responses in nature. In single cell organisms, the stress response confers tolerance to a variety of stresses including hyperthermia, hyperoxia, hypoxia, and other perturbations, which alter protein synthesis. This tolerance phenomenon is also extremely important in the multicellular organism, resulting in not only thermal tolerance, but also resistance to stresses of the whole organism such as ischemia-reperfusion injury. Moreover, recent data indicates that these stress proteins have the ability to modulate the cellular immune response. Although the terms heat shock proteins (HSPs) and stress proteins are often used interchangeably, the term stress proteins includes the HSPs, the glucose-regulated proteins (GRPs) and ubiquitin. The stress proteins may be grouped by molecular weight ranging from the large 110 kDa HSP110 to ubiquitin at 8 kDa. These proteins serve as cellular chaperones, participating in protein synthesis and transport through the various cellular compartments. Because these proteins have unique cellular localizations, the chaperone function of the stress proteins often involves a transfer of peptides between stress proteins as the peptide is moved between cellular compartments. For example, HSP70 is a cytosolic and nuclear chaperone, which is critical for the transfer of cellular peptides in the mitochondrion through a hand-off that involves mitochondrial HSP60 at the inner mitochondrial membrane. Similarly, cytosolic proteins are transferred from HSP70 to gp96 as they move into the endoplasmic reticulum. The central role of the stress proteins in the transfer of peptides through the cell may be responsible for the recently recognized importance of the stress proteins in the modulation of the immune system [Feder, M.E., Hofmann, G.E., 1999. Heat-shock proteins, molecular chaperones, and the stress response: evolutionary and ecological physiology. Annu. Rev. Physiol. 61

  13. Clozapine-induced EEG abnormalities and clinical response to clozapine.

    PubMed

    Risby, E D; Epstein, C M; Jewart, R D; Nguyen, B V; Morgan, W N; Risch, S C; Thrivikraman, K V; Lewine, R L

    1995-01-01

    The authors hypothesized that patients who develop gross EEG abnormalities during clozapine treatment would have a less favorable outcome than patients who did not develop abnormal EEGs. The clinical EEGs and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores of 12 patients with schizophrenia and 4 patients with schizoaffective disorder were compared before and during treatment with clozapine. Eight patients developed significant EEG abnormalities on clozapine; 1 showed worsening of an abnormal pre-clozapine EEG; none of these subjects had clinical seizures. BPRS scores improved significantly in the group of patients who developed abnormal EEGs but not in the group who did not. Findings are consistent with previous reports of a high incidence of clozapine-induced EEG abnormalities and a positive association between these abnormalities and clinical improvement.

  14. Transcriptional 'memory' of a stress: transient chromatin and memory (epigenetic) marks at stress-response genes.

    PubMed

    Avramova, Zoya

    2015-07-01

    Drought, salinity, extreme temperature variations, pathogen and herbivory attacks are recurring environmental stresses experienced by plants throughout their life. To survive repeated stresses, plants provide responses that may be different from their response during the first encounter with the stress. A different response to a similar stress represents the concept of 'stress memory'. A coordinated reaction at the organismal, cellular and gene/genome levels is thought to increase survival chances by improving the plant's tolerance/avoidance abilities. Ultimately, stress memory may provide a mechanism for acclimation and adaptation. At the molecular level, the concept of stress memory indicates that the mechanisms responsible for memory-type transcription during repeated stresses are not based on repetitive activation of the same response pathways activated by the first stress. Some recent advances in the search for transcription 'memory factors' are discussed with an emphasis on super-induced dehydration stress memory response genes in Arabidopsis. © 2015 The Author The Plant Journal © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Abnormal cardiovascular response to exercise in hypertension: contribution of neural factors.

    PubMed

    Mitchell, Jere H

    2017-06-01

    During both dynamic (e.g., endurance) and static (e.g., strength) exercise there are exaggerated cardiovascular responses in hypertension. This includes greater increases in blood pressure, heart rate, and efferent sympathetic nerve activity than in normal controls. Two of the known neural factors that contribute to this abnormal cardiovascular response are the exercise pressor reflex (EPR) and functional sympatholysis. The EPR originates in contracting skeletal muscle and reflexly increases sympathetic efferent nerve activity to the heart and blood vessels as well as decreases parasympathetic efferent nerve activity to the heart. These changes in autonomic nerve activity cause an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, left ventricular contractility, and vasoconstriction in the arterial tree. However, arterial vessels in the contracting skeletal muscle have a markedly diminished vasoconstrictor response. The markedly diminished vasoconstriction in contracting skeletal muscle has been termed functional sympatholysis. It has been shown in hypertension that there is an enhanced EPR, including both its mechanoreflex and metaboreflex components, and an impaired functional sympatholysis. These conditions set up a positive feedback or vicious cycle situation that causes a progressively greater decrease in the blood flow to the exercising muscle. Thus these two neural mechanisms contribute significantly to the abnormal cardiovascular response to exercise in hypertension. In addition, exercise training in hypertension decreases the enhanced EPR, including both mechanoreflex and metaboreflex function, and improves the impaired functional sympatholysis. These two changes, caused by exercise training, improve the muscle blood flow to exercising muscle and cause a more normal cardiovascular response to exercise in hypertension. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  16. Opposite Effects of Stress on Pain Modulation Depend on the Magnitude of Individual Stress Response.

    PubMed

    Geva, Nirit; Defrin, Ruth

    2018-04-01

    The effect of acute stress on pain threshold and intolerance threshold are reported as producing either hypoalgesia or hyperalgesia. Yet, the contribution of individual stress reactivity in this respect has not been established. The aim was to test 2 pain modulation paradigms under acute stress manipulation, to our knowledge, for the first time, to study whether stress differentially affects pain modulation, and whether the effect is related to individual stress response. Participants were 31 healthy subjects. Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and pain adaptation were measured before and after inducing an acute stress response using the Montreal Imaging Stress Task. Subjects' stress response was evaluated according to salivary cortisol, autonomic function, and perceived stress and anxiety. The Montreal Imaging Stress Task induced a validated stress response. On a group level, stress induced reduction in CPM magnitude and increase in pain adaptation compared with baseline. These responses correlated with stress reactivity. When the group was subdivided according to stress reactivity, only high stress responders exhibited reduced CPM whereas only low stress responders exhibited increased pain adaptation. The results suggest that acute stress may induce opposite effects on pain modulation, depending on individual stress reactivity magnitude, with an advantage to low stress responders. This study evaluated the effect of acute stress on pain modulation. Pain modulation under stress is affected by individual stress responsiveness; decreased CPM occurs in high stress responders whereas increased pain adaptation occurs in low stress responders. Identification of high stress responders may promote better pain management. Copyright © 2017 The American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Psychological stress and fibromyalgia: a review of the evidence suggesting a neuroendocrine link

    PubMed Central

    Gupta, Anindya; Silman, Alan J

    2004-01-01

    The present review attempts to reconcile the dichotomy that exists in the literature in relation to fibromyalgia, in that it is considered either a somatic response to psychological stress or a distinct organically based syndrome. Specifically, the hypothesis explored is that the link between chronic stress and the subsequent development of fibromyalgia can be explained by one or more abnormalities in neuroendocrine function. There are several such abnormalities recognised that both occur as a result of chronic stress and are observed in fibromyalgia. Whether such abnormalities have an aetiologic role remains uncertain but should be testable by well-designed prospective studies. PMID:15142258

  18. Extraversion and cardiovascular responses to recurrent social stress: Effect of stress intensity.

    PubMed

    Lü, Wei; Xing, Wanying; Hughes, Brian M; Wang, Zhenhong

    2017-10-28

    The present study sought to establish whether the effects of extraversion on cardiovascular responses to recurrent social stress are contingent on stress intensity. A 2×5×1 mixed-factorial experiment was conducted, with social stress intensity as a between-subject variable, study phase as a within-subject variable, extraversion as a continuous independent variable, and cardiovascular parameter (HR, SBP, DBP, or RSA) as a dependent variable. Extraversion (NEO-FFI), subjective stress, and physiological stress were measured in 166 undergraduate students randomly assigned to undergo moderate (n=82) or high-intensity (n=84) social stress (a public speaking task with different levels of social evaluation). All participants underwent continuous physiological monitoring while facing two consecutive stress exposures distributed across five laboratory phases: baseline, stress exposure 1, post-stress 1, stress exposure 2, post-stress 2. Results indicated that under moderate-intensity social stress, participants higher on extraversion exhibited lesser HR reactivity to stress than participants lower on extraversion, while under high-intensity social stress, they exhibited greater HR, SBP, DBP and RSA reactivity. Under both moderate- and high-intensity social stress, participants higher on extraversion exhibited pronounced SBP and DBP response adaptation to repeated stress, and showed either better degree of HR recovery or greater amount of SBP and DBP recovery after stress. These findings suggest that individuals higher on extraversion exhibit physiological flexibility to cope with social challenges and benefit from adaptive cardiovascular responses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. STRESS ETHYLENE PRODUCTION - A MEASURE OF PLANT RESPONSE TO STRESS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Contents: Introduction to the symposium; Environmental data acquisition; Plant organ chambers in plant physiology field research; Interpreting the metabolic responses of plants to water stress; Stress ethylene production.

  20. Effect of Pet Dogs on Children’s Perceived Stress and Cortisol Stress Response

    PubMed Central

    Kertes, Darlene A.; Liu, Jingwen; Hall, Nathan J.; Hadad, Natalie A.; Wynne, Clive D. L.; Bhatt, Samarth S.

    2016-01-01

    The present study tested whether pet dogs have stress-buffering effects for children during a validated laboratory-based protocol, the Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C). Participants were 101 children aged 7–12 years with their primary caregivers and pet dogs. Children were randomly assigned in the TSST-C to a pet present condition or one of two comparison conditions: parent present or no support figure present. Baseline, response, and recovery indices of perceived stress and cortisol levels were computed based on children’s self-reported feelings of stress and salivary cortisol. Results indicated that in the alone (no social support) condition, children showed the expected rise for both perceived stress and cortisol response to stress. Pet dog presence significantly buffered the perceived stress response in comparison to children in the alone and parent present conditions. No main condition effect was observed for cortisol; however, for children experiencing the stressor with their pet present, lower cortisol response to stress was associated with more child-initiated petting and less dog proximity-seeking behavior. The results support the notion that pet dogs can provide socio-emotional benefits for children via stress buffering. PMID:28439150

  1. Everyday stress response targets in the science of behavior change.

    PubMed

    Smyth, Joshua M; Sliwinski, Martin J; Zawadzki, Matthew J; Scott, Stacey B; Conroy, David E; Lanza, Stephanie T; Marcusson-Clavertz, David; Kim, Jinhyuk; Stawski, Robert S; Stoney, Catherine M; Buxton, Orfeu M; Sciamanna, Christopher N; Green, Paige M; Almeida, David M

    2018-02-01

    Stress is an established risk factor for negative health outcomes, and responses to everyday stress can interfere with health behaviors such as exercise and sleep. In accordance with the Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) program, we apply an experimental medicine approach to identifying stress response targets, developing stress response assays, intervening upon these targets, and testing intervention effectiveness. We evaluate an ecologically valid, within-person approach to measuring the deleterious effects of everyday stress on physical activity and sleep patterns, examining multiple stress response components (i.e., stress reactivity, stress recovery, and stress pile-up) as indexed by two key response indicators (negative affect and perseverative cognition). Our everyday stress response assay thus measures multiple malleable stress response targets that putatively shape daily health behaviors (physical activity and sleep). We hypothesize that larger reactivity, incomplete recovery, and more frequent stress responses (pile-up) will negatively impact health behavior enactment in daily life. We will identify stress-related reactivity, recovery, and response in the indicators using coordinated analyses across multiple naturalistic studies. These results are the basis for developing a new stress assay and replicating the initial findings in a new sample. This approach will advance our understanding of how specific aspects of everyday stress responses influence health behaviors, and can be used to develop and test an innovative ambulatory intervention for stress reduction in daily life to enhance health behaviors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Neuronal Responses to Physiological Stress

    PubMed Central

    Kagias, Konstantinos; Nehammer, Camilla; Pocock, Roger

    2012-01-01

    Physiological stress can be defined as any external or internal condition that challenges the homeostasis of a cell or an organism. It can be divided into three different aspects: environmental stress, intrinsic developmental stress, and aging. Throughout life all living organisms are challenged by changes in the environment. Fluctuations in oxygen levels, temperature, and redox state for example, trigger molecular events that enable an organism to adapt, survive, and reproduce. In addition to external stressors, organisms experience stress associated with morphogenesis and changes in inner chemistry during normal development. For example, conditions such as intrinsic hypoxia and oxidative stress, due to an increase in tissue mass, have to be confronted by developing embryos in order to complete their development. Finally, organisms face the challenge of stochastic accumulation of molecular damage during aging that results in decline and eventual death. Studies have shown that the nervous system plays a pivotal role in responding to stress. Neurons not only receive and process information from the environment but also actively respond to various stresses to promote survival. These responses include changes in the expression of molecules such as transcription factors and microRNAs that regulate stress resistance and adaptation. Moreover, both intrinsic and extrinsic stresses have a tremendous impact on neuronal development and maintenance with implications in many diseases. Here, we review the responses of neurons to various physiological stressors at the molecular and cellular level. PMID:23112806

  3. Morpho-Physiological and Proteome Level Responses to Cadmium Stress in Sorghum

    PubMed Central

    Kamal, Abu Hena Mostafa; Kim, Sang-Woo; Oh, Myeong-Won; Lee, Moon-Soon; Chung, Keun-Yook; Xin, Zhanguo; Woo, Sun-Hee

    2016-01-01

    Cadmium (Cd) stress may cause serious morphological and physiological abnormalities in addition to altering the proteome in plants. The present study was performed to explore Cd-induced morpho-physiological alterations and their potential associated mechanisms in Sorghum bicolor leaves at the protein level. Ten-day-old sorghum seedlings were exposed to different concentrations (0, 100, and 150 μM) of CdCl2, and different morpho-physiological responses were recorded. The effects of Cd exposure on protein expression patterns in S. bicolor were investigated using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) in samples derived from the leaves of both control and Cd-treated seedlings. The observed morphological changes revealed that the plants treated with Cd displayed dramatically altered shoot lengths, fresh weights and relative water content. In addition, the concentration of Cd was markedly increased by treatment with Cd, and the amount of Cd taken up by the shoots was significantly and directly correlated with the applied concentration of Cd. Using the 2-DE method, a total of 33 differentially expressed protein spots were analyzed using MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. Of these, treatment with Cd resulted in significant increases in 15 proteins and decreases in 18 proteins. Major changes were absorbed in the levels of proteins known to be involved in carbohydrate metabolism, transcriptional regulation, translation and stress responses. Proteomic results revealed that Cd stress had an inhibitory effect on carbon fixation, ATP production and the regulation of protein synthesis. Our study provides insights into the integrated molecular mechanisms involved in responses to Cd and the effects of Cd on the growth and physiological characteristics of sorghum seedlings. We have aimed to provide a reference describing the mechanisms involved in heavy metal damage to plants. PMID:26919231

  4. Biotechnological approaches to study plant responses to stress.

    PubMed

    Pérez-Clemente, Rosa M; Vives, Vicente; Zandalinas, Sara I; López-Climent, María F; Muñoz, Valeria; Gómez-Cadenas, Aurelio

    2013-01-01

    Multiple biotic and abiotic environmental stress factors affect negatively various aspects of plant growth, development, and crop productivity. Plants, as sessile organisms, have developed, in the course of their evolution, efficient strategies of response to avoid, tolerate, or adapt to different types of stress situations. The diverse stress factors that plants have to face often activate similar cell signaling pathways and cellular responses, such as the production of stress proteins, upregulation of the antioxidant machinery, and accumulation of compatible solutes. Over the last few decades advances in plant physiology, genetics, and molecular biology have greatly improved our understanding of plant responses to abiotic stress conditions. In this paper, recent progresses on systematic analyses of plant responses to stress including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and transgenic-based approaches are summarized.

  5. Biotechnological Approaches to Study Plant Responses to Stress

    PubMed Central

    Pérez-Clemente, Rosa M.; Vives, Vicente; Zandalinas, Sara I.; López-Climent, María F.; Muñoz, Valeria; Gómez-Cadenas, Aurelio

    2013-01-01

    Multiple biotic and abiotic environmental stress factors affect negatively various aspects of plant growth, development, and crop productivity. Plants, as sessile organisms, have developed, in the course of their evolution, efficient strategies of response to avoid, tolerate, or adapt to different types of stress situations. The diverse stress factors that plants have to face often activate similar cell signaling pathways and cellular responses, such as the production of stress proteins, upregulation of the antioxidant machinery, and accumulation of compatible solutes. Over the last few decades advances in plant physiology, genetics, and molecular biology have greatly improved our understanding of plant responses to abiotic stress conditions. In this paper, recent progresses on systematic analyses of plant responses to stress including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and transgenic-based approaches are summarized. PMID:23509757

  6. The behavioural effects of predator-induced stress responses in the cricket (Gryllus texensis): the upside of the stress response.

    PubMed

    Adamo, Shelley A; Kovalko, Ilya; Mosher, Brianna

    2013-12-15

    Predator-induced stress responses are thought to reduce an animal's risk of being eaten. Therefore, these stress responses should enhance anti-predator behaviour. We found that individual insects (the cricket Gryllus texensis) show reliable behavioural responses (i.e. behavioural types) in a plus-shaped maze. An individual's behaviour in the plus maze remained consistent for at least 1/2 of its adult life. However, after exposure to a model predator, both male and female crickets showed a reduced period of immobility and an increased amount of time spent under shelter compared with controls. These changes could be mimicked by injections of the insect stress neurohormone octopamine. These behavioural changes probably aid crickets in evading predators. Exposure to a model predator increased the ability of crickets to escape a live predator (a bearded dragon, Pogona vitticeps). An injection of octopamine had the same effect, showing that stress hormones can reduce predation. Using crickets to study the fitness consequences of predator-induced stress responses will help integrate ecological and biomedical concepts of 'stress'.

  7. Energetic stress: The reciprocal relationship between energy availability and the stress response.

    PubMed

    Harrell, C S; Gillespie, C F; Neigh, G N

    2016-11-01

    The worldwide epidemic of metabolic syndromes and the recognized burden of mental health disorders have driven increased research into the relationship between the two. A maladaptive stress response is implicated in both mental health disorders and metabolic disorders, implicating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as a key mediator of this relationship. This review explores how an altered energetic state, such as hyper- or hypoglycemia, as may be manifested in obesity or diabetes, affects the stress response and the HPA axis in particular. We propose that changes in energetic state or energetic demands can result in "energetic stress" that can, if prolonged, lead to a dysfunctional stress response. In this review, we summarize the role of the hypothalamus in modulating energy homeostasis and then briefly discuss the relationship between metabolism and stress-induced activation of the HPA axis. Next, we examine seven mechanisms whereby energetic stress interacts with neuroendocrine stress response systems, including by glucocorticoid signaling both within and beyond the HPA axis; by nutrient-induced changes in glucocorticoid signaling; by impacting the sympathetic nervous system; through changes in other neuroendocrine factors; by inducing inflammatory changes; and by altering the gut-brain axis. Recognizing these effects of energetic stress can drive novel therapies and prevention strategies for mental health disorders, including dietary intervention, probiotics, and even fecal transplant. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Plant hormone-mediated regulation of stress responses.

    PubMed

    Verma, Vivek; Ravindran, Pratibha; Kumar, Prakash P

    2016-04-14

    Being sessile organisms, plants are often exposed to a wide array of abiotic and biotic stresses. Abiotic stress conditions include drought, heat, cold and salinity, whereas biotic stress arises mainly from bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes and insects. To adapt to such adverse situations, plants have evolved well-developed mechanisms that help to perceive the stress signal and enable optimal growth response. Phytohormones play critical roles in helping the plants to adapt to adverse environmental conditions. The elaborate hormone signaling networks and their ability to crosstalk make them ideal candidates for mediating defense responses. Recent research findings have helped to clarify the elaborate signaling networks and the sophisticated crosstalk occurring among the different hormone signaling pathways. In this review, we summarize the roles of the major plant hormones in regulating abiotic and biotic stress responses with special focus on the significance of crosstalk between different hormones in generating a sophisticated and efficient stress response. We divided the discussion into the roles of ABA, salicylic acid, jasmonates and ethylene separately at the start of the review. Subsequently, we have discussed the crosstalk among them, followed by crosstalk with growth promoting hormones (gibberellins, auxins and cytokinins). These have been illustrated with examples drawn from selected abiotic and biotic stress responses. The discussion on seed dormancy and germination serves to illustrate the fine balance that can be enforced by the two key hormones ABA and GA in regulating plant responses to environmental signals. The intricate web of crosstalk among the often redundant multitudes of signaling intermediates is just beginning to be understood. Future research employing genome-scale systems biology approaches to solve problems of such magnitude will undoubtedly lead to a better understanding of plant development. Therefore, discovering additional crosstalk

  9. Cortisol modulates men's affiliative responses to acute social stress.

    PubMed

    Berger, Justus; Heinrichs, Markus; von Dawans, Bernadette; Way, Baldwin M; Chen, Frances S

    2016-01-01

    The dominant characterization of the physiological and behavioral human stress reaction is the fight-or-flight response. On the other hand, it has been suggested that social affiliation during stressful times ("tend-and-befriend") also represents a common adaptive response to stress, particularly for women. In the current study, we investigate the extent to which men may also show affiliative responses following acute stress. In addition, we examine a potential neuroendocrine modulator of the hypothesized affiliative response. Eighty male students (forty dyads) were recruited to undergo either the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G) or a non-stressful control situation. Subsequently, participants completed a dyadic interaction task and were then asked to report their feelings of psychological closeness to their interaction partner. Although participants assigned to the stress condition did not differ overall on psychological closeness from participants assigned to the control condition, participants with high cortisol responses to the stressor showed significantly higher ratings of psychological closeness to their interaction partner than participants with low cortisol responses. Our findings suggest that men may form closer temporary bonds following stressful situations that are accompanied by a significant cortisol response. We suggest that the traditional characterization of the male stress response in terms of "fight-or-flight" may be incomplete, and that social affiliation may in fact represent a common, adaptive response to stress in men. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Lack of stress responses to long-term effects of corticosterone in Caps2 knockout mice.

    PubMed

    Mishima, Yuriko; Shinoda, Yo; Sadakata, Tetsushi; Kojima, Masami; Wakana, Shigeharu; Furuichi, Teiichi

    2015-03-10

    Chronic stress is associated with anxiety and depressive disorders, and can cause weight gain. Ca(2+)-dependent activator protein for secretion 2 (CAPS2) is involved in insulin release. Caps2 knockout (KO) mice exhibit decreased body weight, reduced glucose-induced insulin release, and abnormal psychiatric behaviors. We chronically administered the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT), which induces anxiety/depressive-like behavior and normally increases plasma insulin levels, via the drinking water for 10 weeks, and we examined the stress response in KO mice. Chronic CORT exposure inhibited stress-induced serum CORT elevation in wild-type (WT) mice, but not in KO mice. Poor weight gain in CORT-treated animals was observed until week 6 in WT mice, but persisted for the entire duration of the experiment in KO mice, although there is no difference in drug*genotype interaction. Among KO mice, food consumption was unchanged, while water consumption was higher, over the duration of the experiment in CORT-treated animals, compared with untreated animals. Moreover, serum insulin and leptin levels were increased in CORT-treated WT mice, but not in KO mice. Lastly, both WT and KO mice displayed anxiety/depressive-like behavior after CORT administration. These results suggest that Caps2 KO mice have altered endocrine responses to CORT administration, while maintaining CORT-induced anxiety/depressive-like behavior.

  11. Biological stress response terminology: Integrating the concepts of adaptive response and preconditioning stress within a hormetic dose-response framework.

    PubMed

    Calabrese, Edward J; Bachmann, Kenneth A; Bailer, A John; Bolger, P Michael; Borak, Jonathan; Cai, Lu; Cedergreen, Nina; Cherian, M George; Chiueh, Chuang C; Clarkson, Thomas W; Cook, Ralph R; Diamond, David M; Doolittle, David J; Dorato, Michael A; Duke, Stephen O; Feinendegen, Ludwig; Gardner, Donald E; Hart, Ronald W; Hastings, Kenneth L; Hayes, A Wallace; Hoffmann, George R; Ives, John A; Jaworowski, Zbigniew; Johnson, Thomas E; Jonas, Wayne B; Kaminski, Norbert E; Keller, John G; Klaunig, James E; Knudsen, Thomas B; Kozumbo, Walter J; Lettieri, Teresa; Liu, Shu-Zheng; Maisseu, Andre; Maynard, Kenneth I; Masoro, Edward J; McClellan, Roger O; Mehendale, Harihara M; Mothersill, Carmel; Newlin, David B; Nigg, Herbert N; Oehme, Frederick W; Phalen, Robert F; Philbert, Martin A; Rattan, Suresh I S; Riviere, Jim E; Rodricks, Joseph; Sapolsky, Robert M; Scott, Bobby R; Seymour, Colin; Sinclair, David A; Smith-Sonneborn, Joan; Snow, Elizabeth T; Spear, Linda; Stevenson, Donald E; Thomas, Yolene; Tubiana, Maurice; Williams, Gary M; Mattson, Mark P

    2007-07-01

    Many biological subdisciplines that regularly assess dose-response relationships have identified an evolutionarily conserved process in which a low dose of a stressful stimulus activates an adaptive response that increases the resistance of the cell or organism to a moderate to severe level of stress. Due to a lack of frequent interaction among scientists in these many areas, there has emerged a broad range of terms that describe such dose-response relationships. This situation has become problematic because the different terms describe a family of similar biological responses (e.g., adaptive response, preconditioning, hormesis), adversely affecting interdisciplinary communication, and possibly even obscuring generalizable features and central biological concepts. With support from scientists in a broad range of disciplines, this article offers a set of recommendations we believe can achieve greater conceptual harmony in dose-response terminology, as well as better understanding and communication across the broad spectrum of biological disciplines.

  12. Response of Desulfovibrio vulgaris to Alkaline Stress

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Stolyar, S.; He, Q.; He, Z.

    2007-11-30

    The response of exponentially growing Desulfovibrio vulgarisHildenborough to pH 10 stress was studied using oligonucleotidemicroarrays and a study set of mutants with genes suggested by microarraydata to be involved in the alkaline stress response deleted. The datashowed that the response of D. vulgaris to increased pH is generallysimilar to that of Escherichia coli but is apparently controlled byunique regulatory circuits since the alternative sigma factors (sigma Sand sigma E) contributing to this stress response in E. coli appear to beabsent in D. vulgaris. Genes previously reported to be up-regulated in E.coli were up-regulated in D. vulgaris; these genes included threemore » ATPasegenes and a tryptophan synthase gene. Transcription of chaperone andprotease genes (encoding ATP-dependent Clp and La proteases and DnaK) wasalso elevated in D. vulgaris. As in E. coli, genes involved in flagellumsynthesis were down-regulated. The transcriptional data also identifiedregulators, distinct from sigma S and sigma E, that are likely part of aD. vulgaris Hildenborough-specific stress response system.Characterization of a study set of mutants with genes implicated inalkaline stress response deleted confirmed that there was protectiveinvolvement of the sodium/proton antiporter NhaC-2, tryptophanase A, andtwo putative regulators/histidine kinases (DVU0331 andDVU2580).« less

  13. Abnormal early cleavage events predict early embryo demise: sperm oxidative stress and early abnormal cleavage.

    PubMed

    Burruel, Victoria; Klooster, Katie; Barker, Christopher M; Pera, Renee Reijo; Meyers, Stuart

    2014-10-13

    Human embryos resulting from abnormal early cleavage can result in aneuploidy and failure to develop normally to the blastocyst stage. The nature of paternal influence on early embryo development has not been directly demonstrated although many studies have suggested effects from spermatozoal chromatin packaging, DNA damage, centriolar and mitotic spindle integrity, and plasma membrane integrity. The goal of this study was to determine whether early developmental events were affected by oxidative damage to the fertilizing sperm. Survival analysis was used to compare patterns of blastocyst formation based on P2 duration. Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrate that relatively few embryos with short (<1 hr) P2 times reached blastocysts, and the two curves diverged beginning on day 4, with nearly all of the embryos with longer P2 times reaching blastocysts by day 6 (p < .01). We determined that duration of the 2nd to 3rd mitoses were sensitive periods in the presence of spermatozoal oxidative stress. Embryos that displayed either too long or too short cytokineses demonstrated an increased failure to reach blastocyst stage and therefore survive for further development. Although paternal-derived gene expression occurs later in development, this study suggests a specific role in early mitosis that is highly influenced by paternal factors.

  14. Stress response physiology of thermophiles.

    PubMed

    Ranawat, Preeti; Rawat, Seema

    2017-04-01

    Thermo (or hyperthermo) philic microorganisms are ubiquitous having a wide range of habitats from freshly fallen snow to pasteurized milk to geothermal areas like hot springs. The variations in physicochemical conditions, viz., temperature, pH, nutrient availability and light intensity in the habitats always pose stress conditions for the inhabitants leading to slow growth or cell death. The industrial processes used for harvesting secondary metabolites such as enzymes, toxins and organic acids also create stressed environments for thermophiles. The production of DNA-binding proteins, activation of reactive oxygen species detoxification system, compatible solute accumulation, expression of heat shock proteins and alterations in morphology are a few examples of physiological changes demonstrated by these microscopic lifeforms in stress. These microorganisms exhibit complex genetic and physiological changes to minimize, adapt to and repair damage caused by extreme environmental disturbances. These changes are termed as 'stress responses' which enable them to stabilize their homeostasis. The exploration of important thermophilic factors would pave the way in engineering the microbial strains for various biotechnological applications. This review article presents a picture of physiological responses of thermophiles against various stress conditions as their mechanisms to respond to stress make them model organisms to further explore them for basic and applied biology purposes.

  15. Shared and unique responses of plants to multiple individual stresses and stress combinations: physiological and molecular mechanisms

    PubMed Central

    Pandey, Prachi; Ramegowda, Venkategowda; Senthil-Kumar, Muthappa

    2015-01-01

    In field conditions, plants are often simultaneously exposed to multiple biotic and abiotic stresses resulting in substantial yield loss. Plants have evolved various physiological and molecular adaptations to protect themselves under stress combinations. Emerging evidences suggest that plant responses to a combination of stresses are unique from individual stress responses. In addition, plants exhibit shared responses which are common to individual stresses and stress combination. In this review, we provide an update on the current understanding of both unique and shared responses. Specific focus of this review is on heat–drought stress as a major abiotic stress combination and, drought–pathogen and heat–pathogen as examples of abiotic–biotic stress combinations. We also comprehend the current understanding of molecular mechanisms of cross talk in relation to shared and unique molecular responses for plant survival under stress combinations. Thus, the knowledge of shared responses of plants from individual stress studies and stress combinations can be utilized to develop varieties with broad spectrum stress tolerance. PMID:26442037

  16. When Does Stress Help or Harm? The Effects of Stress Controllability and Subjective Stress Response on Stroop Performance

    PubMed Central

    Henderson, Roselinde K.; Snyder, Hannah R.; Gupta, Tina; Banich, Marie T.

    2012-01-01

    The ability to engage in goal-directed behavior despite exposure to stress is critical to resilience. Questions of how stress can impair or improve behavioral functioning are important in diverse settings, from athletic competitions to academic testing. Previous research suggests that controllability is a key factor in the impact of stress on behavior: learning how to control stressors buffers people from the negative effects of stress on subsequent cognitively demanding tasks. In addition, research suggests that the impact of stress on cognitive functioning depends on an individual’s response to stressors: moderate responses to stress can lead to improved performance while extreme (high or low) responses can lead to impaired performance. The present studies tested the hypothesis that (1) learning to behaviorally control stressors leads to improved performance on a test of general executive functioning, the color-word Stroop, and that (2) this improvement emerges specifically for people who report moderate (subjective) responses to stress. Experiment 1: Stroop performance, measured before and after a stress manipulation, was compared across groups of undergraduate participants (n = 109). People who learned to control a noise stressor and received accurate performance feedback demonstrated reduced Stroop interference compared with people exposed to uncontrollable noise stress and feedback indicating an exaggerated rate of failure. In the group who learned behavioral control, those who reported moderate levels of stress showed the greatest reduction in Stroop interference. In contrast, in the group exposed to uncontrollable events, self-reported stress failed to predict performance. Experiment 2: In a second sample (n = 90), we specifically investigated the role of controllability by keeping the rate of failure feedback constant across groups. In the group who learned behavioral control, those who reported moderate levels of stress showed the greatest

  17. When does stress help or harm? The effects of stress controllability and subjective stress response on stroop performance.

    PubMed

    Henderson, Roselinde K; Snyder, Hannah R; Gupta, Tina; Banich, Marie T

    2012-01-01

    The ability to engage in goal-directed behavior despite exposure to stress is critical to resilience. Questions of how stress can impair or improve behavioral functioning are important in diverse settings, from athletic competitions to academic testing. Previous research suggests that controllability is a key factor in the impact of stress on behavior: learning how to control stressors buffers people from the negative effects of stress on subsequent cognitively demanding tasks. In addition, research suggests that the impact of stress on cognitive functioning depends on an individual's response to stressors: moderate responses to stress can lead to improved performance while extreme (high or low) responses can lead to impaired performance. The present studies tested the hypothesis that (1) learning to behaviorally control stressors leads to improved performance on a test of general executive functioning, the color-word Stroop, and that (2) this improvement emerges specifically for people who report moderate (subjective) responses to stress. Experiment 1: Stroop performance, measured before and after a stress manipulation, was compared across groups of undergraduate participants (n = 109). People who learned to control a noise stressor and received accurate performance feedback demonstrated reduced Stroop interference compared with people exposed to uncontrollable noise stress and feedback indicating an exaggerated rate of failure. In the group who learned behavioral control, those who reported moderate levels of stress showed the greatest reduction in Stroop interference. In contrast, in the group exposed to uncontrollable events, self-reported stress failed to predict performance. Experiment 2: In a second sample (n = 90), we specifically investigated the role of controllability by keeping the rate of failure feedback constant across groups. In the group who learned behavioral control, those who reported moderate levels of stress showed the greatest Stroop

  18. Response inhibition and cognitive appraisal in clients with acute stress disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder.

    PubMed

    Abolghasemi, Abass; Bakhshian, Fereshteh; Narimani, Mohammad

    2013-08-01

    The purpose of the present study was to compare response inhibition and cognitive appraisal in clients with acute stress disorder, clients with posttraumatic stress disorder, and normal individuals. This was a comparative study. The sample consisted of 40 clients with acute stress disorder, 40 patients with posttraumatic stress disorder, and 40 normal individuals from Mazandaran province selected through convenience sampling method. Data were collected using Composite International Diagnostic Interview, Stroop Color-Word Test, Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory, and the Impact of Event Scale. Results showed that individuals with acute stress disorder are less able to inhibit inappropriate responses and have more impaired cognitive appraisals compared to those with posttraumatic stress disorder. Moreover, results showed that response inhibition and cognitive appraisal explain 75% of the variance in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and 38% of the variance in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. The findings suggest that response inhibition and cognitive appraisal are two variables that influence the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder symptoms. Also, these results have important implications for pathology, prevention, and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder.

  19. Sex Differences in Platelet Reactivity and Cardiovascular and Psychological Response to Mental Stress in Patients With Stable Ischemic Heart Disease

    PubMed Central

    Samad, Zainab; Boyle, Stephen; Ersboll, Mads; Vora, Amit N.; Zhang, Ye; Becker, Richard C.; Williams, Redford; Kuhn, Cynthia; Ortel, Thomas L.; Rogers, Joseph G.; O’Connor, Christopher; Velazquez, Eric J.; Jiang, Wei

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND Although emotional stress is associated with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and related clinical events, sex-specific differences in the psychobiological response to mental stress have not been clearly identified. OBJECTIVES We aimed to study the differential psychological and cardiovascular responses to mental stress between male and female patients with stable IHD. METHODS Patients with stable IHD enrolled in the REMIT (Responses of Mental Stress–Induced Myocardial Ischemia to Escitalopram) study underwent psychometric assessments, transthoracic echocardiography, and platelet aggregation studies at baseline and after 3 mental stress tasks. Mental stress–induced myocardial ischemia (MSIMI) was defined as the development or worsening of regional wall motion abnormality, reduction of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥8% by transthoracic echocardiography, and/or ischemic ST-segment change on electrocardiogram during 1 or more of the 3 mental stress tasks. RESULTS In the 310 participants with known IHD (18% women, 82% men), most baseline characteristics were similar between women and men (including heart rate, blood pressure, and LVEF), although women were more likely to be nonwhite, living alone (p < 0.001), and unmarried (p < 0.001); they also had higher baseline depression and anxiety (p < 0.05). At rest, women had heightened platelet aggregation responses to serotonin (p = 0.007) and epinephrine (p = 0.004) compared with men. Following mental stress, women had more MSIMI (57% vs. 41%, p < 0.04), expressed more negative (p = 0.02) and less positive emotion (p < 0.001), and demonstrated higher collagen-stimulated platelet aggregation responses (p = 0.04) than men. Men were more likely than women to show changes in traditional physiological measures, such as blood pressure (p < 0.05) and double product. CONCLUSIONS In this exploratory analysis, we identified clear, measurable, and differential responses to mental stress in women and men

  20. Waterborne aripiprazole blunts the stress response in zebrafish

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barcellos, Heloísa Helena De Alcantara; Kalichak, Fabiana; da Rosa, João Gabriel Santos; Oliveira, Thiago Acosta; Koakoski, Gessi; Idalencio, Renan; de Abreu, Murilo Sander; Giacomini, Ana Cristina Varrone; Fagundes, Michele; Variani, Cristiane; Rossini, Mainara; Piato, Angelo L.; Barcellos, Leonardo José Gil

    2016-11-01

    Here we provide, at least to our knowledge, the first evidence that aripiprazole (APPZ) in the water blunts the stress response of exposed fish in a concentration ten times lower than the concentration detected in the environment. Although the mechanism of APPZ in the neuroendocrine axis is not yet determined, our results highlight that the presence of APPZ residues in the environment may interfere with the stress responses in fish. Since an adequate stress response is crucial to restore fish homeostasis after stressors, fish with impaired stress response may have trouble to cope with natural and/or imposed stressors with consequences to their welfare and survival.

  1. Stress biomarker responses to different protocols of forced exercise in chronically stressed rats.

    PubMed

    Radahmadi, Maryam; Alaei, Hojjatallah; Sharifi, Mohammad Reza; Hosseini, Nasrin

    2017-01-01

    Stress is one of the most significant causes of major health problems on a global scale. The beneficial effects of exercise on combating stress, however, are well-established. The present study investigated the stress biomarker responses, such as serum corticosterone, interlukin-1β, and glucose levels, to different (preventive, therapeutic, protective, and continuous) protocols of forced exercise under stress. Male rats were randomly allocated to the following five groups: stressed, preventive, therapeutic, protective, and continuous (and/or pre-stress, post-stress, stress-accompanied, and both pre-stress and stress-accompanied exercise respectively) exercise groups. Stress was applied 6 h/day for 21 days and the treadmill running was employed at a speed of 20-21 m/min for 21 and 42 days. The findings showed that the therapeutic, protective, and continuous exercises led to reduced corticosterone and glucose levels. Whereas, the preventive exercise did not reverse the stress responses, and that the therapeutic exercise led to a significant decline in serum interlukin-1β. It is concluded that protective, therapeutic, and, particularly, continuous exercises lead to significant reductions in serum corticosterone and the associated stress-induced hyperglycemia. Moreover, it appears that the timing and duration of exercise are the two factors contributing to changes in stress biomarker responses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Dysfunctional stress responses in chronic pain.

    PubMed

    Woda, Alain; Picard, Pascale; Dutheil, Frédéric

    2016-09-01

    Many dysfunctional and chronic pain conditions overlap. This review describes the different modes of chronic deregulation of the adaptive response to stress which may be a common factor for these conditions. Several types of dysfunction can be identified within the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis: basal hypercortisolism, hyper-reactivity, basal hypocortisolism and hypo-reactivity. Neuroactive steroid synthesis is another component of the adaptive response to stress. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfated form DHEA-S, and progesterone and its derivatives are synthetized in cutaneous, nervous, and adipose cells. They are neuroactive factors that act locally. They may have a role in the localization of the symptoms and their levels can vary both in the central nervous system and in the periphery. Persistent changes in neuroactive steroid levels or precursors can induce localized neurodegeneration. The autonomic nervous system is another component of the stress response. Its dysfunction in chronic stress responses can be expressed by decreased basal parasympathethic activity, increased basal sympathetic activity or sympathetic hyporeactivity to a stressful stimulus. The immune and genetic systems also participate. The helper-T cells Th1 secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1-β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IFN-γ, and TNF-α, whereas Th2 secrete anti-inflammatory cytokines: IL-4, IL-10, IGF-10, IL-13. Chronic deregulation of the Th1/Th2 balance can occur in favor of anti- or pro-inflammatory direction, locally or systemically. Individual vulnerability to stress can be due to environmental factors but can also be genetically influenced. Genetic polymorphisms and epigenetics are the main keys to understanding the influence of genetics on the response of individuals to constraints. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Nitrogen stress response and stringent response are coupled in Escherichia coli

    PubMed Central

    Brown, Daniel R.; Barton, Geraint; Pan, Zhensheng; Buck, Martin; Wigneshweraraj, Sivaramesh

    2014-01-01

    Assimilation of nitrogen is an essential process in bacteria. The nitrogen regulation stress response is an adaptive mechanism used by nitrogen-starved Escherichia coli to scavenge for alternative nitrogen sources and requires the global transcriptional regulator NtrC. In addition, nitrogen-starved E. coli cells synthesize a signal molecule, guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp), which serves as an effector molecule of many processes including transcription to initiate global physiological changes, collectively termed the stringent response. The regulatory mechanisms leading to elevated ppGpp levels during nutritional stresses remain elusive. Here, we show that transcription of relA, a key gene responsible for the synthesis of ppGpp, is activated by NtrC during nitrogen starvation. The results reveal that NtrC couples these two major bacterial stress responses to manage conditions of nitrogen limitation, and provide novel mechanistic insights into how a specific nutritional stress leads to elevating ppGpp levels in bacteria. PMID:24947454

  4. The antidepressant venlafaxine disrupts brain monoamine levels and neuroendocrine responses to stress in rainbow trout.

    PubMed

    Melnyk-Lamont, Nataliya; Best, Carol; Gesto, Manuel; Vijayan, Mathilakath M

    2014-11-18

    Venlafaxine, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, is a widely prescribed antidepressant drug routinely detected in the aquatic environment. However, little is known about its impact on the physiology of nontarget organisms. We tested the hypothesis that venlafaxine perturbs brain monoamine levels and disrupts molecular responses essential for stress coping and feeding activity in fish. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to waterborne venlafaxine (0.2 and 1.0 μg/L) for 7 days. This treatment elevated norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine levels in the brain in a region-specific manner. Venlafaxine also increased the transcript levels of genes involved in stress and appetite regulation, including corticotropin releasing factor, pro-opiomelanocortin B, and glucose transporter type 2 in distinct brain regions of trout. The drug treatment reduced the total feed consumed per day, but did not affect the feeding behavior of the dominant and subordinate fish. However, the subordinate fish from the venlafaxine-exposed group had significantly higher plasma cortisol levels compared to the subordinate fish in the control group. Collectively, our results demonstrate that venlafaxine, at environmentally realistic levels, is a neuroendocrine disruptor, impacting the stress and feeding responses in rainbow trout. We propose the midbrain region as a key target for venlafaxine impact and the mode of action involves abnormal monoamine content in trout.

  5. 2016 Microbial Stress Response GRC/GRS

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-09-13

    Holyoke College South Hadley, MA Chairs: Eduardo A. Groisman & Dianne K. Newman Vice Chairs: Petra A. Levin & William W. Navarre Contributors...by Discussion Leader 9:10 am - 9:35 am Martin Ackermann (ETH Zurich, Switzerland) "History-Dependence in Bacterial Stress Response – Scaling up from...Government. Microbial Stress Response GRC – Registration List Ackermann, Martin ETH Zurich Speaker Registered Andersson, Dan I Uppsala

  6. Lysyl Oxidase Induces Vascular Oxidative Stress and Contributes to Arterial Stiffness and Abnormal Elastin Structure in Hypertension: Role of p38MAPK.

    PubMed

    Martínez-Revelles, Sonia; García-Redondo, Ana B; Avendaño, María S; Varona, Saray; Palao, Teresa; Orriols, Mar; Roque, Fernanda R; Fortuño, Ana; Touyz, Rhian M; Martínez-González, Jose; Salaices, Mercedes; Rodríguez, Cristina; Briones, Ana M

    2017-09-01

    Vascular stiffness, structural elastin abnormalities, and increased oxidative stress are hallmarks of hypertension. Lysyl oxidase (LOX) is an elastin crosslinking enzyme that produces H 2 O 2 as a by-product. We addressed the interplay between LOX, oxidative stress, vessel stiffness, and elastin. Angiotensin II (Ang II)-infused hypertensive mice and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) showed increased vascular LOX expression and stiffness and an abnormal elastin structure. Mice over-expressing LOX in vascular smooth muscle cells (TgLOX) exhibited similar mechanical and elastin alterations to those of hypertensive models. LOX inhibition with β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) attenuated mechanical and elastin alterations in TgLOX mice, Ang II-infused mice, and SHR. Arteries from TgLOX mice, Ang II-infused mice, and/or SHR exhibited increased vascular H 2 O 2 and O 2 .- levels, NADPH oxidase activity, and/or mitochondrial dysfunction. BAPN prevented the higher oxidative stress in hypertensive models. Treatment of TgLOX and Ang II-infused mice and SHR with the mitochondrial-targeted superoxide dismutase mimetic mito-TEMPO, the antioxidant apocynin, or the H 2 O 2 scavenger polyethylene glycol-conjugated catalase (PEG-catalase) reduced oxidative stress, vascular stiffness, and elastin alterations. Vascular p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) activation was increased in Ang II-infused and TgLOX mice and this effect was prevented by BAPN, mito-TEMPO, or PEG-catalase. SB203580, the p38MAPK inhibitor, normalized vessel stiffness and elastin structure in TgLOX mice. We identify LOX as a novel source of vascular reactive oxygen species and a new pathway involved in vascular stiffness and elastin remodeling in hypertension. LOX up-regulation is associated with enhanced oxidative stress that promotes p38MAPK activation, elastin structural alterations, and vascular stiffness. This pathway contributes to vascular abnormalities in hypertension. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 27

  7. The procyanidin-induced pseudo laminar shear stress response: a new concept for the reversal of endothelial dysfunction.

    PubMed

    Corder, Roger; Warburton, Richard C; Khan, Noorafza Q; Brown, Ruth E; Wood, Elizabeth G; Lees, Delphine M

    2004-11-01

    Reduced endothelium-dependent vasodilator responses with increased synthesis of ET-1 (endothelin-1) are characteristics of endothelial dysfunction in heart failure and are predictive of mortality. Identification of treatments that correct these abnormalities may have particular benefit for patients who become refractory to current regimens. Hawthorn preparations have a long history in the treatment of heart failure. Therefore we tested their inhibitory effects on ET-1 synthesis by cultured endothelial cells. These actions were compared with that of GSE (grape seed extract), as the vasoactive components of both these herbal remedies are mainly oligomeric flavan-3-ols called procyanidins. This showed extracts of hawthorn and grape seed were equipotent as inhibitors of ET-1 synthesis. GSE also produced a potent endothelium-dependent vasodilator response on preparations of isolated aorta. Suppression of ET-1 synthesis at the same time as induction of endothelium-dependent vasodilation is a similar response to that triggered by laminar shear stress. Based on these results and previous findings, we hypothesize that through their pharmacological properties procyanidins stimulate a pseudo laminar shear stress response in endothelial cells, which helps restore endothelial function and underlies the benefit from treatment with hawthorn extract in heart failure.

  8. Comfort food is comforting to those most stressed: evidence of the chronic stress response network in high stress women.

    PubMed

    Tomiyama, A Janet; Dallman, Mary F; Epel, Elissa S

    2011-11-01

    Chronically stressed rodents who are allowed to eat calorie-dense "comfort" food develop greater mesenteric fat, which in turn dampens hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis activity. We tested whether similar relations exist in humans, at least cross-sectionally. Fifty-nine healthy premenopausal women were exposed to a standard laboratory stressor to examine HPA response to acute stress and underwent diurnal saliva sampling for basal cortisol and response to dexamethasone administration. Based on perceived stress scores, women were divided into extreme quartiles of low versus high stress categories. We found as hypothesized that the high stress group had significantly greater BMI and sagittal diameter, and reported greater emotional eating. In response to acute lab stressor, the high stress group showed a blunted cortisol response, lower diurnal cortisol levels, and greater suppression in response to dexamethasone. These cross-sectional findings support the animal model, which suggests that long-term adaptation to chronic stress in the face of dense calories result in greater visceral fat accumulation (via ingestion of calorie-dense food), which in turn modulates HPA axis response, resulting in lower cortisol levels. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. The Relationship between Personality Dimensions and Resiliency to Environmental Stress in Orange-Winged Amazon Parrots (Amazona amazonica), as Indicated by the Development of Abnormal Behaviors.

    PubMed

    Cussen, Victoria A; Mench, Joy A

    2015-01-01

    Parrots are popular companion animals, but are frequently relinquished because of behavioral problems, including abnormal repetitive behaviors like feather damaging behavior and stereotypy. In addition to contributing to pet relinquishment, these behaviors are important as potential indicators of diminished psychological well-being. While abnormal behaviors are common in captive animals, their presence and/or severity varies between animals of the same species that are experiencing the same environmental conditions. Personality differences could contribute to this observed individual variation, as they are known risk factors for stress sensitivity and affective disorders in humans. The goal of this study was to assess the relationship between personality and the development and severity of abnormal behaviors in captive-bred orange-winged Amazon parrots (Amazona amazonica). We monitored between-individual behavioral differences in enrichment-reared parrots of known personality types before, during, and after enrichment deprivation. We predicted that parrots with higher scores for neurotic-like personality traits would be more susceptible to enrichment deprivation and develop more abnormal behaviors. Our results partially supported this hypothesis, but also showed that distinct personality dimensions were related to different forms of abnormal behavior. While neuroticism-like traits were linked to feather damaging behavior, extraversion-like traits were negatively related to stereotypic behavior. More extraverted birds showed resiliency to environmental stress, developing fewer stereotypies during enrichment deprivation and showing lower levels of these behaviors following re-enrichment. Our data, together with the results of the few studies conducted on other species, suggest that, as in humans, certain personality types render individual animals more susceptible or resilient to environmental stress. Further, this susceptibility/resiliency can have a long

  10. The Relationship between Personality Dimensions and Resiliency to Environmental Stress in Orange-Winged Amazon Parrots (Amazona amazonica), as Indicated by the Development of Abnormal Behaviors

    PubMed Central

    Cussen, Victoria A.; Mench, Joy A.

    2015-01-01

    Parrots are popular companion animals, but are frequently relinquished because of behavioral problems, including abnormal repetitive behaviors like feather damaging behavior and stereotypy. In addition to contributing to pet relinquishment, these behaviors are important as potential indicators of diminished psychological well-being. While abnormal behaviors are common in captive animals, their presence and/or severity varies between animals of the same species that are experiencing the same environmental conditions. Personality differences could contribute to this observed individual variation, as they are known risk factors for stress sensitivity and affective disorders in humans. The goal of this study was to assess the relationship between personality and the development and severity of abnormal behaviors in captive-bred orange-winged Amazon parrots (Amazona amazonica). We monitored between-individual behavioral differences in enrichment-reared parrots of known personality types before, during, and after enrichment deprivation. We predicted that parrots with higher scores for neurotic-like personality traits would be more susceptible to enrichment deprivation and develop more abnormal behaviors. Our results partially supported this hypothesis, but also showed that distinct personality dimensions were related to different forms of abnormal behavior. While neuroticism-like traits were linked to feather damaging behavior, extraversion-like traits were negatively related to stereotypic behavior. More extraverted birds showed resiliency to environmental stress, developing fewer stereotypies during enrichment deprivation and showing lower levels of these behaviors following re-enrichment. Our data, together with the results of the few studies conducted on other species, suggest that, as in humans, certain personality types render individual animals more susceptible or resilient to environmental stress. Further, this susceptibility/resiliency can have a long

  11. Associations between circadian and stress response cortisol in children.

    PubMed

    Simons, Sterre S H; Cillessen, Antonius H N; de Weerth, Carolina

    2017-01-01

    Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning is characterized by the baseline production of cortisol following a circadian rhythm, as well as by the superimposed production of cortisol in response to a stressor. However, it is relatively unknown whether the basal cortisol circadian rhythm is associated with the cortisol stress response in children. Since alterations in cortisol stress responses have been associated with mental and physical health, this study investigated whether the cortisol circadian rhythm is associated with cortisol stress responses in 6-year-old children. To this end, 149 normally developing children (M age  = 6.09 years; 70 girls) participated in an innovative social evaluative stress test that effectively provoked increases in cortisol. To determine the cortisol stress response, six cortisol saliva samples were collected and two cortisol stress response indices were calculated: total stress cortisol and cortisol stress reactivity. To determine children's cortisol circadian rhythm eight cortisol circadian samples were collected during two days. Total diurnal cortisol and diurnal cortisol decline scores were calculated as indices of the cortisol circadian rhythm. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that higher total diurnal cortisol as well as a smaller diurnal cortisol decline, were both uniquely associated with higher total stress cortisol. No associations were found between the cortisol circadian rhythm indices and cortisol stress reactivity. Possible explanations for the patterns found are links with children's self-regulatory capacities and parenting quality.

  12. Response Monitoring, Repetitive Behaviour and Anterior Cingulate Abnormalities in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thakkar, Katharine N.; Polli, Frida E.; Joseph, Robert M.; Tuch, David S.; Hadjikhani, Nouchine; Barton, Jason J. S.; Manoach, Dara S.

    2008-01-01

    Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by inflexible and repetitive behaviour. Response monitoring involves evaluating the consequences of behaviour and making adjustments to optimize outcomes. Deficiencies in this function, and abnormalities in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) on which it relies, have been reported as contributing…

  13. Stress-related cortisol responsivity modulates prospective memory.

    PubMed

    Glienke, K; Piefke, M

    2017-12-01

    It is known that there is inter-individual variation in behavioural and physiological stress reactions to the same stressor. The present study aimed to examine the impact of cortisol responsivity on performance in a complex real life-like prospective memory (PM) paradigm by a re-analysis of data published previously, with a focus on the taxonomy of cognitive dimensions of PM. Twenty-one male subjects were stressed with the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test (SECPT) before the planning of intentions. Another group of 20 males underwent a control procedure. Salivary cortisol was measured to assess the intensity of the biological stress response. Additionally, participants rated the subjective experience of stress on a 5-point rating scale. Stressed participants were post-hoc differentiated in high (n = 11) and low cortisol responders (n = 10). Cortisol niveau differed significantly between the two groups, whereas subjective stress ratings did not. PM performance of low cortisol responders was stable across time and the PM performance of controls declined. High cortisol responders showed a nominally weaker PM retrieval across the early trails and significantly improved only on the last trial. The data demonstrate for the first time that participants with a low cortisol responsivity may benefit from stress exposure before the planning phase of PM. PM performance of high cortisol responders shows a more inconsistent pattern, which may be interpreted in the sense of a recency effect in PM retrieval. Alternatively, high cortisol responses may have a deteriorating effect on PM retrieval, which disappeared on the last trials of the task as a result of the decrease of cortisol levels across time. Importantly, the data also demonstrate that the intensity of cortisol responses does not necessarily correspond to the intensity of the mental experience of stress. © 2017 British Society for Neuroendocrinology.

  14. Job stress factors, stress response, and social support in association with insomnia of Japanese male workers.

    PubMed

    Nishitani, Naoko; Sakakibara, Hisataka

    2010-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to examine the relation of insomnia with job stress factors, stress response, and social support. A self-completed questionnaire survey was conducted in 212 male Japanese workers at a synthetic fiber plant. With regard to insomnia, subjects were asked the first 5 of the 8 questions on the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). Job stress factors, stress response and social support were assessed using the Job Stress Questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses showed that psychological job stress factors of poor appropriateness of work and high qualitative workload were associated with insomnia. The psychological stress response of depression and physical stress responses were also related with insomnia. Depression was also related to appropriateness of work. The present results showed that insomnia was closely related with the psychological job stress factor of appropriateness of work and the psychological response of depression. These mutual relationships between insomnia and poor mental health need be investigated further.

  15. Stress Response and Artemisinin Resistance in Malaria Parasite

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-07-01

    AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-16-1-0241 TITLE: Stress Response and Artemisinin Resistance in Malaria Parasite PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Juan C. Pizarro...SUBTITLE Stress Response and Artemisinin Resistance in Malaria Parasite 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-16-1-0241 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT...explored the role of GRP78, a protein chaperone from the stress response, in arteminisin resistant parasites. The GRP78 expression at the mRNA and

  16. Coping as a mediator of the relationship between stress mindset and psychological stress response: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Horiuchi, Satoshi; Tsuda, Akira; Aoki, Shuntaro; Yoneda, Kenichiro; Sawaguchi, Yusuke

    2018-01-01

    Coping, the cognitive and behavioral effort required to manage the effects of stressors, is important in determining psychological stress responses (ie, the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive responses to stressors). Coping was classified into categories of emotional expression (eg, negative feelings and thoughts), emotional support seeking (eg, approaching loved ones to request encouragement), cognitive reinterpretation (eg, reframing a problem positively), and problem solving (eg, working to solve the problem). Stress mindset refers to the belief that stress has enhancing (stress-is-enhancing mindset) or debilitating consequences (stress-is-debilitating mindset). This study examined whether coping mediated the relationship between stress mindset and psychological stress responses. Psychological stress responses were conceptualized as depression-anxiety, irritability-anger, and helplessness. The following two hypotheses were tested: 1) a stronger stress-is-enhancing mindset is associated with less frequent use of emotional expression, emotional support seeking, and problem solving, which in turn is associated with lower levels of depression-anxiety, irritability-anger, and helplessness; 2) a stronger stress-is-debilitating mindset is associated with more frequent use of these coping strategies, which in turn is associated with higher levels of these psychological stress responses. The participants were 30 male and 94 female undergraduate and graduate students (mean age =20.4 years). Stress mindset, coping, and psychological stress responses were measured using self-report questionnaires. Six mediation analyses were performed with stress-is-enhancing mindset or stress-is-debilitating mindset as the independent variable, one of the psychological stress responses as the dependent variable, and the four coping strategies as mediators. Emotional expression partially mediated the relationship between a strong stress-is-debilitating mindset and higher irritability

  17. Coping as a mediator of the relationship between stress mindset and psychological stress response: a pilot study

    PubMed Central

    Horiuchi, Satoshi; Tsuda, Akira; Aoki, Shuntaro; Yoneda, Kenichiro; Sawaguchi, Yusuke

    2018-01-01

    Background Coping, the cognitive and behavioral effort required to manage the effects of stressors, is important in determining psychological stress responses (ie, the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive responses to stressors). Coping was classified into categories of emotional expression (eg, negative feelings and thoughts), emotional support seeking (eg, approaching loved ones to request encouragement), cognitive reinterpretation (eg, reframing a problem positively), and problem solving (eg, working to solve the problem). Stress mindset refers to the belief that stress has enhancing (stress-is-enhancing mindset) or debilitating consequences (stress-is-debilitating mindset). This study examined whether coping mediated the relationship between stress mindset and psychological stress responses. Psychological stress responses were conceptualized as depression-anxiety, irritability-anger, and helplessness. The following two hypotheses were tested: 1) a stronger stress-is-enhancing mindset is associated with less frequent use of emotional expression, emotional support seeking, and problem solving, which in turn is associated with lower levels of depression-anxiety, irritability-anger, and helplessness; 2) a stronger stress-is-debilitating mindset is associated with more frequent use of these coping strategies, which in turn is associated with higher levels of these psychological stress responses. Materials and methods The participants were 30 male and 94 female undergraduate and graduate students (mean age =20.4 years). Stress mindset, coping, and psychological stress responses were measured using self-report questionnaires. Six mediation analyses were performed with stress-is-enhancing mindset or stress-is-debilitating mindset as the independent variable, one of the psychological stress responses as the dependent variable, and the four coping strategies as mediators. Results Emotional expression partially mediated the relationship between a strong stress

  18. Endocide-Induced Abnormal Growth Forms of Invasive Giant Salvinia (Salvinia molesta).

    PubMed

    Li, Shiyou; Wang, Ping; Su, Zushang; Lozano, Emily; LaMaster, Olivia; Grogan, Jason B; Weng, Yuhui; Decker, Thomas; Findeisen, John; McGarrity, Monica

    2018-05-22

    Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) is one of the most noxious invasive species in the world. The fern is known to have primary, secondary, and tertiary growth forms, which are also commonly hypothesized as growth stages. The identification of these forms is primarily based on the size and folding status of the floating leaves. However, we identified 12 forms in the greenhouse and the field. Our experiments showed that the folding of floating leaves is a reversible trait dependent on water access. The floating leaves quickly fold in response to water shortage, reducing water loss and needs, decreasing growth, and avoiding trichome damage. The leaves re-open to allow trichomes repel water and enhance growth when having adequate water supply. Larger secondary or tertiary forms do not produce small-leaf primary forms without high intensity stress. These results do not support the hypothesis that three growth forms represent sequential growth stages. The abnormal small-leaf forms are the result of endocide-induced autotoxicity and some of them never grow into other forms. The development of abnormal forms and reversible leaf folding strategy in response to high stress along with rapid asexual reproduction are major adaptive traits contributing to the invasiveness of S. molesta.

  19. WRKY transcription factors in plant responses to stresses.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Jingjing; Ma, Shenghui; Ye, Nenghui; Jiang, Ming; Cao, Jiashu; Zhang, Jianhua

    2017-02-01

    The WRKY gene family is among the largest families of transcription factors (TFs) in higher plants. By regulating the plant hormone signal transduction pathway, these TFs play critical roles in some plant processes in response to biotic and abiotic stress. Various bodies of research have demonstrated the important biological functions of WRKY TFs in plant response to different kinds of biotic and abiotic stresses and working mechanisms. However, very little summarization has been done to review their research progress. Not just important TFs function in plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses, WRKY also participates in carbohydrate synthesis, senescence, development, and secondary metabolites synthesis. WRKY proteins can bind to W-box (TGACC (A/T)) in the promoter of its target genes and activate or repress the expression of downstream genes to regulate their stress response. Moreover, WRKY proteins can interact with other TFs to regulate plant defensive responses. In the present review, we focus on the structural characteristics of WRKY TFs and the research progress on their functions in plant responses to a variety of stresses. © 2016 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

  20. The Role of the Transcriptional Response to DNA Replication Stress

    PubMed Central

    Herlihy, Anna E.; de Bruin, Robertus A.M.

    2017-01-01

    During DNA replication many factors can result in DNA replication stress. The DNA replication stress checkpoint prevents the accumulation of replication stress-induced DNA damage and the potential ensuing genome instability. A critical role for post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation, in the replication stress checkpoint response has been well established. However, recent work has revealed an important role for transcription in the cellular response to DNA replication stress. In this review, we will provide an overview of current knowledge of the cellular response to DNA replication stress with a specific focus on the DNA replication stress checkpoint transcriptional response and its role in the prevention of replication stress-induced DNA damage. PMID:28257104

  1. The Role of the Transcriptional Response to DNA Replication Stress.

    PubMed

    Herlihy, Anna E; de Bruin, Robertus A M

    2017-03-02

    During DNA replication many factors can result in DNA replication stress. The DNA replication stress checkpoint prevents the accumulation of replication stress-induced DNA damage and the potential ensuing genome instability. A critical role for post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation, in the replication stress checkpoint response has been well established. However, recent work has revealed an important role for transcription in the cellular response to DNA replication stress. In this review, we will provide an overview of current knowledge of the cellular response to DNA replication stress with a specific focus on the DNA replication stress checkpoint transcriptional response and its role in the prevention of replication stress-induced DNA damage.

  2. Towards Establishment of a Rice Stress Response Interactome

    PubMed Central

    Seo, Young-Su; Chern, Mawsheng; Bartley, Laura E.; Han, Muho; Jung, Ki-Hong; Lee, Insuk; Walia, Harkamal; Richter, Todd; Xu, Xia; Cao, Peijian; Bai, Wei; Ramanan, Rajeshwari; Amonpant, Fawn; Arul, Loganathan; Canlas, Patrick E.; Ruan, Randy; Park, Chang-Jin; Chen, Xuewei; Hwang, Sohyun; Jeon, Jong-Seong; Ronald, Pamela C.

    2011-01-01

    Rice (Oryza sativa) is a staple food for more than half the world and a model for studies of monocotyledonous species, which include cereal crops and candidate bioenergy grasses. A major limitation of crop production is imposed by a suite of abiotic and biotic stresses resulting in 30%–60% yield losses globally each year. To elucidate stress response signaling networks, we constructed an interactome of 100 proteins by yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assays around key regulators of the rice biotic and abiotic stress responses. We validated the interactome using protein–protein interaction (PPI) assays, co-expression of transcripts, and phenotypic analyses. Using this interactome-guided prediction and phenotype validation, we identified ten novel regulators of stress tolerance, including two from protein classes not previously known to function in stress responses. Several lines of evidence support cross-talk between biotic and abiotic stress responses. The combination of focused interactome and systems analyses described here represents significant progress toward elucidating the molecular basis of traits of agronomic importance. PMID:21533176

  3. Tryptophan depletion affects the autonomic stress response in generalized social anxiety disorder.

    PubMed

    van Veen, J Frederieke; van Vliet, Irene M; de Rijk, Roel H; van Pelt, Johannes; Mertens, Bart; Fekkes, Durk; Zitman, Frans G

    2009-11-01

    In generalized social anxiety disorder (gSAD), serotonergic dysfunctions are found, as well as abnormalities of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in basal conditions and of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis in response to psychological challenges. These findings raise the question whether these phenomena are interrelated. Therefore we designed a study in which two groups with nine pair wise age and gender matched gSAD patients (total of 10 men and 8 women), who were successfully treated with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), underwent a tryptophan depletion challenge (TD) or a placebo condition. A TD procedure temporarily decreases serotonergic neurotransmission. In order to activate the stress system the TD/placebo challenge was combined with a public speaking task. We assessed ANS responses, as measured with the promising new marker salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), and HPA-axis responses, as measured with salivary cortisol. The most important result was that the TD group showed a significant larger sAA response to the public speaking task as compared to the placebo group, reflecting hyperresponsivity of the ANS in this group, whereas no differences were seen in cortisol responses. This suggests that in gSAD there is a vulnerability of the ANS more than the HPA-axis.

  4. Oxidative and inflammatory signals in obesity-associated vascular abnormalities.

    PubMed

    Reho, John J; Rahmouni, Kamal

    2017-07-15

    Obesity is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in part due to vascular abnormalities such as endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffening. The hypertension and other health complications that arise from these vascular defects increase the risk of heart diseases and stroke. Prooxidant and proinflammatory signaling pathways as well as adipocyte-derived factors have emerged as critical mediators of obesity-associated vascular abnormalities. Designing treatments aimed specifically at improving the vascular dysfunction caused by obesity may provide an effective therapeutic approach to prevent the cardiovascular sequelae associated with excessive adiposity. In this review, we discuss the recent evidence supporting the role of oxidative stress and cytokines and inflammatory signals within the vasculature as well as the impact of the surrounding perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) on the regulation of vascular function and arterial stiffening in obesity. In particular, we focus on the highly plastic nature of the vasculature in response to altered oxidant and inflammatory signaling and highlight how weight management can be an effective therapeutic approach to reduce the oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling and improve vascular function. © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

  5. The relationship between personality and the response to acute psychological stress.

    PubMed

    Xin, Yuanyuan; Wu, Jianhui; Yao, Zhuxi; Guan, Qing; Aleman, André; Luo, Yuejia

    2017-12-04

    The present study examined the relationship between personality traits and the response to acute psychological stress induced by a standardized laboratory stress induction procedure (the Trier Social Stress Test, TSST). The stress response was measured with a combination of cardiovascular reactivity, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity, and subjective affect (including positive affect, negative affect and subjective controllability) in healthy individuals. The Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) approach was applied to account for the relationship between personality traits and stress responses. Results suggested that higher neuroticism predicted lower heart rate stress reactivity, lower cortisol stress response, more decline of positive affect and lower subjective controllability. Individuals higher in extraversion showed smaller cortisol activation to stress and less increase of negative affect. In addition, higher openness score was associated with lower cortisol stress response. These findings elucidate that neuroticism, extraversion and openness are important variables associated with the stress response and different dimensions of personality trait are associated with different aspects of the stress response.

  6. ABA signaling in stress-response and seed development.

    PubMed

    Nakashima, Kazuo; Yamaguchi-Shinozaki, Kazuko

    2013-07-01

    KEY MESSAGE : We review the recent progress on ABA signaling, especially ABA signaling for ABA-dependent gene expression, including the AREB/ABF regulon, SnRK2 protein kinase, 2C-type protein phosphatases and ABA receptors. Drought negatively impacts plant growth and the productivity of crops. Drought causes osmotic stress to organisms, and the osmotic stress causes dehydration in plant cells. Abscisic acid (ABA) is produced under osmotic stress conditions, and it plays an important role in the stress response and tolerance of plants. ABA regulates many genes under osmotic stress conditions. It also regulates gene expression during seed development and germination. The ABA-responsive element (ABRE) is the major cis-element for ABA-responsive gene expression. ABRE-binding protein (AREB)/ABRE-binding factor (ABF) transcription factors (TFs) regulate ABRE-dependent gene expression. Other TFs are also involved in ABA-responsive gene expression. SNF1-related protein kinases 2 are the key regulators of ABA signaling including the AREB/ABF regulon. Recently, ABA receptors and group A 2C-type protein phosphatases were shown to govern the ABA signaling pathway. Moreover, recent studies have suggested that there are interactions between the major ABA signaling pathway and other signaling factors in stress-response and seed development. The control of the expression of ABA signaling factors may improve tolerance to environmental stresses.

  7. Relation between stress and cytokine responses in inner-city mothers.

    PubMed

    Gruenberg, David A; Wright, Rosalind J; Visness, Cynthia M; Jaffee, Katy F; Bloomberg, Gordon R; Cruikshank, William W; Kattan, Meyer; Sandel, Megan T; Wood, Robert A; Gern, James E

    2015-11-01

    Women in poor urban neighborhoods have high rates of stress and allergic diseases, but whether stress or stress correlates such as depression promote inflammatory and type 2 cytokine responses is unknown. To examine associations among external stressors, perceived stress, depression, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell cytokine responses of mothers enrolled in the Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma Study and test the hypothesis that stress would be positively associated with type 2 and selected proinflammatory (tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-8) responses. Questionnaire data from mothers living in 4 inner cities included information about external stress, stress perception, and depression. The external stress domains (interpersonal problems, housing, and neighborhood stress) were combined into a Composite Stressor score. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated ex vivo and cytokine responses to innate, adaptive, and polyclonal immune stimuli were compared with stress and depression scores for 469 of the 606 study participants. There were no significant positive associations between Composite Stressor scores, perceived stress, or depression scores and proinflammatory or type 2 cytokine responses, and these findings were not modified by allergy or asthma status. There were some modest associations with individual stressors and cytokine responses, but no consistent relations were noted. Depression was associated with decreased responses to some stimuli, particularly dust mite. Composite measurements of stressors, perceived stress, or depression were not positively related to proinflammatory or type 2 cytokine responses in these young urban women. These data do not support the hypothesis that these factors promote cytokine responses associated with allergy. ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT00114881. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  8. In response to community violence: coping strategies and involuntary stress responses among Latino adolescents.

    PubMed

    Epstein-Ngo, Quyen; Maurizi, Laura K; Bregman, Allyson; Ceballo, Rosario

    2013-01-01

    Among poor, urban adolescents, high rates of community violence are a pressing public health concern. This study relies on a contextual framework of stress and coping to investigate how coping strategies and involuntary stress responses may both mediate and moderate the relation between exposure to community violence and psychological well-being. Our sample consists of 223 ninth grade Latino adolescents from poor, urban families. In response to community violence, these adolescents reported using an array of coping strategies as well as experiencing a number of involuntary stress responses; the most frequent coping responses were turning to religion and seeking social support. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that involuntary stress responses mediated the relations between both witnessing or being victimized by violence and poorer psychological functioning, while coping strategies moderated these relations. These findings suggest that the negative psychological effects of exposure to community violence may, in part, be explained by involuntary stress responses, while religious-based coping may serve as a protective factor.

  9. Transactional Associations Between Youths’ Responses to Peer Stress and Depression: The Moderating Roles of Sex and Stress Exposure

    PubMed Central

    Agoston, Anna Monica; Rudolph, Karen D.

    2011-01-01

    This study examined transactional associations between responses to peer stress and depression in youth. Specifically, it tested the hypotheses that (a) depression would predict fewer effortful responses and more involuntary, dysregulated responses to peer stress over time; and (b) fewer adaptive and more maladaptive responses would predict subsequent depression. Youth (M age = 12.41; SD = 1.19; 86 girls, 81 boys) and their maternal caregivers completed semi-structured interviews and questionnaires at three annual waves. Multi-group comparison path analyses were conducted to examine sex and stress-level differences in the proposed reciprocal-influence model. In girls and in youth exposed to high levels of peer stress, maladaptive stress responses predicted more depressive symptoms and adaptive stress responses predicted fewer depressive symptoms at each wave. These findings suggest the utility of preventive interventions for depression designed to enhance the quality of girls’ stress responses. In boys, depression predicted less adaptive and more maladaptive stress responses, but only at the second wave. These findings suggest that interventions designed to reduce boys’ depressive symptoms may help them develop more adaptive stress responses. PMID:20852929

  10. Fluoride-elicited developmental testicular toxicity in rats: Roles of endoplasmic reticulum stress and inflammatory response

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, Shun; Jiang, Chunyang; Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tianjin Union Medicine Centre, 190 Jieyuan Road, Hongqiao District, Tianjin 300121, Tianjin

    Long-term excessive fluoride intake is known to be toxic and can damage a variety of organs and tissues in the human body. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying fluoride-induced male reproductive toxicity are not well understood. In this study, we used a rat model to simulate the situations of human exposure and aimed to evaluate the roles of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and inflammatory response in fluoride-induced testicular injury. Sprague–Dawley rats were administered with sodium fluoride (NaF) at 25, 50 and 100 mg/L via drinking water from pre-pregnancy to gestation, birth and finally to post-puberty. And then the testes of malemore » offspring were studied at 8 weeks of age. Our results demonstrated that fluoride treatment increased MDA accumulation, decreased SOD activity, and enhanced germ cell apoptosis. In addition, fluoride elevated mRNA and protein levels of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), inositol requiring ER-to-nucleus signal kinase 1 (IRE1), and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), indicating activation of ER stress signaling. Furthermore, fluoride also induced testicular inflammation, as manifested by gene up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), in a nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)-dependent manner. These were associated with marked histopathological lesions including injury of spermatogonia, decrease of spermatocytes and absence of elongated spermatids, as well as severe ultrastructural abnormalities in testes. Taken together, our results provide compelling evidence that ER stress and inflammation would be novel and significant mechanisms responsible for fluoride-induced disturbance of spermatogenesis and germ cell loss in addition to oxidative stress. - Highlights: • We used a rat model to simulate the situations of human fluoride (F) exposure. • Developmental F exposure induces testicular damage related with oxidative

  11. Chronic Smoking, Trait Anxiety, and the Physiological Response to Stress.

    PubMed

    Wiggert, Nicole; Wilhelm, Frank H; Nakajima, Motohiro; al'Absi, Mustafa

    2016-10-14

    Both chronic smoking and trait anxiety have been associated with dysregulations in psychobiological stress response systems. However, these factors have not been studied in conjunction. We expected trait anxiety and smoking status to attenuate stress reactivity. Furthermore, we expected an allostatic load effect resulting in particularly attenuated stress reactivity in high-anxious smokers. In addition, high-anxious smokers were expected to exhibit increased urges to smoke in response to stress. 115 smokers and 37 nonsmokers, aged 18-64 years, completed a laboratory session including mental stressors such as evaluated public speaking and mental arithmetic. Trait anxiety was assessed using Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Cardiovascular autonomic indices, salivary cortisol, and the desire to smoke were measured at baseline, during stressors, and at recovery. Regression analyses showed that smokers exhibited attenuated cardiovascular stress responses in comparison to nonsmokers. Higher trait anxiety predicted attenuated systolic blood pressure responses to stress. No interaction effect of smoking status and trait anxiety was found in stress response measures. Higher trait anxiety predicted an increased desire to smoke in response to stress among smokers. Results indicate that both smoking status and trait anxiety are associated with blunted sympatho-adrenal cardiovascular stress reactivity. Elevated urges to smoke in response to stress found among smokers with high trait anxiety suggest an important role of anxiety in smoking propensity and relapse.

  12. Habitat odor can alleviate innate stress responses in mice.

    PubMed

    Matsukawa, Mutsumi; Imada, Masato; Aizawa, Shin; Sato, Takaaki

    2016-01-15

    Predatory odors, which can induce innate fear and stress responses in prey species, are frequently used in the development of animal models for several psychiatric diseases including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a life-threatening event. We have previously shown that odors can be divided into at least three types; odors that act as (1) innate stressors, (2) as innate relaxants, or (3) have no innate effects on stress responses. Here, we attempted to verify whether an artificial odor, which had no innate effect on predatory odor-induced stress, could alleviate stress if experienced in early life as a habitat odor. In the current study, we demonstrated that the innate responses were changed to counteract stress following a postnatal experience. Moreover, we suggest that inhibitory circuits involved in stress-related neuronal networks and the concentrations of norepinephrine in the hippocampus may be crucial in alleviating stress induced by the predatory odor. Overall, these findings may be important for understanding the mechanisms involved in differential odor responses and also for the development of pharmacotherapeutic interventions that can alleviate stress in illnesses like PTSD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Work stress and innate immune response.

    PubMed

    Boscolo, P; Di Gioacchino, M; Reale, M; Muraro, R; Di Giampaolo, L

    2011-01-01

    Several reports highlight the relationship between blood NK cytotoxic activity and life style. Easy life style, including physical activity, healthy dietary habits as well as good mental health are characterized by an efficient immune response. Life style is related to the type of occupational activity since work has a central part in life either as source of income or contributing to represent the social identity. Not only occupational stress, but also job loss or insecurity are thus considered serious stressful situations, inducing emotional disorders which may affect both neuroendocrine and immune systems; reduced reactivity to mitogens and/or decreased blood NK cytotoxic activity was reported in unemployed workers or in those with a high perception of job insecurity and/or job stress. Although genetic factors have a key role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders, occupational stress (as in night shifts) was reported associated to an increased incidence of autoimmune disorders. Monitoring blood NK response may thus be included in the health programs as an indirect index of stressful job and/or poor lifestyle.

  14. Cortisol responses to naturalistic and laboratory stress in student teachers: comparison with a non-stress control day.

    PubMed

    Wolfram, Maren; Bellingrath, Silja; Feuerhahn, Nicolas; Kudielka, Brigitte M

    2013-04-01

    Ambulatory assessments of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis responses to acute natural stressors yield evidence on stress regulation with high ecological validity. Sampling of salivary cortisol is a standard technique in this field. In 21 healthy student teachers, we assessed cortisol responses to a demonstration lesson. On a control day, sampling was repeated at analogous times. Additionally, the cortisol awakening response (CAR) was assessed on both days. Participants were also exposed to a laboratory stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test, and rated their individual levels of chronic work stress. In pre-to-post-stress assessment, cortisol levels declined after the lesson. However, post-stress cortisol levels were significantly higher compared with those on the control day. Also, the Trier Social Stress Test yielded higher cortisol responses when using the control day as reference baseline. Associations between the CAR and chronic stress measures were observed solely on the control day. There were no significant associations between cortisol responses to the natural and laboratory stressors. Our results indicate that a control day might be an important complement in laboratory but especially in ambulatory stress research. Furthermore, associations between chronic stress measures and the CAR might be obscured by acute stress exposure. Finally, responses to the laboratory stressor do not seem to mirror natural stress responses. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Myg1-deficient mice display alterations in stress-induced responses and reduction of sex-dependent behavioural differences.

    PubMed

    Philips, Mari-Anne; Abramov, Urho; Lilleväli, Kersti; Luuk, Hendrik; Kurrikoff, Kaido; Raud, Sirli; Plaas, Mario; Innos, Jürgen; Puussaar, Triinu; Kõks, Sulev; Vasar, Eero

    2010-02-11

    Myg1 (Melanocyte proliferating gene 1) is a highly conserved and ubiquitously expressed gene, which encodes a protein with mitochondrial and nuclear localization. In the current study we demonstrate a gradual decline of Myg1 expression during the postnatal development of the mouse brain that suggests relevance for Myg1 in developmental processes. To study the effects of Myg1 loss-of-function, we created Myg1-deficient (-/-) mice by displacing the entire coding sequence of the gene. Initial phenotyping, covering a multitude of behavioural, cognitive, neurological, physiological and stress-related responses, revealed that homozygous Myg1 (-/-) mice are vital, fertile and display no gross abnormalities. Myg1 (-/-) mice showed an inconsistent pattern of altered anxiety-like behaviour in different tests. The plus-maze and social interaction tests revealed that male Myg1 (-/-) mice were significantly less anxious than their wild-type littermates; female (-/-) mice showed increased anxiety in the locomotor activity arena. Restraint-stress significantly reduced the expression of the Myg1 gene in the prefrontal cortex of female wild-type mice and restrained female (-/-) mice showed a blunted corticosterone response, suggesting involvement of Myg1 in stress-induced responses. The main finding of the present study was that Myg1 invalidation decreases several behavioural differences between male and female animals that were obvious in wild-type mice, indicating that Myg1 contributes to the expression of sex-dependent behavioural differences in mice. Taken together, we provide evidence for the involvement of Myg1 in anxiety- and stress-related responses and suggest that Myg1 contributes to the expression of sex-dependent behavioural differences.

  16. Abnormal adaptations to stress and impaired cardiovascular function in mice lacking corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor-2.

    PubMed

    Coste, S C; Kesterson, R A; Heldwein, K A; Stevens, S L; Heard, A D; Hollis, J H; Murray, S E; Hill, J K; Pantely, G A; Hohimer, A R; Hatton, D C; Phillips, T J; Finn, D A; Low, M J; Rittenberg, M B; Stenzel, P; Stenzel-Poore, M P

    2000-04-01

    The actions of corticotropin-releasing hormone (Crh), a mediator of endocrine and behavioural responses to stress, and the related hormone urocortin (Ucn) are coordinated by two receptors, Crhr1 (encoded by Crhr) and Crhr2. These receptors may exhibit distinct functions due to unique tissue distribution and pharmacology. Crhr-null mice have defined central functions for Crhr1 in anxiety and neuroendocrine stress responses. Here we generate Crhr2-/- mice and show that Crhr2 supplies regulatory features to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) stress response. Although initiation of the stress response appears to be normal, Crhr2-/- mice show early termination of adrenocorticotropic hormone (Acth) release, suggesting that Crhr2 is involved in maintaining HPA drive. Crhr2 also appears to modify the recovery phase of the HPA response, as corticosterone levels remain elevated 90 minutes after stress in Crhr2-/- mice. In addition, stress-coping behaviours associated with dearousal are reduced in Crhr2-/- mice. We also demonstrate that Crhr2 is essential for sustained feeding suppression (hypophagia) induced by Ucn. Feeding is initially suppressed in Crhr2-/- mice following Ucn, but Crhr2-/- mice recover more rapidly and completely than do wild-type mice. In addition to central nervous system effects, we found that, in contrast to wild-type mice, Crhr2-/- mice fail to show the enhanced cardiac performance or reduced blood pressure associated with systemic Ucn, suggesting that Crhr2 mediates these peripheral haemodynamic effects. Moreover, Crhr2-/- mice have elevated basal blood pressure, demonstrating that Crhr2 participates in cardiovascular homeostasis. Our results identify specific responses in the brain and periphery that involve Crhr2.

  17. Reduced risk of apoptosis: mechanisms of stress responses.

    PubMed

    Milisav, Irina; Poljšak, Borut; Ribarič, Samo

    2017-02-01

    Apoptosis signaling pathways are integrated into a wider network of interconnected apoptotic and anti-apoptotic pathways that regulate a broad range of cell responses from cell death to growth, development and stress responses. An important trigger for anti- or pro-apoptotic cell responses are different forms of stress including hypoxia, energy deprivation, DNA damage or inflammation. Stress duration and intensity determine whether the cell's response will be improved cell survival, due to stress adaptation, or cell death by apoptosis, necrosis or autophagy. Although the interplay between enhanced stress tolerance and modulation of apoptosis triggering is not yet fully understood, there is a substantial body of experimental evidence demonstrating that apoptosis and anti-apoptosis signaling pathways can be manipulated to trigger or delay apoptosis in vitro or in vivo. Anti-apoptotic strategies cover a broad range of approaches. These interventions include mediators that prevent apoptosis (trophic factors and cytokines), apoptosis inhibition (caspase inhibition, stimulation of anti-apoptotic or inhibition of pro-apoptotic proteins and elimination of apoptotic stimulus), adaptive stress responses (induction of maintenance and repair, caspase inactivation) and cell-cell interactions (blocking engulfment and modified micro environment). There is a consensus that preclinical efficacy and safety evaluations of anti-apoptotic strategies should be performed with protocols that simulate as closely as possible the effects of aging, gender, risk factors, comorbidities and co-medications.

  18. Antagonistic, overlapping and distinct responses to biotic stress in rice (Oryza sativa) and interactions with abiotic stress

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Every year, substantial crop loss occurs globally, as a result of bacterial, fungal, parasite and viral infections in rice. Here, we present an in-depth investigation of the transcriptomic response to infection with the destructive bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae(Xoo) in both resistant and susceptible varieties of Oryza sativa. A comparative analysis to fungal, parasite and viral infection in rice is also presented. Results Within 24 h of Xoo inoculation, significant reduction of cell wall components and induction of several signalling components, membrane bound receptor kinases and specific WRKY and NAC transcription factors was prominent, providing a framework for how the presence of this pathogen was signalled and response mounted. Extensive comparative analyses of various other pathogen responses, including in response to infection with another bacterium (Xoc), resistant and susceptible parasite infection, fungal, and viral infections, led to a proposed model for the rice biotic stress response. In this way, a conserved induction of calcium signalling functions, and specific WRKY and NAC transcription factors, was identified in response to all biotic stresses. Comparison of these responses to abiotic stress (cold, drought, salt, heat), enabled the identification of unique genes responsive only to bacterial infection, 240 genes responsive to both abiotic and biotic stress, and 135 genes responsive to biotic, but not abiotic stresses. Functional significance of a number of these genes, using genetic inactivation or over-expression, has revealed significant stress-associated phenotypes. While only a few antagonistic responses were observed between biotic and abiotic stresses, e.g. for a number of endochitinases and kinase encoding genes, some of these may be crucial in explaining greater pathogen infection and damage under abiotic stresses. Conclusions The analyses presented here provides a global view of the responses to multiple

  19. Lysyl Oxidase Induces Vascular Oxidative Stress and Contributes to Arterial Stiffness and Abnormal Elastin Structure in Hypertension: Role of p38MAPK

    PubMed Central

    Martínez-Revelles, Sonia; García-Redondo, Ana B.; Avendaño, María S.; Varona, Saray; Palao, Teresa; Orriols, Mar; Roque, Fernanda R.; Fortuño, Ana; Touyz, Rhian M.; Martínez-González, Jose; Salaices, Mercedes

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Aims: Vascular stiffness, structural elastin abnormalities, and increased oxidative stress are hallmarks of hypertension. Lysyl oxidase (LOX) is an elastin crosslinking enzyme that produces H2O2 as a by-product. We addressed the interplay between LOX, oxidative stress, vessel stiffness, and elastin. Results: Angiotensin II (Ang II)-infused hypertensive mice and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) showed increased vascular LOX expression and stiffness and an abnormal elastin structure. Mice over-expressing LOX in vascular smooth muscle cells (TgLOX) exhibited similar mechanical and elastin alterations to those of hypertensive models. LOX inhibition with β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) attenuated mechanical and elastin alterations in TgLOX mice, Ang II-infused mice, and SHR. Arteries from TgLOX mice, Ang II-infused mice, and/or SHR exhibited increased vascular H2O2 and O2.− levels, NADPH oxidase activity, and/or mitochondrial dysfunction. BAPN prevented the higher oxidative stress in hypertensive models. Treatment of TgLOX and Ang II-infused mice and SHR with the mitochondrial-targeted superoxide dismutase mimetic mito-TEMPO, the antioxidant apocynin, or the H2O2 scavenger polyethylene glycol-conjugated catalase (PEG-catalase) reduced oxidative stress, vascular stiffness, and elastin alterations. Vascular p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) activation was increased in Ang II-infused and TgLOX mice and this effect was prevented by BAPN, mito-TEMPO, or PEG-catalase. SB203580, the p38MAPK inhibitor, normalized vessel stiffness and elastin structure in TgLOX mice. Innovation: We identify LOX as a novel source of vascular reactive oxygen species and a new pathway involved in vascular stiffness and elastin remodeling in hypertension. Conclusion: LOX up-regulation is associated with enhanced oxidative stress that promotes p38MAPK activation, elastin structural alterations, and vascular stiffness. This pathway contributes to vascular abnormalities in

  20. Role of shame and body esteem in cortisol stress responses

    PubMed Central

    Lupis, Sarah B.; Sabik, Natalie J.

    2016-01-01

    Studies assessing the role of shame in HPA axis reactivity report mixed findings. Discrepancies may be due to methodological difficulties and inter-individual differences in the propensity to experience shame in a stressful situation. Hence, the current study combined self-report of shame and facial coding of shame expressions and assessed the role of body esteem as a moderator of the shame–stress link. For this, 44 healthy students (24F, age 20.5 ± 2.1 years) were exposed to an acute psychosocial stress paradigm (Trier Social Stress Test: TSST). Salivary cortisol levels were measured throughout the protocol. Trait shame was measured before the stress test, and state shame immediately afterwards. Video recordings of the TSST were coded to determine emotion expressions. State shame was neither associated with cortisol stress responses nor with body esteem (self-report: all ps ≥ .24; expression: all ps ≥ .31). In contrast, higher trait shame was associated with both negative body esteem (p = .049) and stronger cortisol stress responses (p = .013). Lastly, having lower body esteem predicted stronger cortisol stress responses (p = .022); however, it did not significantly moderate the association between shame indices and cortisol stress responses (all ps ≥ .94). These findings suggest that body esteem and trait shame independently contribute to strength of cortisol stress responses. Thus, in addition to trait shame, body esteem emerged as an important predictor of cortisol stress responses and as such, a potential contributor to stress-related negative health outcomes. PMID:26577952

  1. Refining the multisystem view of the stress response: coordination among cortisol, alpha-amylase, and subjective stress in response to relationship conflict.

    PubMed

    Laurent, Heidemarie K; Powers, Sally I; Granger, Douglas A

    2013-07-02

    This study investigated associations among young adults' hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, autonomic nervous system activity, and subjective stress in response to interpersonal conflict to better characterize coordination across stress systems. Seven saliva samples were collected from 199 young adult opposite-sex couples before, during, and after they discussed an unresolved relationship conflict. Samples were later assayed for cortisol and alpha-amylase (sAA). Couples rated anticipatory stress prior to the conflict and perceived stress immediately following the task. Growth curve modeling was used to examine two possible levels of within-person coordination across physiological systems: alignment between cortisol and sAA responses throughout the sampling period ("matched phase coordination"), and association between overall levels of cortisol and sAA in response to conflict ("average level coordination"). Whereas both partners showed the former type of coordination, only women showed the latter type. Positive anticipation of the stressor predicted stronger cortisol-sAA matched phase coordination for women. Pre-task ratings related to women's sAA, and post-task ratings related to both partners' cortisol responses. Implications for a multisystem interpretation of normal and pathological responses to daily stress are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Refining the multisystem view of the stress response: Coordination among cortisol, alpha-amylase, and subjective stress in response to relationship conflict

    PubMed Central

    Powers, Sally I.; Granger, Douglas A.

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated associations among young adults' hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, autonomic nervous system activity, and subjective stress in response to interpersonal conflict to better characterize coordination across stress systems. Seven saliva samples were collected from 199 young adult opposite-sex couples before, during, and after they discussed an unresolved relationship conflict. Samples were later assayed for cortisol and alpha-amylase (sAA). Couples rated anticipatory stress prior to the conflict and perceived stress immediately following the task. Growth curve modeling was used to examine two possible levels of within-person coordination across physiological systems: alignment between cortisol and sAA responses throughout the sampling period (“matched phase coordination”), and association between overall levels of cortisol and sAA in response to conflict (“average level coordination”). Whereas both partners showed the former type of coordination, only women showed the latter type. Positive anticipation of the stressor predicted stronger cortisol-sAA matched phase coordination for women. Pre-task ratings related to women's sAA, and post-task ratings related to both partners' cortisol responses. Implications for a multisystem interpretation of normal and pathological responses to daily stress are discussed. PMID:23684904

  3. Interdependence of tetrapyrrole metabolism, the generation of oxidative stress and the mitigative oxidative stress response

    PubMed Central

    Busch, Andrea W.U.; Montgomery, Beronda L.

    2015-01-01

    Tetrapyrroles are involved in light harvesting and light perception, electron-transfer reactions, and as co-factors for key enzymes and sensory proteins. Under conditions in which cells exhibit stress-induced imbalances of photosynthetic reactions, or light absorption exceeds the ability of the cell to use photoexcitation energy in synthesis reactions, redox imbalance can occur in photosynthetic cells. Such conditions can lead to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) associated with alterations in tetrapyrrole homeostasis. ROS accumulation can result in cellular damage and detrimental effects on organismal fitness, or ROS molecules can serve as signals to induce a protective or damage-mitigating oxidative stress signaling response in cells. Induced oxidative stress responses include tetrapyrrole-dependent and -independent mechanisms for mitigating ROS generation and/or accumulation. Thus, tetrapyrroles can be contributors to oxidative stress, but are also essential in the oxidative stress response to protect cells by contributing to detoxification of ROS. In this review, we highlight the interconnection and interdependence of tetrapyrrole metabolism with the occurrence of oxidative stress and protective oxidative stress signaling responses in photosynthetic organisms. PMID:25618582

  4. Evaluation of tributyltin toxicity in Chinese rare minnow larvae by abnormal behavior, energy metabolism and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

    PubMed

    Li, Zhi-Hua; Li, Ping

    2015-02-05

    Tributyltin (TBT) is a ubiquitous contaminant in aquatic environment, but the detailed mechanisms underlying the toxicity of TBT have not been fully understood. In this study, the effects of TBT on behavior, energy metabolism and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress were investigated by using Chinese rare minnow larvae. Fish larvae were exposed at sublethal concentrations of TBT (100, 400 and 800 ng/L) for 7 days. Compared with the control, energy metabolic parameters (RNA/DNA ratio, Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase) were significantly inhibited in fish exposed at highest concentration (800 ng/L), as well as abnormal behaviors observed. Moreover, we found that the PERK (PKR-like ER kinase)-eIF2α (eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α) pathway, as the main branch was activated by TBT exposure in fish larvae. In short, TBT-induced physiological, biochemical and molecular responses in fish larvae were reflected in parameters measured in this study, which suggest that these biomarkers could be used as potential indicators for monitoring organotin compounds present in aquatic environment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Chronic Smoking, Trait Anxiety, and the Physiological Response to Stress

    PubMed Central

    Wiggert, Nicole; Wilhelm, Frank H.; Nakajima, Motohiro; al’Absi, Mustafa

    2016-01-01

    Background and Objectives Both chronic smoking and trait anxiety have been associated with dysregulations in psychobiological stress response systems. However, these factors have not been studied in conjunction. We expected trait anxiety and smoking status to attenuate stress reactivity. Furthermore, we expected an allostatic load effect resulting in particularly attenuated stress reactivity in high-anxious smokers. In addition, high-anxious smokers were expected to exhibit increased urges to smoke in response to stress. Methods 115 smokers and 37 nonsmokers, aged 18 – 64 years, completed a laboratory session including mental stressors such as evaluated public speaking and mental arithmetic. Trait anxiety was assessed using Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Cardiovascular autonomic indices, salivary cortisol, and the desire to smoke were measured at baseline, during stressors, and at recovery. Results Regression analyses showed that smokers exhibited attenuated cardiovascular stress responses in comparison to nonsmokers. Higher trait anxiety predicted attenuated systolic blood pressure responses to stress. No interaction effect of smoking status and trait anxiety was found in stress response measures. Higher trait anxiety predicted an increased desire to smoke in response to stress among smokers. Conclusion Results indicate that both smoking status and trait anxiety are associated with blunted sympatho-adrenal cardiovascular stress reactivity. Elevated urges to smoke in response to stress found among smokers with high trait anxiety suggest an important role of anxiety in smoking propensity and relapse. PMID:27484702

  6. Proteomic analysis of endoplasmic reticulum stress responses in rice seeds.

    PubMed

    Qian, Dandan; Tian, Lihong; Qu, Leqing

    2015-09-23

    The defects in storage proteins secretion in the endosperm of transgenic rice seeds often leads to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which produces floury and shrunken seeds, but the mechanism of this response remains unclear. We used an iTRAQ-based proteomics analysis of ER-stressed rice seeds due to the endosperm-specific suppression of OsSar1 to identify changes in the protein levels in response to ER stress. ER stress changed the expression of 405 proteins in rice seed by >2.0- fold compared with the wild-type control. Of these proteins, 140 were upregulated and 265 were downregulated. The upregulated proteins were mainly involved in protein modification, transport and degradation, and the downregulated proteins were mainly involved in metabolism and stress/defense responses. A KOBAS analysis revealed that protein-processing in the ER and degradation-related proteasome were the predominant upregulated pathways in the rice endosperm in response to ER stress. Trans-Golgi protein transport was also involved in the ER stress response. Combined with bioinformatic and molecular biology analyses, our proteomic data will facilitate our understanding of the systemic responses to ER stress in rice seeds.

  7. Induction of the cellular stress response in Chironomus (Diptera)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pardalis, G.; Hudson, L.A.; Ciborowski, J.J.H.

    1995-12-31

    The accumulation of stress or heat shock proteins is involved in the protection and defense of a cell from environmentally induced damage. Under stressful conditions, cytoplasmic stress protein 70 migrates to the nucleus where it assists in the restoration of the nucleolar function. The authors have demonstrated a dose-response relationship between incidence of decreased nucleolar size in chironomid salivary glands and degree of sediment contamination. Reduced nucleolar size is indicative of reduced nucleolar function. The relationship between nucleolus size and stress protein accumulation is being explored. They are conducting experiments on chironomids to characterize the response elicited by heat shockmore » and PAH exposure in the laboratory to determine if the simultaneous action of more than one stressor can significantly alter the stress response. Simultaneous studies are being conducted to validate these biomarkers in mesocosm caging experiments. Aspects of the response will be useful as biomarkers of general stress.« less

  8. Stretching the stress boundary: Linking air pollution health effects to a neurohormonal stress response.

    PubMed

    Kodavanti, Urmila P

    2016-12-01

    Inhaled pollutants produce effects in virtually all organ systems in our body and have been linked to chronic diseases including hypertension, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's and diabetes. A neurohormonal stress response (referred to here as a systemic response produced by activation of the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis) has been implicated in a variety of psychological and physical stresses, which involves immune and metabolic homeostatic mechanisms affecting all organs in the body. In this review, we provide new evidence for the involvement of this well-characterized neurohormonal stress response in mediating systemic and pulmonary effects of a prototypic air pollutant - ozone. A plethora of systemic metabolic and immune effects are induced in animals exposed to inhaled pollutants, which could result from increased circulating stress hormones. The release of adrenal-derived stress hormones in response to ozone exposure not only mediates systemic immune and metabolic responses, but by doing so, also modulates pulmonary injury and inflammation. With recurring pollutant exposures, these effects can contribute to multi-organ chronic conditions associated with air pollution. This review will cover, 1) the potential mechanisms by which air pollutants can initiate the relay of signals from respiratory tract to brain through trigeminal and vagus nerves, and activate stress responsive regions including hypothalamus; and 2) the contribution of sympathetic and HPA-axis activation in mediating systemic homeostatic metabolic and immune effects of ozone in various organs. The potential contribution of chronic environmental stress in cardiovascular, neurological, reproductive and metabolic diseases, and the knowledge gaps are also discussed. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Air Pollution, edited by Wenjun Ding, Andrew J. Ghio and Weidong Wu. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  9. Immunological modes of pregnancy loss: inflammation, immune effectors, and stress.

    PubMed

    Kwak-Kim, Joanne; Bao, Shihua; Lee, Sung Ki; Kim, Joon Woo; Gilman-Sachs, Alice

    2014-08-01

    Inflammatory immune response plays a key role in reproductive failures such as multiple implantation failures (MIF), early pregnancy loss, and recurrent pregnancy losses (RPL). Cellular immune responses particularly mediated by natural killer (NK), and T cells are often dysregulated in these conditions. Excessive or inappropriate recruitment of peripheral blood NK cells to the uterus may lead to cytotoxic environment in utero, in which proliferation and differentiation of trophoblast is hampered. In addition, inadequate angiogenesis by uterine NK cells often leads to abnormal vascular development and blood flow patterns, which, in turn, leads to increased oxidative stress or ischemic changes in the invading trophoblast. T-cell abnormalities with increased Th1 and Th17 immunity, and decreased Th2 and T regulatory immune responses may play important roles in RPL and MIF. A possible role of stress in inflammatory immune response is also reviewed. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Cell Wall Metabolism in Response to Abiotic Stress

    PubMed Central

    Gall, Hyacinthe Le; Philippe, Florian; Domon, Jean-Marc; Gillet, Françoise; Pelloux, Jérôme; Rayon, Catherine

    2015-01-01

    This review focuses on the responses of the plant cell wall to several abiotic stresses including drought, flooding, heat, cold, salt, heavy metals, light, and air pollutants. The effects of stress on cell wall metabolism are discussed at the physiological (morphogenic), transcriptomic, proteomic and biochemical levels. The analysis of a large set of data shows that the plant response is highly complex. The overall effects of most abiotic stress are often dependent on the plant species, the genotype, the age of the plant, the timing of the stress application, and the intensity of this stress. This shows the difficulty of identifying a common pattern of stress response in cell wall architecture that could enable adaptation and/or resistance to abiotic stress. However, in most cases, two main mechanisms can be highlighted: (i) an increased level in xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase (XTH) and expansin proteins, associated with an increase in the degree of rhamnogalacturonan I branching that maintains cell wall plasticity and (ii) an increased cell wall thickening by reinforcement of the secondary wall with hemicellulose and lignin deposition. Taken together, these results show the need to undertake large-scale analyses, using multidisciplinary approaches, to unravel the consequences of stress on the cell wall. This will help identify the key components that could be targeted to improve biomass production under stress conditions. PMID:27135320

  11. Abiotic stress signaling and responses in plants

    PubMed Central

    Zhu, Jian-Kang

    2016-01-01

    Summary As sessile organisms, plants must cope with abiotic stress such as soil salinity, drought, and extreme temperatures. Core stress signaling pathways involve protein kinases related to the yeast SNF1 and mammalian AMPK, suggesting that stress signaling in plants evolved from energy sensing. Stress signaling regulates proteins critical for ion and water transport and for metabolic and gene-expression reprogramming to bring about ionic and water homeostasis and cellular stability under stress conditions. Understanding stress signaling and responses will increase our ability to improve stress resistance in crops to achieve agricultural sustainability and food security for a growing world population. PMID:27716505

  12. The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress responsivity

    PubMed Central

    Ellis, Bruce J.; Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A.

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents the Adaptive Calibration Model (ACM), an evolutionary-developmental theory of individual differences in the functioning of the stress response system. The stress response system has three main biological functions: (1) to coordinate the organism’s allostatic response to physical and psychosocial challenges; (2) to encode and filter information about the organism’s social and physical environment, mediating the organism’s openness to environmental inputs; and (3) to regulate the organism’s physiology and behavior in a broad range of fitness-relevant areas including defensive behaviors, competitive risk-taking, learning, attachment, affiliation and reproductive functioning. The information encoded by the system during development feeds back on the long-term calibration of the system itself, resulting in adaptive patterns of responsivity and individual differences in behavior. Drawing on evolutionary life history theory, we build a model of the development of stress responsivity across life stages, describe four prototypical responsivity patterns, and discuss the emergence and meaning of sex differences. The ACM extends the theory of biological sensitivity to context (BSC) and provides an integrative framework for future research in the field. PMID:21145350

  13. Hormonal control of cold stress responses in plants.

    PubMed

    Eremina, Marina; Rozhon, Wilfried; Poppenberger, Brigitte

    2016-02-01

    Cold stress responses in plants are highly sophisticated events that alter the biochemical composition of cells for protection from damage caused by low temperatures. In addition, cold stress has a profound impact on plant morphologies, causing growth repression and reduced yields. Complex signalling cascades are utilised to induce changes in cold-responsive gene expression that enable plants to withstand chilling or even freezing temperatures. These cascades are governed by the activity of plant hormones, and recent research has provided a better understanding of how cold stress responses are integrated with developmental pathways that modulate growth and initiate other events that increase cold tolerance. Information on the hormonal control of cold stress signalling is summarised to highlight the significant progress that has been made and indicate gaps that still exist in our understanding.

  14. Enhanced startle responsivity 24 hours after acute stress exposure.

    PubMed

    Herten, Nadja; Otto, Tobias; Adolph, Dirk; Pause, Bettina M; Kumsta, Robert; Wolf, Oliver T

    2016-10-01

    Cortisol release in a stressful situation can be beneficial for memory encoding and memory consolidation. Stimuli, such as odors, related to the stressful episode may successfully cue memory contents of the stress experience. The current investigation aimed at testing the potency of stress to influence startle responsivity 24 hr later and to implicitly reactivate emotional memory traces triggered by an odor involved. Participants were assigned to either a stress (Trier Social Stress Test [TSST]) or control (friendly TSST [f-TSST]) condition featuring an ambient odor. On the next day, participants underwent an auditory startle paradigm while their eyeblink reflex was recorded by an electrooculogram. Three different olfactory stimuli were delivered, one being the target odor presented the day before. Additionally, negative, positive, and pictures of the committee members were included for comparing general startle responsivity and fear-potentiated startle. Participants of the stress group demonstrated an enhanced startle response across all stimuli compared to participants of the control group. There were no specific effects with regard to the target odor. The typical fear-potentiated startle response occurred. Stressed participants tended to rate the target odor more aversive than control participants. Odor recognition memory did not differ between the groups, suggesting an implicit effect on odor valence. Our results show that acute stress exposure enhances startle responsivity 24 hr later. This effect might be caused by a shift of amygdala function causing heightened sensitivity, but lower levels of specificity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  15. Hypothalamic oxytocin mediates social buffering of the stress response

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Adam S.; Wang, Zuoxin

    2013-01-01

    Background While stressful life events can enhance the risk of mental disorders, positive social interactions can propagate good mental health and normal behavioral routines. Still, the neural systems that promote these benefits are undetermined. Oxytocin is a hormone involved in social behavior and stress; thus, we focus on the impact that social buffering has on the stress response and the governing effects of oxytocin. Methods Female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) were exposed to 1 hr immobilization stress then recovered alone or with their male partner to characterize the effect of social contact on the behavioral, physiological, and neuroendocrine stress response. In addition, we treated immobilized females recovering alone with oxytocin, or vehicle, and females recovering with their male partner with a selective oxytocin receptor antagonist, or vehicle. Group sizes varied from 6 to 8 voles (n = 98 total). Results We found that 1 hr immobilization increased anxiety-like behaviors and circulating levels of corticosterone, a stress hormone, in females recovering alone, but not the females recovering with their male partner. This social buffering by the male partner on biobehavioral responses to stress was accompanied by increased oxytocin release in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. Intra-PVN oxytocin injections reduced behavioral and corticosterone responses to immobilization whereas injections of an oxytocin receptor antagonist blocked the effects of the social buffering. Conclusions Together, our data demonstrate that PVN oxytocin mediates the social buffering effects on the stress response, and thus may be a target for treatment of stress-related disorders. PMID:24183103

  16. Cortisol Response to Stress in Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

    PubMed Central

    Palomar, Gloria; Ferrer, Roser; Real, Alberto; Nogueira, Mariana; Corrales, Montserrat; Casas, Miguel; Ramos-Quiroga, Josep Antoni

    2015-01-01

    Background: Differences in the cortisol response have been reported between children exhibiting the inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive subtypes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, there is no such information about adults. The aim of the present study was to determine the possible differences between the combined and inattentive subtypes in the cortisol response to stress. Methods: Ninety-six adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 38 inattentive and 58 combined, without any medical or psychiatric comorbidities and 25 healthy controls were included. The Trier Social Stress Test was used to assess physiological stress responses. Clinical data and subjective stress levels, including the Perceived Stress Scale, were also recorded. Results: No significant differences in the cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress Test were found between patients and controls. However, albeit there were no basal differences, lower cortisol levels at 15 (P=.015), 30 (P=.015), and 45 minutes (P=.045) were observed in the combined compared with the inattentive subtype after the stress induction; these differences disappeared 60 minutes after the stress. In contrast, the subjective stress responses showed significant differences between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patients and controls (P<.001), but no differences were seen between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder subtypes. In turn, subjective stress measures, such as the Perceived Stress Scale, positively correlated with the whole cortisol stress response (P<.027). Conclusions: Both the combined and inattentive attention deficit hyperactivity disorder adults exhibited a normal cortisol response to stress when challenged. Nevertheless, the inattentive patients displayed a higher level of cortisol after stress compared with the combined patients. Despite the differences in the cortisol response, adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder reported high levels of subjective

  17. Cortisol Response to Stress in Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

    PubMed

    Corominas-Roso, Margarida; Palomar, Gloria; Ferrer, Roser; Real, Alberto; Nogueira, Mariana; Corrales, Montserrat; Casas, Miguel; Ramos-Quiroga, Josep Antoni

    2015-03-17

    Differences in the cortisol response have been reported between children exhibiting the inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive subtypes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, there is no such information about adults. The aim of the present study was to determine the possible differences between the combined and inattentive subtypes in the cortisol response to stress. Ninety-six adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 38 inattentive and 58 combined, without any medical or psychiatric comorbidities and 25 healthy controls were included. The Trier Social Stress Test was used to assess physiological stress responses. Clinical data and subjective stress levels, including the Perceived Stress Scale, were also recorded. No significant differences in the cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress Test were found between patients and controls. However, albeit there were no basal differences, lower cortisol levels at 15 (P=.015), 30 (P=.015), and 45 minutes (P=.045) were observed in the combined compared with the inattentive subtype after the stress induction; these differences disappeared 60 minutes after the stress. In contrast, the subjective stress responses showed significant differences between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patients and controls (P<.001), but no differences were seen between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder subtypes. In turn, subjective stress measures, such as the Perceived Stress Scale, positively correlated with the whole cortisol stress response (P<.027). Both the combined and inattentive attention deficit hyperactivity disorder adults exhibited a normal cortisol response to stress when challenged. Nevertheless, the inattentive patients displayed a higher level of cortisol after stress compared with the combined patients. Despite the differences in the cortisol response, adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder reported high levels of subjective stress in their every-day life. © The

  18. Moving through the Stressed Genome: Emerging Regulatory Roles for Transposons in Plant Stress Response.

    PubMed

    Negi, Pooja; Rai, Archana N; Suprasanna, Penna

    2016-01-01

    The recognition of a positive correlation between organism genome size with its transposable element (TE) content, represents a key discovery of the field of genome biology. Considerable evidence accumulated since then suggests the involvement of TEs in genome structure, evolution and function. The global genome reorganization brought about by transposon activity might play an adaptive/regulatory role in the host response to environmental challenges, reminiscent of McClintock's original 'Controlling Element' hypothesis. This regulatory aspect of TEs is also garnering support in light of the recent evidences, which project TEs as "distributed genomic control modules." According to this view, TEs are capable of actively reprogramming host genes circuits and ultimately fine-tuning the host response to specific environmental stimuli. Moreover, the stress-induced changes in epigenetic status of TE activity may allow TEs to propagate their stress responsive elements to host genes; the resulting genome fluidity can permit phenotypic plasticity and adaptation to stress. Given their predominating presence in the plant genomes, nested organization in the genic regions and potential regulatory role in stress response, TEs hold unexplored potential for crop improvement programs. This review intends to present the current information about the roles played by TEs in plant genome organization, evolution, and function and highlight the regulatory mechanisms in plant stress responses. We will also briefly discuss the connection between TE activity, host epigenetic response and phenotypic plasticity as a critical link for traversing the translational bridge from a purely basic study of TEs, to the applied field of stress adaptation and crop improvement.

  19. Moving through the Stressed Genome: Emerging Regulatory Roles for Transposons in Plant Stress Response

    PubMed Central

    Negi, Pooja; Rai, Archana N.; Suprasanna, Penna

    2016-01-01

    The recognition of a positive correlation between organism genome size with its transposable element (TE) content, represents a key discovery of the field of genome biology. Considerable evidence accumulated since then suggests the involvement of TEs in genome structure, evolution and function. The global genome reorganization brought about by transposon activity might play an adaptive/regulatory role in the host response to environmental challenges, reminiscent of McClintock's original ‘Controlling Element’ hypothesis. This regulatory aspect of TEs is also garnering support in light of the recent evidences, which project TEs as “distributed genomic control modules.” According to this view, TEs are capable of actively reprogramming host genes circuits and ultimately fine-tuning the host response to specific environmental stimuli. Moreover, the stress-induced changes in epigenetic status of TE activity may allow TEs to propagate their stress responsive elements to host genes; the resulting genome fluidity can permit phenotypic plasticity and adaptation to stress. Given their predominating presence in the plant genomes, nested organization in the genic regions and potential regulatory role in stress response, TEs hold unexplored potential for crop improvement programs. This review intends to present the current information about the roles played by TEs in plant genome organization, evolution, and function and highlight the regulatory mechanisms in plant stress responses. We will also briefly discuss the connection between TE activity, host epigenetic response and phenotypic plasticity as a critical link for traversing the translational bridge from a purely basic study of TEs, to the applied field of stress adaptation and crop improvement. PMID:27777577

  20. Differentiating anticipatory from reactive cortisol responses to psychosocial stress.

    PubMed

    Engert, Veronika; Efanov, Simona I; Duchesne, Annie; Vogel, Susanne; Corbo, Vincent; Pruessner, Jens C

    2013-08-01

    Most psychosocial stress studies assess the overall cortisol response without further identifying the temporal dynamics within hormone levels. It has been shown, however, that the amplitude of anticipatory cortisol stress levels has a unique predictive value for psychological health. So far, no "best practice" in how to investigate the anticipatory cortisol stress response has emerged. The goal of the current research was to develop a protocol that would allow for a sensitive and easy-to-implement laboratory-based investigation into anticipatory cortisol stress levels. We initially tested 26 healthy men in either an anticipation- or stress-only condition of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) to map the distinct timelines of anticipatory and reactive cortisol release profiles (study 1). Subsequently, we administered the TSST to 50 healthy men such that the cortisol responses to anticipatory and reactive stress components could be dissociated (study 2). In both studies we sampled saliva cortisol at high frequency (at baseline, during 10min of anticipation and during and after 10min of acute stress) and the current mood state pre- and post-stress. We found anticipatory responder rates of 20% and 40%, with peak anticipatory cortisol levels between 14 and 20min after onset of anticipation. Visible changes in reactive cortisol levels occurred only after the termination of the acute stressor. We conclude that the best practice to detect a maximum number of anticipatory responders in the TSST would be to extend the anticipation phase to 15min. In doing so, the anticipatory cortisol peak could be captured at a time-point of the actual stressor that is uninfluenced by reactive cortisol levels. Overall, we could reveal several features of anticipatory responders. Most importantly, there was a positive correlation between anticipatory and reactive stress responses. There was no association between anticipatory cortisol and alpha-amylase as well as subjective

  1. Stress response in medically important Mucorales.

    PubMed

    Singh, Pankaj; Paul, Saikat; Shivaprakash, M Rudramurthy; Chakrabarti, Arunaloke; Ghosh, Anup K

    2016-10-01

    Mucorales are saprobes, ubiquitously distributed and able to infect a heterogeneous population of human hosts. The fungi require robust stress responses to survive in human host. We tested the growth of Mucorales in the presence of different abiotic stress. Eight pathogenic species of Mucorales, including Rhizopus arrhizus, Rhizopus microsporus, Rhizomucor pusillus, Apophysomyces elegans, Licthemia corymbifera, Cunninghamella bertholletiae, Syncephalastrum racemosum and Mucor racemosus, were exposed to different stress inducers: osmotic (sodium chloride and d-sorbitol), oxidative (hydrogen peroxide and menadione), pH, cell wall and metal ions (Cu, Zn, Fe and Mg). Wide variation in stress responses was noted: R. arrhizus showed maximum resistance to both osmotic and oxidative stresses, whereas R. pusillus and M. indicus were relatively sensitive. Rhizopus arrhizus and R. microsporus showed maximum resistance to alkaline pH, whereas C. bertholletiae, L. corymbifera, M. racemosus and A. elegans were resistant to acidic pH. Maximum tolerance was noted in R. microsporus to Cu, R. microsporus and R. arrhizus to Fe and C. bertholletiae to Zn. In contrast, L. corymbifera, A. elegans and M. indicus were sensitive to Cu, Zn and Fe respectively. In conclusion, R. arrhizus showed high stress tolerance in comparison to other species of Mucorales, and this could be the possible reason for high pathogenic potential of this fungi. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  2. 2010 MICROBIAL STRESS RESPONSE GORDON RESEARCH CONFERENCE, JULY 18-23, 2010

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sarah Ades

    2011-07-23

    The 2010 Gordon Research Conference on Microbial Stress Responses provides an open and exciting forum for the exchange of scientific discoveries on the remarkable mechanisms used by microbes to survive in nearly every niche on the planet. Understanding these stress responses is critical for our ability to control microbial survival, whether in the context of biotechnology, ecology, or pathogenesis. From its inception in 1994, this conference has traditionally employed a very broad definition of stress in microbial systems. Sessions will cover the major steps of stress responses from signal sensing to transcriptional regulation to the effectors that mediate responses. Amore » wide range of stresses will be represented. Some examples include (but are not limited to) oxidative stress, protein quality control, antibiotic-induced stress and survival, envelope stress, DNA damage, and nutritional stress. The 2010 meeting will also focus on the role of stress responses in microbial communities, applied and environmental microbiology, and microbial development. This conference brings together researchers from both the biological and physical sciences investigating stress responses in medically- and environmentally relevant microbes, as well as model organisms, using cutting-edge techniques. Computational, systems-level, and biophysical approaches to exploring stress responsive circuits will be integrated throughout the sessions alongside the more traditional molecular, physiological, and genetic approaches. The broad range of excellent speakers and topics, together with the intimate and pleasant setting at Mount Holyoke College, provide a fertile ground for the exchange of new ideas and approaches.« less

  3. Thiol specific oxidative stress response in Mycobacteria.

    PubMed

    Dosanjh, Nirpjit S; Rawat, Mamta; Chung, Ji-Hae; Av-Gay, Yossef

    2005-08-01

    The cellular response of mycobacteria to thiol specific oxidative stress was studied in Mycobacterium bovis BCG cultures. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed that upon diamide treatment at least 60 proteins were upregulated. Fourteen of these proteins were identified by MALDI-MS; four proteins, AhpC, Tpx, GroEL2, and GroEL1 are functionally related to oxidative stress response; eight proteins, LeuC, LeuD, Rv0224c, Rv3029c, AsnB, Rv2971, PheA and HisH are classified as part of the bacterial intermediary metabolism and respiration pathways; protein EchA14 belong to lipid metabolism, and NrdE, belongs to the mycobacterial information pathway category. Reverse transcription followed by quantitative real time PCR in response to diamide stress demonstrated that protein expression is directly proportional to the corresponding gene transcription.

  4. Intracellular proteins produced by mammalian cells in response to environmental stress

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goochee, Charles F.; Passini, Cheryl A.

    1988-01-01

    The nature of the response of mammalian cells to environmental stress is examined by reviewing results of studies where cultured mouse L cells and baby hamster kidney cells were exposed to heat shock and the synthesis of heat-shock proteins and stress-response proteins (including HSP70, HSC70, HSP90, ubiquitin, and GRP70) in stressed and unstressed cells was evaluated using 2D-PAGE. The intracellular roles of the individual stress response proteins are discussed together with the regulation of the stress response system.

  5. Upper esophageal sphincter abnormalities: frequent finding on high-resolution esophageal manometry and associated with poorer treatment response in achalasia.

    PubMed

    Chavez, Yamile H; Ciarleglio, Maria M; Clarke, John O; Nandwani, Monica; Stein, Ellen; Roland, Bani C

    2015-01-01

    Abnormalities of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES) on high-resolution esophageal manometry (HREM) have been observed in both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals and are often interpreted as incidental findings of unclear clinical significance. Our primary aims were: (1) to assess the frequency of UES abnormalities in consecutive patients referred for HREM studies; and (2) to characterize the demographics, clinical symptoms, and manometric profiles associated with UES abnormalities as compared with those with normal UES function. We performed a retrospective study of 200 consecutive patients referred for HREM. Patients were divided into those with normal and abnormal UES function, including impaired relaxation (residual pressure >12 mm Hg), hypertensive (>104 mm Hg), and hypotensive (<34 mm Hg) resting pressure. Clinical and manometric profiles were compared. A total of 32.5% of patients had UES abnormalities, the majority of which were hypertensive (55.4%). Patients with achalasia were significantly more likely to have UES abnormalities as compared with normal UES function (57.2% vs. 42.9%, P=0.04), with the most frequent abnormality being a hypertensive UES (50%). In addition, patients with impaired lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxation (esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction or achalasia) were more likely to have an UES abnormality present as compared with those with normal LES relaxation (53.1% vs. 28.6%, P=0.01). When we assessed for treatment response among patients with achalasia, we found that subjects with evidence of UES dysfunction had significantly worse treatment outcomes as compared with those without UES abnormalities present (20% improved vs. 100%, P=0.015). This remained true even after adjusting for type of treatment received (surgical myotomy, per-oral endoscopic mytotomy, botulinum toxin injection, pneumatic dilatation, medical therapy, P=0.67) and achalasia subtype (P=1.00). UES abnormalities are a frequent finding on HREM

  6. Subjective Stress, Salivary Cortisol, and Electrophysiological Responses to Psychological Stress

    PubMed Central

    Qi, Mingming; Gao, Heming; Guan, Lili; Liu, Guangyuan; Yang, Juan

    2016-01-01

    The present study aimed to investigate the subjective stress, salivary cortisol, and electrophysiological responses to psychological stress induced by a modified version of a mental arithmetic task. Fifteen participants were asked to estimate whether the multiplication product of two-decimal numbers was above 10 or not either with a time limit (the stress condition) or without a time limit (the control condition). The results showed that participants reported higher levels of stress, anxiety, and negative affect in the stress condition than they did in the control condition. Moreover, the salivary cortisol level continued to increase after the stress condition but exhibited a sharp decrease after the control condition. In addition, the electrophysiological data showed that the amplitude of the frontal-central N1 component was larger for the stress condition than it was for the control condition, while the amplitude of the frontal-central P2 component was larger for the control condition than it was for the stress condition. Our study suggests that the psychological stress characteristics of time pressure and social-evaluative threat caused dissociable effects on perception and on the subsequent attentional resource allocation of visual information. PMID:26925026

  7. Abnormalities in amphibian populations inhabiting agroecosystems in Northeastern Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.

    PubMed

    Agostini, M G; Kacoliris, F; Demetrio, P; Natale, G S; Bonetto, C; Ronco, A E

    2013-05-27

    The occurrence of abnormalities in amphibians has been reported in many populations, and its increase could be related to environmental pollution and habitat degradation. We evaluated the type and prevalence of abnormalities in 5 amphibian populations from agroecosystems with different degrees of agricultural disturbance (cultivated and reference areas). We detected 9 types of abnormalities, of which the most frequent were those occurring in limbs. The observed prevalence of abnormality in assessed populations from cultivated and reference areas was as follows: Rhinella fernandezae (37.1 and 10.2%, respectively), Leptodactylus latrans adults (28.1 and 9.2%) and juveniles (32.9 and 15.3%), and Hypsiboas pulchellus (11.6 and 2.8%). Scinax granulatus populations did not show abnormalities. Pseudis minuta, which was only detected in the reference area, exhibited a prevalence of 13.3%. For R. fernandezae, L. latrans, and H. pulchellus, generalized linear mixed models showed that prevalence of abnormalities was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in cultivated than in reference areas. L. latrans juveniles were more vulnerable to abnormalities than adults (p < 0.05). The presence of abnormalities in some species inhabiting different agroecosystems suggests that environmental stress factors might be responsible for their occurrence. While we detected pesticides (endosulfan, cypermethrin, and chlorpyrifos) and lower dissolved oxygen levels in ponds of the cultivated area, no data are currently available on how other factors, such as injuries from predators and parasite infections, vary by land use. Further research will be necessary to evaluate possible causes of abnormalities detected in the present study mainly in the context of factor interactions.

  8. Hypothalamic oxytocin mediates social buffering of the stress response.

    PubMed

    Smith, Adam S; Wang, Zuoxin

    2014-08-15

    While stressful life events can enhance the risk of mental disorders, positive social interactions can propagate good mental health and normal behavioral routines. Still, the neural systems that promote these benefits are undetermined. Oxytocin is a hormone involved in social behavior and stress; thus, we focus on the impact that social buffering has on the stress response and the governing effects of oxytocin. Female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) were exposed to 1 hour immobilization stress and then recovered alone or with their male partner to characterize the effect of social contact on the behavioral, physiological, and neuroendocrine stress response. In addition, we treated immobilized female voles recovering alone with oxytocin or vehicle and female voles recovering with their male partner with a selective oxytocin receptor antagonist or vehicle. Group sizes varied from 6 to 8 voles (N = 98 total). We found that 1 hour immobilization increased anxiety-like behaviors and circulating levels of corticosterone, a stress hormone, in female prairie voles recovering alone but not the female prairie voles recovering with their male partner. This social buffering by the male partner on biobehavioral responses to stress was accompanied by increased oxytocin release in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Intra-paraventricular nucleus oxytocin injections reduced behavioral and corticosterone responses to immobilization, whereas injections of an oxytocin receptor antagonist blocked the effects of the social buffering. Together, our data demonstrate that paraventricular nucleus oxytocin mediates the social buffering effects on the stress response and thus may be a target for treatment of stress-related disorders. Published by Society of Biological Psychiatry on behalf of Society of Biological Psychiatry.

  9. Cell identity regulators link development and stress responses in the Arabidopsis root.

    PubMed

    Iyer-Pascuzzi, Anjali S; Jackson, Terry; Cui, Hongchang; Petricka, Jalean J; Busch, Wolfgang; Tsukagoshi, Hironaka; Benfey, Philip N

    2011-10-18

    Stress responses in plants are tightly coordinated with developmental processes, but interaction of these pathways is poorly understood. We used genome-wide assays at high spatiotemporal resolution to understand the processes that link development and stress in the Arabidopsis root. Our meta-analysis finds little evidence for a universal stress response. However, common stress responses appear to exist with many showing cell type specificity. Common stress responses may be mediated by cell identity regulators because mutations in these genes resulted in altered responses to stress. Evidence for a direct role for cell identity regulators came from genome-wide binding profiling of the key regulator SCARECROW, which showed binding to regulatory regions of stress-responsive genes. Coexpression in response to stress was used to identify genes involved in specific developmental processes. These results reveal surprising linkages between stress and development at cellular resolution, and show the power of multiple genome-wide data sets to elucidate biological processes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Communication and abnormal behaviour.

    PubMed

    Crown, S

    1979-01-01

    In this paper the similarities between normal and abnormal behaviour are emphasized and selected aspects of communication, normal and aberrant, between persons are explored. Communication in a social system may be verbal or non-verbal: one person's actions cause a response in another person. This response may be cognitive, behavioural or physiological. Communication may be approached through the individual, the social situation or social interaction. Psychoanalysis approaches the individual in terms of the coded communications of psychoneurotic symptoms or psychotic behaviour; the humanist-existential approach is concerned more with emotional expression. Both approaches emphasize the development of individual identity. The interaction between persons and their social background is stressed. Relevant are sociological concepts such as illness behaviour, stigma, labelling, institutionalization and compliance. Two approaches to social interactions are considered: the gamesplaying metaphor, e.g. back pain as a psychosocial manipulation--the 'pain game'; and the 'spiral of reciprocal perspectives' which emphasizes the interactional complexities of social perceptions. Communicatory aspects of psychological treatments are noted: learning a particular metaphor such as 'resolution' of the problem (psychotherapy), learning more 'rewarding' behaviour (learning theory) or learning authenticity or self-actualization (humanist-existential).

  11. Hyperosmotic Stress Response of Campylobacter jejuni

    PubMed Central

    Cameron, Andrew; Frirdich, Emilisa; Huynh, Steven; Parker, Craig T.

    2012-01-01

    The diarrheal pathogen Campylobacter jejuni and other gastrointestinal bacteria encounter changes in osmolarity in the environment, through exposure to food processing, and upon entering host organisms, where osmotic adaptation can be associated with virulence. In this study, growth profiles, transcriptomics, and phenotypic, mutant, and single-cell analyses were used to explore the effects of hyperosmotic stress exposure on C. jejuni. Increased growth inhibition correlated with increased osmotic concentration, with both ionic and nonionic stressors inhibiting growth at 0.620 total osmol liter−1. C. jejuni adaptation to a range of osmotic stressors and concentrations was accompanied by severe filamentation in subpopulations, with microscopy indicating septum formation and phenotypic diversity between individual cells in a filament. Population heterogeneity was also exemplified by the bifurcation of colony morphology into small and large variants on salt stress plates. Flow cytometry of C. jejuni harboring green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused to the ATP synthase promoter likewise revealed bimodal subpopulations under hyperosmotic stress. We also identified frequent hyperosmotic stress-sensitive variants within the clonal wild-type population propagated on standard laboratory medium. Microarray analysis following hyperosmotic upshift revealed enhanced expression of heat shock genes and genes encoding enzymes for synthesis of potential osmoprotectants and cross-protective induction of oxidative stress genes. The capsule export gene kpsM was also upregulated, and an acapsular mutant was defective for growth under hyperosmotic stress. For C. jejuni, an organism lacking most conventional osmotic response factors, these data suggest an unusual hyperosmotic stress response, including likely “bet-hedging” survival strategies relying on the presence of stress-fit individuals in a heterogeneous population. PMID:22961853

  12. Antidepressants recruit new neurons to improve stress response regulation

    PubMed Central

    Surget, A; Tanti, A; Leonardo, E D; Laugeray, A; Rainer, Q; Touma, C; Palme, R; Griebel, G; Ibarguen-Vargas, Y; Hen, R; Belzung, C

    2011-01-01

    Recent research suggests an involvement of hippocampal neurogenesis in behavioral effects of antidepressants. However, the precise mechanisms through which newborn granule neurons might influence the antidepressant response remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that unpredictable chronic mild stress in mice not only reduces hippocampal neurogenesis, but also dampens the relationship between hippocampus and the main stress hormone system, the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Moreover, this relationship is restored by treatment with the antidepressant fluoxetine, in a neurogenesis-dependent manner. Specifically, chronic stress severely impairs HPA axis activity, the ability of hippocampus to modulate downstream brain areas involved in the stress response, the sensitivity of the hippocampal granule cell network to novelty/glucocorticoid effects and the hippocampus-dependent negative feedback of the HPA axis. Remarkably, we revealed that, although ablation of hippocampal neurogenesis alone does not impair HPA axis activity, the ability of fluoxetine to restore hippocampal regulation of the HPA axis under chronic stress conditions, occurs only in the presence of an intact neurogenic niche. These findings provide a mechanistic framework for understanding how adult-generated new neurons influence the response to antidepressants. We suggest that newly generated neurons may facilitate stress integration and that, during chronic stress or depression, enhancing neurogenesis enables a dysfunctional hippocampus to restore the central control on stress response systems, then allowing recovery. PMID:21537331

  13. Perceived stress at work is associated with attenuated DHEA-S response during acute psychosocial stress.

    PubMed

    Lennartsson, Anna-Karin; Theorell, Töres; Kushnir, Mark M; Bergquist, Jonas; Jonsdottir, Ingibjörg H

    2013-09-01

    Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) have been suggested to play a protective role during acute psychosocial stress, because they act as antagonists to the effects of the stress hormone cortisol. This study aims to investigate whether prolonged psychosocial stress, measured as perceived stress at work during the past week, is related to the capacity to produce DHEA and DHEA-S during acute psychosocial stress. It also aims to investigate whether prolonged perceived stress affects the balance between production of cortisol and DHEA-S during acute psychosocial stress. Thirty-six healthy subjects (19 men and 17 women, mean age 37 years, SD 5 years), were included. Perceived stress at work during the past week was measured by using the Stress-Energy (SE) Questionnaire. The participants were divided into three groups based on their mean scores; Low stress, Medium stress and High stress. The participants underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and blood samples were collected before, directly after the stress test, and after 30 min of recovery. General Linear Models were used to investigate if the Medium stress group and the High stress group differ regarding stress response compared to the Low stress group. Higher perceived stress at work was associated with attenuated DHEA-S response during acute psychosocial stress. Furthermore, the ratio between the cortisol production and the DHEA-S production during the acute stress test were higher in individuals reporting higher perceived stress at work compared to individuals reporting low perceived stress at work. There was no statistical difference in DHEA response between the groups. This study shows that prolonged stress, measured as perceived stress at work during the past week, seems to negatively affect the capacity to produce DHEA-S during acute stress. Given the protective functions of DHEA-S, attenuated DHEA-S production during acute stress may lead to higher risk for adverse

  14. Sex Differences in Relationship between Stress Responses and Lifestyle in Japanese Workers

    PubMed Central

    Suzuki, Akiko; Akamatsu, Rie

    2014-01-01

    Background This study examined the relationships between stress responses and lifestyle, including sleeping and eating behaviors, in Japanese workers according to sex. Methods Questionnaires about stress responses and lifestyle were completed by 3,017 workers in a financial enterprise (41.5% men, 58.5% women). Data were collected in Japan in August 2011. Participants were classified into stress and nonstress groups. Relationships between stress responses and lifestyle were investigated using logistic regression analysis with stress response as a dependent variable. Results There were 254 (8.4%) participants in the stress group and 2,763 (91.6%) in the nonstress group. The results showed that sleeping for shorter periods [odds ratio (OR) = 2.97, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.58–5.60] was associated with stress responses in women, whereas we found no relationship between stress responses and lifestyle among men. However, working overtime was associated with stress responses in men (OR = 2.71, 95% CI: 1.43–5.15). Eating at night was associated with stress responses in the univariate analysis (men: OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.16–3.80; women: OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.09–2.39). Conclusion This study showed that stress responses were related to lifestyle among women but not among men. Among women, stress responses were related to sleeping for shorter periods, whereas they were related to working long hours among men. In addition, stress responses were related to eating at night in the univariate analysis, although this relationship was not seen in the multivariate analysis, in either sex. PMID:24932418

  15. Lipolysis Response to Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Adipose Cells*

    PubMed Central

    Deng, Jingna; Liu, Shangxin; Zou, Liangqiang; Xu, Chong; Geng, Bin; Xu, Guoheng

    2012-01-01

    In obesity and diabetes, adipocytes show significant endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which triggers a series of responses. This study aimed to investigate the lipolysis response to ER stress in rat adipocytes. Thapsigargin, tunicamycin, and brefeldin A, which induce ER stress through different pathways, efficiently activated a time-dependent lipolytic reaction. The lipolytic effect of ER stress occurred with elevated cAMP production and protein kinase A (PKA) activity. Inhibition of PKA reduced PKA phosphosubstrates and attenuated the lipolysis. Although both ERK1/2 and JNK are activated during ER stress, lipolysis is partially suppressed by inhibiting ERK1/2 but not JNK and p38 MAPK and PKC. Thus, ER stress induces lipolysis by activating cAMP/PKA and ERK1/2. In the downstream lipolytic cascade, phosphorylation of lipid droplet-associated protein perilipin was significantly promoted during ER stress but attenuated on PKA inhibition. Furthermore, ER stress stimuli did not alter the levels of hormone-sensitive lipase and adipose triglyceride lipase but caused Ser-563 and Ser-660 phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase and moderately elevated its translocation from the cytosol to lipid droplets. Accompanying these changes, total activity of cellular lipases was promoted to confer the lipolysis. These findings suggest a novel pathway of the lipolysis response to ER stress in adipocytes. This lipolytic activation may be an adaptive response that regulates energy homeostasis but with sustained ER stress challenge could contribute to lipotoxicity, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance because of persistently accelerated free fatty acid efflux from adipocytes to the bloodstream and other tissues. PMID:22223650

  16. Prenatally stressed piglets 'shut down' in response to separation, oxytocin modulates some effects

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Prenatal stress (PNS) effects may enhance offspring’s survival traits. Yet, PNS could be maladaptive for captive animals, causing anxiety and abnormal social development. Oxytocin (OT) reduces anxiety while OT deficiency results in social behavior alteration. We hypothesized that PNS piglets would b...

  17. Selection for intrinsic endurance modifies endocrine stress responsiveness

    PubMed Central

    Waters, R Parrish; Renner, Kenneth J; Summers, Cliff H; Watt, Michael L; Forster, Gina L; Koch, Lauren G; Britton, Steven L; Swallow, John G

    2010-01-01

    Physical exercise dampens an individual’s stress response and decreases symptoms of anxiety and depression disorders. While the extrinsic relationship of exercise and psychological state are established, their intrinsic relationship is unresolved. We investigated the potential intrinsic relationship of exercise with stress responsiveness using NIH rats bidirectionally selected for intrinsic endurance capacity. Selection resulted in two populations, one with high intrinsic endurance (high capacity runners; HCR) and one with low intrinsic endurance (low capacity runners; LCR). Animals from these populations were subjected to the elevated plus maze (EPM) and novel environment to assess levels of anxiety-like behavior, and to restraint stress to determine stress responsiveness. Pre-test plasma corticosterone levels and the response of plasma corticosterone to exposure to the EPM and restraint were analyzed using ELISA. A dexamethasone suppression test was performed to assess negative feedback tone of corticosterone release. Pre-test plasma corticosterone levels were similar between LCR and HCR, and these populations had similar behavioral and corticosterone responses to the EPM. Following restraint, HCR animals exhibited more anxiotypic behavior than LCR animals on the EPM, and exhibited an increase in plasma corticosterone following EPM and restraint that was not observed in LCR animals. HCR animals also exhibited more anxiotypic behavior in the novel environment compared to LCR animals. Plasma corticosterone levels were equally reduced in both populations following dexamethasone administration. Overall, our data suggest a positive genetic relationship between exercise endurance and stress responsiveness, which is at odds with the established extrinsic relationship of these traits. PMID:20682296

  18. Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress Responses in the Pediatric Population

    PubMed Central

    Avloniti, Alexandra; Chatzinikolaou, Athanasios; Deli, Chariklia K.; Vlachopoulos, Dimitris; Gracia-Marco, Luis; Leontsini, Diamanda; Draganidis, Dimitrios; Jamurtas, Athanasios Z.; Mastorakos, George; Fatouros, Ioannis G.

    2017-01-01

    Adults demonstrate an upregulation of their pro- and anti-oxidant mechanisms in response to acute exercise while systematic exercise training enhances their antioxidant capacity, thereby leading to a reduced generation of free radicals both at rest and in response to exercise stress. However, less information exists regarding oxidative stress responses and the underlying mechanisms in the pediatric population. Evidence suggests that exercise-induced redox perturbations may be valuable in order to monitor exercise-induced inflammatory responses and as such training overload in children and adolescents as well as monitor optimal growth and development. The purpose of this review was to provide an update on oxidative stress responses to acute and chronic exercise in youth. It has been documented that acute exercise induces age-specific transient alterations in both oxidant and antioxidant markers in children and adolescents. However, these responses seem to be affected by factors such as training phase, training load, fitness level, mode of exercise etc. In relation to chronic adaptation, the role of training on oxidative stress adaptation has not been adequately investigated. The two studies performed so far indicate that children and adolescents exhibit positive adaptations of their antioxidant system, as adults do. More studies are needed in order to shed light on oxidative stress and antioxidant responses, following acute exercise and training adaptations in youth. Available evidence suggests that small amounts of oxidative stress may be necessary for growth whereas the transition to adolescence from childhood may promote maturation of pro- and anti-oxidant mechanisms. Available evidence also suggests that obesity may negatively affect basal and exercise-related antioxidant responses in the peripubertal period during pre- and early-puberty. PMID:28106721

  19. Global Metabolic Responses to Salt Stress in Fifteen Species

    PubMed Central

    Pollak, Georg R.; Kuehne, Andreas; Sauer, Uwe

    2016-01-01

    Cells constantly adapt to unpredictably changing extracellular solute concentrations. A cornerstone of the cellular osmotic stress response is the metabolic supply of energy and building blocks to mount appropriate defenses. Yet, the extent to which osmotic stress impinges on the metabolic network remains largely unknown. Moreover, it is mostly unclear which, if any, of the metabolic responses to osmotic stress are conserved among diverse organisms or confined to particular groups of species. Here we investigate the global metabolic responses of twelve bacteria, two yeasts and two human cell lines exposed to sustained hyperosmotic salt stress by measuring semiquantitative levels of hundreds of cellular metabolites using nontargeted metabolomics. Beyond the accumulation of osmoprotectants, we observed significant changes of numerous metabolites in all species. Global metabolic responses were predominantly species-specific, yet individual metabolites were characteristically affected depending on species’ taxonomy, natural habitat, envelope structure or salt tolerance. Exploiting the breadth of our dataset, the correlation of individual metabolite response magnitudes across all species implicated lower glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, branched-chain amino acid metabolism and heme biosynthesis to be generally important for salt tolerance. Thus, our findings place the global metabolic salt stress response into a phylogenetic context and provide insights into the cellular phenotype associated with salt tolerance. PMID:26848578

  20. Role of chromatin in water stress responses in plants

    PubMed Central

    Han, Soon-Ki; Wagner, Doris

    2014-01-01

    As sessile organisms, plants are exposed to environmental stresses throughout their life. They have developed survival strategies such as developmental and morphological adaptations, as well as physiological responses, to protect themselves from adverse environments. In addition, stress sensing triggers large-scale transcriptional reprogramming directed at minimizing the deleterious effect of water stress on plant cells. Here, we review recent findings that reveal a role of chromatin in water stress responses. In addition, we discuss data in support of the idea that chromatin remodelling and modifying enzymes may be direct targets of stress signalling pathways. Modulation of chromatin regulator activity by these signaling pathways may be critical in minimizing potential trade-offs between growth and stress responses. Alterations in the chromatin organization and/or in the activity of chromatin remodelling and modifying enzymes may furthermore contribute to stress memory. Mechanistic insight into these phenomena derived from studies in model plant systems should allow future engineering of broadly drought-tolerant crop plants that do not incur unnecessary losses in yield or growth. PMID:24302754

  1. Disruption of GluA2 phosphorylation potentiates stress responsivity.

    PubMed

    Ellis, Alexandra S; Fosnocht, Anne Q; Lucerne, Kelsey E; Briand, Lisa A

    2017-08-30

    Cocaine addiction is characterized by persistent craving and addicts frequently relapse even after long periods of abstinence. Exposure to stress can precipitate relapse in humans and rodents. Stress and drug use can lead to common alterations in synaptic plasticity and these commonalities may contribute to the ability of stress to elicit relapse. These common changes in synaptic plasticity are mediated, in part, by alterations in the trafficking and stabilization of AMPA receptors. Exposure to both cocaine and stress can lead to alterations in protein kinase C-mediated phosphorylation of GluA2 AMPA subunits and thus alter the trafficking of GluA2-containing AMPARs. However, it is not clear what role AMPAR trafficking plays in the interactions between stress and cocaine. The current study utilized a mouse with a point mutation within the GluA2 subunit c-terminus resulting in a disruption of PKC-mediated GluA2 phosphorylation to examine stress responsivity. Although no differences were seen in the response to a forced swim stress in naïve mice, GluA2 K882A knock-in mice exhibited an increased stress response following cocaine self-administration. Furthermore, we demonstrated that disrupting GluA2 phosphorylation increases vulnerability to stress-induced reinstatement of both cocaine seeking and cocaine-conditioned reward. Finally, GluA2 K882A knock-in mice exhibit an increased vulnerability to social defeat as indicated by increased social avoidance. Taken together these results indicate that disrupting GluA2 phosphorylation leads to increased responsivity to acute stress following cocaine exposure and increased vulnerability to chronic stress. These results highlight the GluA2 phosphorylation site as a novel target for the stress-related disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Social stress response in adolescents with bipolar disorder.

    PubMed

    Casement, Melynda D; Goldstein, Tina R; Gratzmiller, Sarah M; Franzen, Peter L

    2018-05-01

    Theoretical models posit that stressors contribute to the onset and maintenance of bipolar disorder in adolescence through disruptions in stress physiology, but physiological response to stressors has not been evaluated in adolescents with bipolar illness. The present study tests the hypothesis that adolescents with bipolar disorder will have greater reactivity to a laboratory social stress task than healthy adolescents. Adolescents with bipolar illness (n = 27) and healthy adolescents (n = 28) completed a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Task. Stress response was assessed using high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), salivary cortisol, and subjective stress. Multilevel models were used to test for group differences in resting-state physiology, and stress reactivity and recovery. Adolescents with bipolar disorder had greater reactivity in HF-HRV (z = 3.32), but blunted reactivity in MAP (z = -3.08) and cortisol (z = -2.60), during the stressor compared to healthy adolescents. They also had lower resting HF-HRV (z = -3.49) and cortisol (z = -2.86), and higher resting HR (z = 3.56), than healthy adolescents. These results indicate that bipolar disorder is associated with disruptions in autonomic and endocrine response to stress during adolescence, including greater HF-HRV reactivity. Further research should evaluate whether these individual differences in stress physiology precede and predict the onset of mood episodes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Proteomic response of mouse pituitary gland under heat stress revealed active regulation of stress responsive proteins.

    PubMed

    Memon, Shahar Bano; Lian, Li; Gadahi, Javaid Ali; Genlin, Wang

    2016-10-01

    The mapping of tissue proteomes can identify the molecular regulators and effectors of their physiological activity. However, proteomic response of a mammalian tissue against heat stress (HS) particularly of the pituitary gland has not yet been resolved. The proteomic response of the mouse pituitary gland against HS at 40 o C was evaluated by iTRAQ. We found that, HS actively regulates stress-related proteins. Among 375 differentially expressed proteins, 26 up and 46 downregulated proteins were found as stress responsive proteins. Two proteins belonging to the HSP70 and one to HSP90 family were found upregulated. Meanwhile, the expression of HSP90α (Cytosolic), HSP60, and HSP84b were observed to be downregulated. A neuroprotective enzyme Nmnat3 was observed to be significantly upregulated. Three proteins related to the intermediate filament (IF) proteins (lamins, vimentin and keratins) were also found to be upregulated. We reported, an association between the IF proteins and HSPs as a biological marker of HS. The expression of Apo A-IV was upregulated and might be one explanation for low food intake during HS. Our findings indicated that, differentially expressed proteins might be played important roles in combating HS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Increasing correlations between personality traits and cortisol stress responses obtained by data aggregation.

    PubMed

    Pruessner, J C; Gaab, J; Hellhammer, D H; Lintz, D; Schommer, N; Kirschbaum, C

    1997-11-01

    Attempts to link personality traits and cortisol stress responses have often been inconclusive. The aim of this paper was to investigate this association by aggregating cortisol stress responses. Therefore, 20 healthy men were exposed to a task consisting of public speaking and mental arithmetics in front of an audience on five days. Six cortisol levels were measured in relation to the stressful task obtained at 10-min intervals on each day. Psychological assessment included the Questionnaire for Competence and Control (FKK) and the Giessen-Test (G-T). These questionnaires focus on assessing personality traits, i.e. locus of control and self-concept. Areas under the response curve (AUC) of the six cortisol samples were computed to obtain an index of the individual's cortisol stress response on each day. Since novelty is a random situational factor likely to mask individual differences in the stress response, the AUC cortisol stress responses of days two to five were consecutively aggregated, excluding the first day. Scales of the two questionnaires employed did not correlate with the AUC cortisol stress response of the first stress trial. The correlation pattern of the AUC cortisol measures of days two to five with the questionnaire scales was inconclusive. However, significant correlations emerged with an increasing number of cortisol stress responses aggregated. Correlations between the measure of social dominance and aggregated AUC cortisol stress responses rose from r = -.47 on day two of the experimental session to r = -.70 after aggregating days two to five. Similarly, measures of locus of control and cortisol stress responses became increasingly correlated with aggregation of several stress exposures. These data provide preliminary evidence for a relationship between questionnaire scales aiming at assessing personality traits and cortisol stress responses uncovered by repeated stress exposure and data aggregation. While novelty may mask the impact of

  5. A robust and reliable non-invasive test for stress responsivity in mice.

    PubMed

    Zimprich, Annemarie; Garrett, Lillian; Deussing, Jan M; Wotjak, Carsten T; Fuchs, Helmut; Gailus-Durner, Valerie; de Angelis, Martin Hrabě; Wurst, Wolfgang; Hölter, Sabine M

    2014-01-01

    Stress and an altered stress response have been associated with many multifactorial diseases, such as psychiatric disorders or neurodegenerative diseases. As currently mouse mutants for each single gene are generated and phenotyped in a large-scale manner, it seems advisable also to test these mutants for alterations in their stress responses. Here we present the determinants of a robust and reliable non-invasive test for stress-responsivity in mice. Stress is applied through restraining the mice in tubes and recording behavior in the Open Field 20 min after cessation of the stress. Two hours, but not 15 or 50 min of restraint lead to a robust and reproducible increase in distance traveled and number of rearings during the first 5 min in the Open Field in C57BL/6 mice. This behavioral response is blocked by the corticosterone synthesis inhibitor metyrapone, but not by RU486 treatment, indicating that it depends on corticosteroid secretion, but is not mediated via the glucocorticoid receptor type II. We assumed that with a stress duration of 15 min one could detect hyper-responsivity, and with a stress duration of 2 h hypo-responsivity in mutant mouse lines. This was validated with two mutant lines known to show opposing effects on corticosterone secretion after stress exposure, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) over-expressing mice and CRH receptor 1 knockout (KO) mice. Both lines showed the expected phenotype, i.e., increased stress responsivity in the CRH over-expressing mouse line (after 15 min restraint stress) and decreased stress responsivity in the CRHR1-KO mouse line (after 2 h of restraint stress). It is possible to repeat the acute stress test several times without the stressed animal adapting to it, and the behavioral response can be robustly evoked at different ages, in both sexes and in different mouse strains. Thus, locomotor and rearing behavior in the Open Field after an acute stress challenge can be used as reliable, non-invasive indicators of

  6. A robust and reliable non-invasive test for stress responsivity in mice

    PubMed Central

    Zimprich, Annemarie; Garrett, Lillian; Deussing, Jan M.; Wotjak, Carsten T.; Fuchs, Helmut; Gailus-Durner, Valerie; de Angelis, Martin Hrabě; Wurst, Wolfgang; Hölter, Sabine M.

    2014-01-01

    Stress and an altered stress response have been associated with many multifactorial diseases, such as psychiatric disorders or neurodegenerative diseases. As currently mouse mutants for each single gene are generated and phenotyped in a large-scale manner, it seems advisable also to test these mutants for alterations in their stress responses. Here we present the determinants of a robust and reliable non-invasive test for stress-responsivity in mice. Stress is applied through restraining the mice in tubes and recording behavior in the Open Field 20 min after cessation of the stress. Two hours, but not 15 or 50 min of restraint lead to a robust and reproducible increase in distance traveled and number of rearings during the first 5 min in the Open Field in C57BL/6 mice. This behavioral response is blocked by the corticosterone synthesis inhibitor metyrapone, but not by RU486 treatment, indicating that it depends on corticosteroid secretion, but is not mediated via the glucocorticoid receptor type II. We assumed that with a stress duration of 15 min one could detect hyper-responsivity, and with a stress duration of 2 h hypo-responsivity in mutant mouse lines. This was validated with two mutant lines known to show opposing effects on corticosterone secretion after stress exposure, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) over-expressing mice and CRH receptor 1 knockout (KO) mice. Both lines showed the expected phenotype, i.e., increased stress responsivity in the CRH over-expressing mouse line (after 15 min restraint stress) and decreased stress responsivity in the CRHR1-KO mouse line (after 2 h of restraint stress). It is possible to repeat the acute stress test several times without the stressed animal adapting to it, and the behavioral response can be robustly evoked at different ages, in both sexes and in different mouse strains. Thus, locomotor and rearing behavior in the Open Field after an acute stress challenge can be used as reliable, non-invasive indicators of

  7. Airplane Stress Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zahm, A F; Crook, L H

    1918-01-01

    Report presents stress analysis of individual components of an airplane. Normal and abnormal loads, sudden loads, simple stresses, indirect simple stresses, resultant unit stress, repetitive and equivalent stress, maximum steady load and stress are considered.

  8. Conserved Transcriptional Responses to Nutrient Stress in Bloom-Forming Algae

    PubMed Central

    Harke, Matthew J.; Juhl, Andrew R.; Haley, Sheean T.; Alexander, Harriet; Dyhrman, Sonya T.

    2017-01-01

    The concentration and composition of bioavailable nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the upper ocean shape eukaryotic phytoplankton communities and influence their physiological responses. Phytoplankton are known to exhibit similar physiological responses to limiting N and P conditions such as decreased growth rates, chlorosis, and increased assimilation of N and P. Are these responses similar at the molecular level across multiple species? To interrogate this question, five species from biogeochemically important, bloom-forming taxa (Bacillariophyta, Dinophyta, and Haptophyta) were grown under similar low N, low P, and replete nutrient conditions to identify transcriptional patterns and associated changes in biochemical pools related to N and P stress. Metabolic profiles, revealed through the transcriptomes of these taxa, clustered together based on species rather than nutrient stressor, suggesting that the global metabolic response to nutrient stresses was largely, but not exclusively, species-specific. Nutrient stress led to few transcriptional changes in the two dinoflagellates, consistent with other research. An orthologous group analysis examined functionally conserved (i.e., similarly changed) responses to nutrient stress and therefore focused on the diatom and haptophytes. Most conserved ortholog changes were specific to a single nutrient treatment, but a small number of orthologs were similarly changed under both N and P stress in 2 or more species. Many of these orthologs were related to photosynthesis and may represent generalized stress responses. A greater number of orthologs were conserved across more than one species under low P compared to low N. Screening the conserved orthologs for functions related to N and P metabolism revealed increased relative abundance of orthologs for nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, and amino acid transporters under N stress, and increased relative abundance of orthologs related to acquisition of inorganic and organic P

  9. Analysis of Stress-Responsive Gene Expression in Cultivated and Weedy Rice Differing in Cold Stress Tolerance

    PubMed Central

    Pereira, Andy; Tseng, Te-Ming; Zimmer, Paulo Dejalma; Burgos, Nilda Roma

    2015-01-01

    Rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars show impairment of growth in response to environmental stresses such as cold at the early seedling stage. Locally adapted weedy rice is able to survive under adverse environmental conditions, and can emerge in fields from greater soil depth. Cold-tolerant weedy rice can be a good genetic source for developing cold-tolerant, weed-competitive rice cultivars. An in-depth analysis is presented here of diverse indica and japonica rice genotypes, mostly weedy rice, for cold stress response to provide an understanding of different stress adaptive mechanisms towards improvement of the rice crop performance in the field. We have tested a collection of weedy rice genotypes to: 1) classify the subspecies (ssp.) grouping (japonica or indica) of 21 accessions; 2) evaluate their sensitivity to cold stress; and 3) analyze the expression of stress-responsive genes under cold stress and a combination of cold and depth stress. Seeds were germinated at 25°C at 1.5- and 10-cm sowing depth for 10d. Seedlings were then exposed to cold stress at 10°C for 6, 24 and 96h, and the expression of cold-, anoxia-, and submergence-inducible genes was analyzed. Control plants were seeded at 1.5cm depth and kept at 25°C. The analysis revealed that cold stress signaling in indica genotypes is more complex than that of japonica as it operates via both the CBF-dependent and CBF-independent pathways, implicated through induction of transcription factors including OsNAC2, OsMYB46 and OsF-BOX28. When plants were exposed to cold + sowing depth stress, a complex signaling network was induced that involved cross talk between stresses mediated by CBF-dependent and CBF-independent pathways to circumvent the detrimental effects of stresses. The experiments revealed the importance of the CBF regulon for tolerance to both stresses in japonica and indica ssp. The mechanisms for cold tolerance differed among weedy indica genotypes and also between weedy indica and cultivated

  10. Cortisol stress response in post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and major depressive disorder patients.

    PubMed

    Wichmann, Susann; Kirschbaum, Clemens; Böhme, Carsten; Petrowski, Katja

    2017-09-01

    Previous research has focussed extensively on the distinction of HPA-axis functioning between patient groups and healthy volunteers, with relatively little emphasis on a direct comparison of patient groups. The current study's aim was to analyse differences in the cortisol stress response as a function of primary diagnosis of panic disorder (PD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and major depressive disorder (MDD). A total of n=30 PD (mean age±SD: 36.07±12.56), n=23 PTSD (41.22±10.17), n=18 MDD patients (39.00±14.93) and n=47 healthy control (HC) individuals (35.51±13.15) participated in this study. All the study participants were female. The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was used for reliable laboratory stress induction. Blood sampling accompanied the TSST for cortisol and ACTH assessment. Panic-related, PTSD-specific questionnaires and the Beck Depression Inventory II were handed out for the characterisation of the study groups. Repeated measure ANCOVAs were conducted to test for main effects of time or group and for interaction effects. Regression analyses were conducted to take comorbid depression into account. 26.7% of the PD patients, 43.5% of the PTSD patients, 72.2% of the MDD patients and 80.6% of the HC participants showed a cortisol stress response upon the TSST. ANCOVA revealed a cortisol hypo-responsiveness both in PD and PTSD patients, while no significant group differences were seen in the ACTH concentrations. Additional analyses showed no impact of comorbid depressiveness on the cortisol stress response. MDD patients did not differ in the hormonal stress response neither compared to the HC participants nor to the PD and PTSD patients. Our main findings provide evidence of a dissociation between the cortisol and ACTH concentrations in response to the TSST in PTSD and in PD patients, independent of comorbid depression. Our results further support overall research findings of a cortisol hypo-responsiveness in PD patients. A hypo-response

  11. Psychological stress during exercise: cardiorespiratory and hormonal responses.

    PubMed

    Webb, Heather E; Weldy, Michael L; Fabianke-Kadue, Emily C; Orndorff, G R; Kamimori, Gary H; Acevedo, Edmund O

    2008-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the cardiorespiratory (CR) and stress hormone responses to a combined physical and mental stress. Eight participants (VO2(max) = 41.24 +/- 6.20 ml kg(-1) min(-1)) completed two experimental conditions, a treatment condition including a 37 min ride at 60% of VO2(max) with participants responding to a computerized mental challenge dual stress condition (DSC) and a control condition of the same duration and intensity without the mental challenge exercise alone condition (EAC). Significant interactions across time were found for CR responses, with heart rate, ventilation, and respiration rate demonstrating higher increases in the DSC. Additionally, norepinephrine was significantly greater in the DSC at the end of the combined challenge. Furthermore, cortisol area-under-the-curve (AUC) was also significantly elevated during the DSC. These results demonstrate that a mental challenge during exercise can exacerbate the stress response, including the release of hormones that have been linked to negative health consequences (cardiovascular, metabolic, autoimmune illnesses).

  12. The role of stress mindset in shaping cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to challenging and threatening stress.

    PubMed

    Crum, Alia J; Akinola, Modupe; Martin, Ashley; Fath, Sean

    2017-07-01

    Prior research suggests that altering situation-specific evaluations of stress as challenging versus threatening can improve responses to stress. The aim of the current study was to explore whether cognitive, physiological and affective stress responses can be altered independent of situation-specific evaluations by changing individuals' mindsets about the nature of stress in general. Using a 2 × 2 design, we experimentally manipulated stress mindset using multi-media film clips orienting participants (N = 113) to either the enhancing or debilitating nature of stress. We also manipulated challenge and threat evaluations by providing positive or negative feedback to participants during a social stress test. Results revealed that under both threat and challenge stress evaluations, a stress-is-enhancing mindset produced sharper increases in anabolic ("growth") hormones relative to a stress-is-debilitating mindset. Furthermore, when the stress was evaluated as a challenge, a stress-is-enhancing mindset produced sharper increases in positive affect, heightened attentional bias towards positive stimuli, and greater cognitive flexibility, whereas a stress-is-debilitating mindset produced worse cognitive and affective outcomes. These findings advance stress management theory and practice by demonstrating that a short manipulation designed to generate a stress-is-enhancing mindset can improve responses to both challenging and threatening stress.

  13. Using New Approaches in Neurobiology to Rethink Stress-Induced Amnesia

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Purpose of Review Psychological stress can impact memory systems in several different ways. In individuals with healthy defense and coping systems, stress results in the formation of negatively valenced memories whose ability to induce emotional and somatic distress subsides with time. Vulnerable individuals, however, go on to develop stress-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suffer from significant memory abnormalities. Whether expressed as intrusive trauma memories, partial amnesia, or dissociative amnesia, such abnormalities are thought to be the core source of patients’ symptoms, which are often debilitating and implicate an entire socio-cognitive-affective spectrum. Recent Findings With this in mind, and focusing on stress-responsive hippocampal microcircuits, this article highlights recent advances in the neurobiology of memory that allow us to (1) isolate and visualize memory circuits, (2) change their activity using genetic tools and state-dependent manipulations, and (3) directly examine their impact on socio-affective circuits and global network connectivity. By integrating these approaches, we are now in a position to address important questions that have troubled psychiatry for a long time—questions such as are traumatic memories special, and why are stress effects on memory diverse. Summary Furthering our fundamental understanding of memory in the framework of adaptive and maladaptive stress responses has the potential to boost the development of new treatments that can benefit patients suffering from psychological trauma. PMID:29657916

  14. Using New Approaches in Neurobiology to Rethink Stress-Induced Amnesia.

    PubMed

    Radulovic, Jelena

    2017-03-01

    Psychological stress can impact memory systems in several different ways. In individuals with healthy defense and coping systems, stress results in the formation of negatively valenced memories whose ability to induce emotional and somatic distress subsides with time. Vulnerable individuals, however, go on to develop stress-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suffer from significant memory abnormalities. Whether expressed as intrusive trauma memories, partial amnesia, or dissociative amnesia, such abnormalities are thought to be the core source of patients' symptoms, which are often debilitating and implicate an entire socio-cognitive-affective spectrum. With this in mind, and focusing on stress-responsive hippocampal microcircuits, this article highlights recent advances in the neurobiology of memory that allow us to (1) isolate and visualize memory circuits, (2) change their activity using genetic tools and state-dependent manipulations, and (3) directly examine their impact on socio-affective circuits and global network connectivity. By integrating these approaches, we are now in a position to address important questions that have troubled psychiatry for a long time-questions such as are traumatic memories special, and why are stress effects on memory diverse. Furthering our fundamental understanding of memory in the framework of adaptive and maladaptive stress responses has the potential to boost the development of new treatments that can benefit patients suffering from psychological trauma.

  15. Stress responses during ageing: molecular pathways regulating protein homeostasis.

    PubMed

    Kyriakakis, Emmanouil; Princz, Andrea; Tavernarakis, Nektarios

    2015-01-01

    The ageing process is characterized by deterioration of physiological function accompanied by frailty and ageing-associated diseases. The most broadly and well-studied pathways influencing ageing are the insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling pathway and the dietary restriction pathway. Recent studies in diverse organisms have also delineated emerging pathways, which collectively or independently contribute to ageing. Among them the proteostatic-stress-response networks, inextricably affect normal ageing by maintaining or restoring protein homeostasis to preserve proper cellular and organismal function. In this chapter, we survey the involvement of heat stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress responses in the regulation of longevity, placing emphasis on the cross talk between different response mechanisms and their systemic effects. We further discuss novel insights relevant to the molecular pathways mediating these stress responses that may facilitate the development of innovative interventions targeting age-related pathologies such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

  16. Effect of childhood physical abuse on cortisol stress response.

    PubMed

    Carpenter, Linda L; Shattuck, Thaddeus T; Tyrka, Audrey R; Geracioti, Thomas D; Price, Lawrence H

    2011-03-01

    Abuse and neglect are highly prevalent in children and have enduring neurobiological effects. Stressful early life environments perturb the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which in turn may predispose to psychiatric disorders in adulthood. However, studies of childhood maltreatment and adult HPA function have not yet rigorously investigated the differential effects of maltreatment subtypes, including physical abuse. In this study, we sought to replicate our previous finding that childhood maltreatment was associated with attenuated cortisol responses to stress and determine whether the type of maltreatment was a determinant of the stress response. Salivary cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was examined in a non-clinical sample of women (n = 110). Subjects had no acute medical problems and were not seeking psychiatric treatment. Effects of five maltreatment types, as measured by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, on cortisol response to the TSST were investigated. To further examine the significant (p < 0.005) effect of one maltreatment type, women with childhood physical abuse (PA) (n = 20) were compared to those without past PA (n = 90). Women reporting childhood PA displayed a significantly blunted cortisol response to the TSST compared with subjects without PA, after controlling for estrogen use, age, other forms of maltreatment, and other potential confounds. There were no differences between PA and control groups with regard to physiological arousal during the stress challenge. In a non-clinical sample of women with minimal or no current psychopathology, physical abuse is associated with a blunted cortisol response to a psychosocial stress task.

  17. Stress response of brown pelican nestlings to ectoparasite infestation

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eggert, L.M.F.; Jodice, P.G.R.; O'Reilly, K. M.

    2010-01-01

    Measurement of corticosterone has become a useful tool for assessing the response of individuals to ecological stressors of interest. Enhanced corticosterone levels can promote survival of stressful events; however, in situations where a stressor persists and corticosterone levels remain elevated, the adrenocortical response can be detrimental. A potential ecological stressor for wild birds is parasitism by ectoparasites. We studied the stress response of 11-23-day-old brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) nestlings by measuring plasma corticosterone levels in relation to the presence of the soft tick Carios capensis at two colonies in South Carolina in 2005. We expected to see higher baseline and stress-induced levels of corticosterone for parasitized chicks compared to those nestlings with no ticks. Although nestlings mounted a response to capture stress, tick category was not associated with corticosterone levels at either colony. Our results appear to contrast those of previous studies and indicate that the adrenocortical response of the host is likely dependent on the type of ectoparasite and the degree of infestation. ?? 2009 Elsevier Inc.

  18. Nitric Oxide Regulates Protein Methylation during Stress Responses in Plants.

    PubMed

    Hu, Jiliang; Yang, Huanjie; Mu, Jinye; Lu, Tiancong; Peng, Juli; Deng, Xian; Kong, Zhaosheng; Bao, Shilai; Cao, Xiaofeng; Zuo, Jianru

    2017-08-17

    Methylation and nitric oxide (NO)-based S-nitrosylation are highly conserved protein posttranslational modifications that regulate diverse biological processes. In higher eukaryotes, PRMT5 catalyzes Arg symmetric dimethylation, including key components of the spliceosome. The Arabidopsis prmt5 mutant shows severe developmental defects and impaired stress responses. However, little is known about the mechanisms regulating the PRMT5 activity. Here, we report that NO positively regulates the PRMT5 activity through S-nitrosylation at Cys-125 during stress responses. In prmt5-1 plants, a PRMT5 C125S transgene, carrying a non-nitrosylatable mutation at Cys-125, fully rescues the developmental defects, but not the stress hypersensitive phenotype and the responsiveness to NO during stress responses. Moreover, the salt-induced Arg symmetric dimethylation is abolished in PRMT5 C125S /prmt5-1 plants, correlated to aberrant splicing of pre-mRNA derived from a stress-related gene. These findings define a mechanism by which plants transduce stress-triggered NO signal to protein methylation machinery through S-nitrosylation of PRMT5 in response to environmental alterations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Juvenile stress impairs body temperature regulation and augments anticipatory stress-induced hyperthermia responses in rats.

    PubMed

    Yee, Nicole; Plassmann, Kerstin; Fuchs, Eberhard

    2011-09-01

    Clinical studies have implicated adolescence as an important and vulnerable period during which traumatic experiences can predispose individuals to anxiety and mood disorders. As such, a stress model in juvenile rats (age 27-29 d) was previously developed to investigate the long-term effects of stress exposure during adolescence on behavior and physiology. This paradigm involves exposing rats to different stressors on consecutive days over a 3-day period. Here, we studied the effects of juvenile stress on long-term core body temperature regulation and acute stress-induced hyperthermia (SIH) responses using telemetry. We found no differences between control and juvenile stress rats in anxiety-related behavior on the elevated plus maze, which we attribute to stress associated with surgical implantation of telemetry devices. This highlights the severe impact of surgical stress on the results of subsequent behavioral measurements. Nonetheless, juvenile stress disrupted the circadian rhythmicity of body temperature and decreased circadian amplitude. It also induced chronic hypothermia during the dark phase of the day, when rats are most active. When subjected to acute social defeat stress as adults, juvenile stress had no impact on the SIH response relative to controls. However, 24 h later, juvenile stress rats displayed an elevated SIH response in anticipation of social defeat when re-exposed to the social defeat environment. Taken together, our findings indicate that juvenile stress can induce long-term alterations in body temperature regulation and heighten the increase in temperature associated with anticipation of social defeat. The outcomes of behavioral measurements in these experiments, however, are severely affected by surgical stress. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Abnormal early brain responses during visual search are evident in schizophrenia but not bipolar affective disorder.

    PubMed

    VanMeerten, Nicolaas J; Dubke, Rachel E; Stanwyck, John J; Kang, Seung Suk; Sponheim, Scott R

    2016-01-01

    People with schizophrenia show deficits in processing visual stimuli but neural abnormalities underlying the deficits are unclear and it is unknown whether such functional brain abnormalities are present in other severe mental disorders or in individuals who carry genetic liability for schizophrenia. To better characterize brain responses underlying visual search deficits and test their specificity to schizophrenia we gathered behavioral and electrophysiological responses during visual search (i.e., Span of Apprehension [SOA] task) from 38 people with schizophrenia, 31 people with bipolar disorder, 58 biological relatives of people with schizophrenia, 37 biological relatives of people with bipolar disorder, and 65 non-psychiatric control participants. Through subtracting neural responses associated with purely sensory aspects of the stimuli we found that people with schizophrenia exhibited reduced early posterior task-related neural responses (i.e., Span Endogenous Negativity [SEN]) while other groups showed normative responses. People with schizophrenia exhibited longer reaction times than controls during visual search but nearly identical accuracy. Those individuals with schizophrenia who had larger SENs performed more efficiently (i.e., shorter reaction times) on the SOA task suggesting that modulation of early visual cortical responses facilitated their visual search. People with schizophrenia also exhibited a diminished P300 response compared to other groups. Unaffected first-degree relatives of people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia showed an amplified N1 response over posterior brain regions in comparison to other groups. Diminished early posterior brain responses are associated with impaired visual search in schizophrenia and appear to be specifically associated with the neuropathology of schizophrenia. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Overtime work and stress response in a group of Japanese workers.

    PubMed

    Sato, Yuji; Miyake, Hitoshi; Thériault, Gilles

    2009-01-01

    Working long overtime hours is considered a cause of mental health problems among workers but such a relationship has yet to be empirically confirmed. To clarify the influence of overtime work on response to stress and to assess the role of other stress-related factors on this relationship. The study was conducted among 24 685 employees of a company in Japan. Stress response, job stressors and social supports were assessed by the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire. Participants were divided into five categories of overtime (0-19, 20-39, 40-59, >or=60 h of overtime per month and exempted employees). The nonadjusted odds ratios for stress response for 40-59 and >or=60 overtime hours per month in reference to 0-19 overtime hours were 1.11 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.19] and 1.62 (95% CI 1.50-1.76), respectively. After adjustment for self-assessed amount of work, mental workload and sleeping time, the association between overtime work and stress response disappeared. This large cross-sectional study shows that overtime work appears to influence stress response indirectly through other stress factors such as self-assessed amount of work, mental workload and sleeping time.

  2. Maternal Influences on Youth Responses to Peer Stress

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abaied, Jamie L.; Rudolph, Karen D.

    2011-01-01

    Understanding how youths develop particular styles of responding to stress is critical for promoting effective coping. This research examined the prospective, interactive contribution of maternal socialization of coping and peer stress to youth responses to peer stress. A sample of 144 early adolescents (mean age = 12.44 years, SD = 1.22) and…

  3. High-fat diet effects on metabolic responses to chronic stress.

    PubMed

    Nemati, Marzieh; Zardooz, Homeira; Rostamkhani, Fatemeh; Abadi, Alireza; Foroughi, Forough

    2017-07-01

    High-fat diets and chronic stress are prevalent risk factors for various chronic diseases in modern societies. This study investigated the effect of high-fat diet on glucose-related metabolic responses to chronic foot-shock stress. Male rats were divided into high-fat diet (containing 54.21% saturated and 44.89% unsaturated fatty acids) and normal diet groups and then into stress and non-stress subgroups. The diets were applied for 5 weeks, and stress was induced during the last week of the diet course. Plasma levels of metabolic parameters, HOMA-IR index, intra-abdominal fat weight, and islets' insulin secretion were assessed. High-fat diet increased abdominal fat weight and plasma leptin, and insulin levels in response to stress without affecting HOMA-IR index and islets' insulin secretion. High proportion of unsaturated fat may not lead to deleterious metabolic responses; however combined with chronic stress has a synergistic and adverse effect on visceral adiposity and results in elevated plasma leptin.

  4. 5-HT1A/1B Receptors as Targets for Optimizing Pigmentary Responses in C57BL/6 Mouse Skin to Stress

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Hua-Li; Pang, Si-Lin; Liu, Qiong-Zhen; Wang, Qian; Cai, Min-Xuan; Shang, Jing

    2014-01-01

    Stress has been reported to induce alterations of skin pigmentary response. Acute stress is associated with increased turnover of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) whereas chronic stress causes a decrease. 5-HT receptors have been detected in pigment cells, indicating their role in skin pigmentation. To ascertain the precise role of 5-HT in stress-induced pigmentary responses, C57BL/6 mice were subjected to chronic restraint stress and chronic unpredictable mild stress (CRS and CUMS, two models of chronic stress) for 21 days, finally resulting in abnormal pigmentary responses. Subsequently, stressed mice were characterized by the absence of a black pigment in dorsal coat. The down-regulation of tyrosinase (TYR) and tyrosinase-related proteins (TRP1 and TRP2) expression in stressed skin was accompanied by reduced levels of 5-HT and decreased expression of 5-HT receptor (5-HTR) system. In both murine B16F10 melanoma cells and normal human melanocytes (NHMCs), 5-HT had a stimulatory effect on melanin production, dendricity and migration. When treated with 5-HT in cultured hair follicles (HFs), the increased expression of melanogenesis-related genes and the activation of 5-HT1A, 1B and 7 receptors also occurred. The serum obtained from stressed mice showed significantly decreased tyrosinase activity in NHMCs compared to that from nonstressed mice. The decrease in tyrosinase activity was further augmented in the presence of 5-HTR1A, 1B and 7 antagonists, WAY100635, SB216641 and SB269970. In vivo, stressed mice received 5-HT precursor 5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan (5-HTP), a member of the class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (fluoxetine; FX) and 5-HTR1A/1B agonists (8-OH-DPAT/CP94253), finally contributing to the normalization of pigmentary responses. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that the serotoninergic system plays an important role in the regulation of stress-induced depigmentation, which can be mediated by 5-HT1A/1B receptors. 5-HT and 5-HTR1A

  5. Overexpression of a Cytosolic Abiotic Stress Responsive Universal Stress Protein (SbUSP) Mitigates Salt and Osmotic Stress in Transgenic Tobacco Plants

    PubMed Central

    Udawat, Pushpika; Jha, Rajesh K.; Sinha, Dinkar; Mishra, Avinash; Jha, Bhavanath

    2016-01-01

    The universal stress protein (USP) is a ubiquitous protein and plays an indispensable role in plant abiotic stress tolerance. The genome of Salicornia brachiata contains two homologs of intron less SbUSP gene which encodes for salt and osmotic responsive USP. In vivo localization reveals that SbUSP is a membrane bound cytosolic protein. The role of the gene was functionally validated by developing transgenic tobacco and compared with control [wild-type (WT) and vector control (VC)] plants under different abiotic stress condition. Transgenic lines (T1) exhibited higher chlorophyll, relative water, proline, total sugar, reducing sugar, free amino acids, polyphenol contents, osmotic potential, membrane stability, and lower electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde content) under stress treatments than control (WT and VC) plants. Lower accumulation of H2O2 and O2− radicals was also detected in transgenic lines compared to control plants under stress conditions. Present study confers that overexpression of the SbUSP gene enhances plant growth, alleviates ROS buildup, maintains ion homeostasis and improves the physiological status of the plant under salt and osmotic stresses. Principal component analysis exhibited a statistical distinction of plant response to salinity stress, and a significant response was observed for transgenic lines under stress, which provides stress endurance to the plant. A possible signaling role is proposed that some downstream genes may get activated by abiotic stress responsive cytosolic SbUSP, which leads to the protection of cell from oxidative damages. The study unveils that ectopic expression of the gene mitigates salt or osmotic stress by scavenging ROS and modulating the physiological process of the plant. PMID:27148338

  6. Stress and quality of life in psoriasis: an update.

    PubMed

    Basavaraj, Kabbur H; Navya, Mysore Ashok; Rashmi, Ramesh

    2011-07-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic, relapsing, cutaneous condition with 1-2% prevalence in the general population. There are many factors involved in the induction and/or exacerbation of psoriasis of which stress is a well-known trigger factor in the appearance or exacerbation of psoriasis. Stress reaction in patients with psoriasis is probably mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal relationship with immunologic effects. Stress response involves increased levels of neuroendocrine hormones and autonomic neurotransmitters. Psychological stress or an abnormal response to stressors has been found to modify the evolution of skin disorders such as psoriasis. It can also have substantial psychological, and psychosocial impact on a patient's quality of life. Treatment regimens include stress-reduction strategies, such as biofeedback, meditation, yoga, and self-help approaches. This review focuses the relationship between psoriasis and stress, especially relating to psychosocial, psychological, and emotional stress aspects. © 2011 The International Society of Dermatology.

  7. Lipoxygenase-allene oxide synthase pathway in octocoral thermal stress response

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lõhelaid, H.; Teder, T.; Samel, N.

    2015-03-01

    Marine ecosystems are sensitive to elevated seawater temperature, with stony corals serving as model organisms for temperature-imposed declines in population viability and diversity. Several stress markers, including heat shock proteins, have been used for the detection and prediction of stress responses in stony corals. However, the stress indicators in soft corals remain elusive. In higher animals and plants, oxylipins synthesized by fatty acid di- and monooxygenases contribute to stress-induced signaling; however, the role of eicosanoid pathways in corals remains unclear. The eicosanoid gene specific to corals encodes for a natural fusion protein of allene oxide synthase and lipoxygenase ( AOS- LOX). In this work, using the easily cultivated soft coral Capnella imbricata as the stress response model, we monitored the expression of the AOS-LOX and the formation of arachidonic acid metabolites in response to an acute rise in water temperature. Gene expression profiles of two 70 kDa heat shock proteins ( Hsps: Hsp70 and Grp78) were used as a positive control for the stress response. In comparison with normal seawater temperature (23 °C), AOS- LOXa and Hsps were all up-regulated after modest (28 °C) and severe (31 °C) temperature elevation. While the up-regulation of AOS- LOXa and Grp78 was more sensitive to moderate temperature changes, Hsp70s were more responsive to severe heat shock. Concurrently, endogenous and exogenous AOS-LOXa-derived eicosanoids were up-regulated. Thus, together with the up-regulation of AOS- LOX by other abiotic and biotic stress stimuli, these data implicate AOS-LOX as part of the general stress response pathway in corals.

  8. Emotion Socialization as a Predictor of Physiological and Psychological Responses to Stress

    PubMed Central

    Guo, Jinhong; Mrug, Sylvie; Knight, David C.

    2017-01-01

    Reactivity patterns to acute stress are important indicators of physical and mental health. However, the relationships between emotion socialization and stress responses are not well understood. This study aimed to examine whether parental responses to negative emotions predicted physiological and psychological responses to acute stress in late adolescence and emerging adulthood, and whether these relationships varied by gender and ethnicity. Participants were 973 individuals (mean age = 19.20 years; 50% male; 63% African American, 34% European American) who reported on parental emotion socialization. Participants completed a standardized social stress test (the Trier Social Stress Test; TSST). Heart rate, blood pressure and salivary samples were assessed from baseline throughout the task and during recovery period. Psychological responses to stress were measured immediately after the TSST. Unsupportive parental responses to children’s negative emotions were associated with blunted cortisol reactivity and greater negative emotions to a psychosocial stress task in females and African American youth, whereas supportive parental responses predicted greater cortisol reactivity and lower negative emotions to stress in European American youth, as well as less negative emotions in males. However, parental responses to negative emotions did not predict heart rate or SBP reactivity to the TSST. Findings suggest that parental emotion socialization may be an important factor influencing HPA axis reactivity and psychological responses to stress, with important differences across gender and ethnic youth subgroups. PMID:28377196

  9. Regulation of water, salinity, and cold stress responses by salicylic acid

    PubMed Central

    Miura, Kenji; Tada, Yasuomi

    2014-01-01

    Salicylic acid (SA) is a naturally occurring phenolic compound. SA plays an important role in the regulation of plant growth, development, ripening, and defense responses. The role of SA in the plant–pathogen relationship has been extensively investigated. In addition to defense responses, SA plays an important role in the response to abiotic stresses, including drought, low temperature, and salinity stresses. It has been suggested that SA has great agronomic potential to improve the stress tolerance of agriculturally important crops. However, the utility of SA is dependent on the concentration of the applied SA, the mode of application, and the state of the plants (e.g., developmental stage and acclimation). Generally, low concentrations of applied SA alleviate the sensitivity to abiotic stresses, and high concentrations of applied induce high levels of oxidative stress, leading to a decreased tolerance to abiotic stresses. In this article, the effects of SA on the water stress responses and regulation of stomatal closure are reviewed. PMID:24478784

  10. Xenohormesis: health benefits from an eon of plant stress response evolution

    PubMed Central

    Hooper, Paul L.; Tytell, Michael; Vígh, Lászlo

    2010-01-01

    Xenohormesis is a biological principle that explains how environmentally stressed plants produce bioactive compounds that can confer stress resistance and survival benefits to animals that consume them. Animals can piggyback off products of plants' sophisticated stress response which has evolved as a result of their stationary lifestyle. Factors eliciting the plant stress response can judiciously be employed to maximize yield of health-promoting plant compounds. The xenohormetic plant compounds can, when ingested, improve longevity and fitness by activating the animal's cellular stress response and can be applied in drug discovery, drug production, and nutritional enhancement of diet. PMID:20524162

  11. The Effect of Music on the Human Stress Response

    PubMed Central

    Thoma, Myriam V.; La Marca, Roberto; Brönnimann, Rebecca; Finkel, Linda; Ehlert, Ulrike; Nater, Urs M.

    2013-01-01

    Background Music listening has been suggested to beneficially impact health via stress-reducing effects. However, the existing literature presents itself with a limited number of investigations and with discrepancies in reported findings that may result from methodological shortcomings (e.g. small sample size, no valid stressor). It was the aim of the current study to address this gap in knowledge and overcome previous shortcomings by thoroughly examining music effects across endocrine, autonomic, cognitive, and emotional domains of the human stress response. Methods Sixty healthy female volunteers (mean age = 25 years) were exposed to a standardized psychosocial stress test after having been randomly assigned to one of three different conditions prior to the stress test: 1) relaxing music (‘Miserere’, Allegri) (RM), 2) sound of rippling water (SW), and 3) rest without acoustic stimulation (R). Salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), heart rate (HR), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), subjective stress perception and anxiety were repeatedly assessed in all subjects. We hypothesized that listening to RM prior to the stress test, compared to SW or R would result in a decreased stress response across all measured parameters. Results The three conditions significantly differed regarding cortisol response (p = 0.025) to the stressor, with highest concentrations in the RM and lowest in the SW condition. After the stressor, sAA (p=0.026) baseline values were reached considerably faster in the RM group than in the R group. HR and psychological measures did not significantly differ between groups. Conclusion Our findings indicate that music listening impacted the psychobiological stress system. Listening to music prior to a standardized stressor predominantly affected the autonomic nervous system (in terms of a faster recovery), and to a lesser degree the endocrine and psychological stress response. These findings may help better understanding the

  12. The response to inositol: regulation of glycerolipid metabolism and stress response signaling in yeast

    PubMed Central

    Henry, Susan A.; Gaspar, Maria L.; Jesch, Stephen A.

    2014-01-01

    This article focuses on discoveries of the mechanisms governing the regulation of glycerolipid metabolism and stress response signaling in response to the phospholipid precursor, inositol. The regulation of glycerolipid lipid metabolism in yeast in response to inositol is highly complex, but increasingly well understood, and the roles of individual lipids in stress response are also increasingly well characterized. Discoveries that have emerged over several decades of genetic, molecular and biochemical analyses of metabolic, regulatory and signaling responses of yeast cells, both mutant and wild type, to the availability of the phospholipid precursor, inositol are discussed. PMID:24418527

  13. Stress Response and the Adolescent Transition: Performance versus Peer Rejection Stressors

    PubMed Central

    Stroud, Laura R.; Foster, Elizabeth; Papandonatos, George D.; Handwerger, Kathryn; Granger, Douglas A.; Kivlighan, Katie T.; Niaura, Raymond

    2009-01-01

    Little is known about normative variation in stress response over the adolescent transition. This study examined neuroendocrine and cardiovascular responses to performance and peer rejection stressors over the adolescent transition in a normative sample. Participants were 82 healthy children (ages 7-12 years, n=39, 22 females) and adolescents (ages 13-17, n=43, 20 females) recruited through community postings. Following a habituation session, participants completed a performance (public speaking, mental arithmetic, mirror tracing) or peer rejection (exclusion challenges) stress session. Salivary cortisol, alpha amylase (sAA), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), and heart rate (HR) were measured throughout. Adolescents showed significantly greater cortisol, sAA, SBP and DBP stress response relative to children. Developmental differences were most pronounced in the performance stress session for cortisol and DBP, and in the peer rejection session for sAA and SBP. Heightened physiological stress responses in typical adolescents may facilitate adaptation to new challenges of adolescence and adulthood. In high-risk adolescents, this normative shift may tip the balance toward stress response dysregulation associated with depression and other psychopathology. Specificity of physiological response by stressor type highlights the importance of a multi-system approach to the psychobiology of stress and may also have implications for understanding trajectories to psychopathology. PMID:19144222

  14. Fluoride-elicited developmental testicular toxicity in rats: roles of endoplasmic reticulum stress and inflammatory response.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shun; Jiang, Chunyang; Liu, Hongliang; Guan, Zhizhong; Zeng, Qiang; Zhang, Cheng; Lei, Rongrong; Xia, Tao; Gao, Hui; Yang, Lu; Chen, Yihu; Wu, Xue; Zhang, Xiaofei; Cui, Yushan; Yu, Linyu; Wang, Zhenglun; Wang, Aiguo

    2013-09-01

    Long-term excessive fluoride intake is known to be toxic and can damage a variety of organs and tissues in the human body. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying fluoride-induced male reproductive toxicity are not well understood. In this study, we used a rat model to simulate the situations of human exposure and aimed to evaluate the roles of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and inflammatory response in fluoride-induced testicular injury. Sprague-Dawley rats were administered with sodium fluoride (NaF) at 25, 50 and 100mg/L via drinking water from pre-pregnancy to gestation, birth and finally to post-puberty. And then the testes of male offspring were studied at 8weeks of age. Our results demonstrated that fluoride treatment increased MDA accumulation, decreased SOD activity, and enhanced germ cell apoptosis. In addition, fluoride elevated mRNA and protein levels of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), inositol requiring ER-to-nucleus signal kinase 1 (IRE1), and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), indicating activation of ER stress signaling. Furthermore, fluoride also induced testicular inflammation, as manifested by gene up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), in a nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)-dependent manner. These were associated with marked histopathological lesions including injury of spermatogonia, decrease of spermatocytes and absence of elongated spermatids, as well as severe ultrastructural abnormalities in testes. Taken together, our results provide compelling evidence that ER stress and inflammation would be novel and significant mechanisms responsible for fluoride-induced disturbance of spermatogenesis and germ cell loss in addition to oxidative stress. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Phosphate-Dependent Root System Architecture Responses to Salt Stress1[OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Sommerfeld, Hector Montero; ter Horst, Anneliek; Haring, Michel A.

    2016-01-01

    Nutrient availability and salinity of the soil affect the growth and development of plant roots. Here, we describe how inorganic phosphate (Pi) availability affects the root system architecture (RSA) of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and how Pi levels modulate responses of the root to salt stress. Pi starvation reduced main root length and increased the number of lateral roots of Arabidopsis Columbia-0 seedlings. In combination with salt, low Pi dampened the inhibiting effect of mild salt stress (75 mm) on all measured RSA components. At higher salt concentrations, the Pi deprivation response prevailed over the salt stress only for lateral root elongation. The Pi deprivation response of lateral roots appeared to be oppositely affected by abscisic acid signaling compared with the salt stress response. Natural variation in the response to the combination treatment of salt and Pi starvation within 330 Arabidopsis accessions could be grouped into four response patterns. When exposed to double stress, in general, lateral roots prioritized responses to salt, while the effect on main root traits was additive. Interestingly, these patterns were not identical for all accessions studied, and multiple strategies to integrate the signals from Pi deprivation and salinity were identified. By genome-wide association mapping, 12 genomic loci were identified as putative factors integrating responses to salt stress and Pi starvation. From our experiments, we conclude that Pi starvation interferes with salt responses mainly at the level of lateral roots and that large natural variation exists in the available genetic repertoire of accessions to handle the combination of stresses. PMID:27208277

  16. Global transcriptional profiling of a cold-tolerant rice variety under moderate cold stress reveals different cold stress response mechanisms.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Junliang; Zhang, Shaohong; Yang, Tifeng; Zeng, Zichong; Huang, Zhanghui; Liu, Qing; Wang, Xiaofei; Leach, Jan; Leung, Hei; Liu, Bin

    2015-07-01

    Gene expression profiling under severe cold stress (4°C) has been conducted in plants including rice. However, rice seedlings are frequently exposed to milder cold stresses under natural environments. To understand the responses of rice to milder cold stress, a moderately low temperature (8°C) was used for cold treatment prior to genome-wide profiling of gene expression in a cold-tolerant japonica variety, Lijiangxintuanheigu (LTH). A total of 5557 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found at four time points during moderate cold stress. Both the DEGs and differentially expressed transcription factor genes were clustered into two groups based on their expression, suggesting a two-phase response to cold stress and a determinative role of transcription factors in the regulation of stress response. The induction of OsDREB2A under cold stress is reported for the first time in this study. Among the anti-oxidant enzyme genes, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were upregulated, suggesting that the glutathione system may serve as the main reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger in LTH. Changes in expression of genes in signal transduction pathways for auxin, abscisic acid (ABA) and salicylic acid (SA) imply their involvement in cold stress responses. The induction of ABA response genes and detection of enriched cis-elements in DEGs suggest that ABA signaling pathway plays a dominant role in the cold stress response. Our results suggest that rice responses to cold stress vary with the specific temperature imposed and the rice genotype. © 2014 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.

  17. Lysergic acid diethylamide causes photoreceptor cell damage through inducing inflammatory response and oxidative stress.

    PubMed

    Hu, Qi-Di; Xu, Ling-Li; Gong, Yan; Wu, Guo-Hai; Wang, Yu-Wen; Wu, Shan-Jun; Zhang, Zhe; Mao, Wei; Zhou, Yu-Sheng; Li, Qin-Bo; Yuan, Jian-Shu

    2018-01-19

    Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), a classical hallucinogen, was used as a popular and notorious substance of abuse in various parts of the world. Its abuse could result in long-lasting abnormalities in retina and little is known about the exact mechanism. This study was to investigate the effect of LSD on macrophage activation state at non-toxic concentration and its resultant toxicity to photoreceptor cells. Results showed that cytotoxicity was caused by LSD on 661 W cells after co-culturing with RAW264.7 cells. Treatment with LSD-induced RAW264.7 cells to the M1 phenotype, releasing more pro-inflammatory cytokines, and increasing the M1-related gene expression. Moreover, after co-culturing with RAW264.7 cells, significant oxidative stress in 661 W cells treated with LSD was observed, by increasing the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), and decreasing the level of glutathione (GSH) and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Our study demonstrated that LSD caused photoreceptor cell damage by inducing inflammatory response and resultant oxidative stress, providing the scientific rationale for the toxicity of LSD to retina.

  18. Emotion socialization as a predictor of physiological and psychological responses to stress.

    PubMed

    Guo, Jinhong; Mrug, Sylvie; Knight, David C

    2017-06-01

    Reactivity patterns to acute stress are important indicators of physical and mental health. However, the relationships between emotion socialization and stress responses are not well understood. This study aimed to examine whether parental responses to negative emotions predicted physiological and psychological responses to acute stress in late adolescence and emerging adulthood, and whether these relationships varied by gender and ethnicity. Participants were 973 individuals (mean age=19.20years; 50% male; 63% African American, 34% European American) who reported on parental emotion socialization. Participants completed a standardized social stress test (the Trier Social Stress Test; TSST). Heart rate, blood pressure and salivary samples were assessed from baseline throughout the task and during recovery period. Psychological responses to stress were measured immediately after the TSST. Unsupportive parental responses to children's negative emotions were associated with blunted cortisol reactivity and greater negative emotions to a psychosocial stress task in females and African American youth, whereas supportive parental responses predicted greater cortisol reactivity and lower negative emotions to stress in European American youth, as well as less negative emotions in males. However, parental responses to negative emotions did not predict heart rate or SBP reactivity to the TSST. Findings suggest that parental emotion socialization may be an important factor influencing HPA axis reactivity and psychological responses to stress, with important differences across gender and ethnic youth subgroups. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Transactional Associations between Youths' Responses to Peer Stress and Depression: The Moderating Roles of Sex and Stress Exposure

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agoston, Anna M.; Rudolph, Karen D.

    2011-01-01

    This study examined transactional associations between responses to peer stress and depression in youth. Specifically, it tested the hypotheses that (a) depression would predict fewer effortful responses and more involuntary, dysregulated responses to peer stress over time; and (b) fewer adaptive and more maladaptive responses would predict…

  20. Crop and medicinal plants proteomics in response to salt stress

    PubMed Central

    Aghaei, Keyvan; Komatsu, Setsuko

    2013-01-01

    Increasing of world population marks a serious need to create new crop cultivars and medicinal plants with high growth and production at any environmental situations. Among the environmental unfavorable conditions, salinity is the most widespread in the world. Crop production and growth severely decreases under salt stress; however, some crop cultivars show significant tolerance against the negative effects of salinity. Among salt stress responses of crops, proteomic responses play a pivotal role in their ability to cope with it and have become the main center of notification. Many physiological responses are detectable in terms of protein increase and decrease even before physiological responses take place. Thus proteomic approach makes a short cut in the way of inferring how crops response to salt stress. Nowadays many salt-responsive proteins such as heat shock proteins, pathogen-related proteins, protein kinases, ascorbate peroxidase, osmotin, ornithine decarboxylase, and some transcription factors, have been detected in some major crops which are thought to give them the ability of withstanding against salt stress. Proteomic analysis of medicinal plants also revealed that alkaloid biosynthesis related proteins such as tryptophan synthase, codeinone reductase, strictosidine synthase, and 12-oxophytodienoate reductase might have major role in production of secondary metabolites. In this review we are comparing some different or similar proteomic responses of several crops and medicinal plants to salt stress and discuss about the future prospects. PMID:23386857

  1. Stressor specificity of central neuroendocrine responses: implications for stress-related disorders.

    PubMed

    Pacák, K; Palkovits, M

    2001-08-01

    Despite the fact that many research articles have been written about stress and stress-related diseases, no scientifically accepted definition of stress exists. Selye introduced and popularized stress as a medical and scientific idea. He did not deny the existence of stressor-specific response patterns; however, he emphasized that such responses did not constitute stress, only the shared nonspecific component. In this review we focus mainly on the similarities and differences between the neuroendocrine responses (especially the sympathoadrenal and the sympathoneuronal systems and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis) among various stressors and a strategy for testing Selye's doctrine of nonspecificity. In our experiments, we used five different stressors: immobilization, hemorrhage, cold exposure, pain, or hypoglycemia. With the exception of immobilization stress, these stressors also differed in their intensities. Our results showed marked heterogeneity of neuroendocrine responses to various stressors and that each stressor has a neurochemical "signature." By examining changes of Fos immunoreactivity in various brain regions upon exposure to different stressors, we also attempted to map central stressor-specific neuroendocrine pathways. We believe the existence of stressor-specific pathways and circuits is a clear step forward in the study of the pathogenesis of stress-related disorders and their proper treatment. Finally, we define stress as a state of threatened homeostasis (physical or perceived treat to homeostasis). During stress, an adaptive compensatory specific response of the organism is activated to sustain homeostasis. The adaptive response reflects the activation of specific central circuits and is genetically and constitutionally programmed and constantly modulated by environmental factors.

  2. Environmentally toxicant exposures induced intragenerational transmission of liver abnormalities in mice

    PubMed Central

    Al-Griw, Mohamed A.; Treesh, Soad A.; Alghazeer, Rabia O.; Regeai, Sassia O.

    2017-01-01

    Environmental toxicants such as chemicals, heavy metals, and pesticides have been shown to promote transgenerational inheritance of abnormal phenotypes and/or diseases to multiple subsequent generations following parental and/or ancestral exposures. This study was designed to examine the potential transgenerational action of the environmental toxicant trichloroethane (TCE) on transmission of liver abnormality, and to elucidate the molecular etiology of hepatocyte cell damage. A total of thirty two healthy immature female albino mice were randomly divided into three equal groups as follows: a sham group, which did not receive any treatment; a vehicle group, which received corn oil alone, and TCE treated group (3 weeks, 100 μg/kg i.p., every 4th day). The F0 and F1 generation control and TCE populations were sacrificed at the age of four months, and various abnormalities histpathologically investigated. Cell death and oxidative stress indices were also measured. The present study provides experimental evidence for the inheritance of environmentally induced liver abnormalities in mice. The results of this study show that exposure to the TCE promoted adult onset liver abnormalities in F0 female mice as well as unexposed F1 generation offspring. It is the first study to report a transgenerational liver abnormalities in the F1 generation mice through maternal line prior to gestation. This finding was based on careful evaluation of liver histopathological abnormalities, apoptosis of hepatocytes, and measurements of oxidative stress biomarkers (lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation, and nitric oxide) in control and TCE populations. There was an increase in liver histopathological abnormalities, cell death, and oxidative lipid damage in F0 and F1 hepatic tissues of TCE treated group. In conclusion, this study showed that the biological and health impacts of environmental toxicant TCE do not end in maternal adults, but are passed on to offspring generations. Hence

  3. Depersonalization experiences in undergraduates are related to heightened stress cortisol responses.

    PubMed

    Giesbrecht, Timo; Smeets, Tom; Merckelbach, Harald; Jelicic, Marko

    2007-04-01

    The relationship between dissociative tendencies, as measured with the Dissociative Experiences Scale and its amnesia, absorption/imaginative involvement, and depersonalization/derealization subscales, and HPA axis functioning was studied in 2 samples of undergraduate students (N = 58 and 67). Acute stress was induced by means of the Trier Social Stress Test. Subjective and physiological stress (i.e., cortisol) responses were measured. Individuals high on the depersonalization/derealization subscale of the Dissociative Experiences Scale exhibited more pronounced cortisol responses, while individuals high on the absorption subscale showed attenuated responses. Interestingly, subjective stress experiences, as indicated by the Tension-Anxiety subscale of the Profile of Mood States, were positively related to trait dissociation. The present findings illustrate how various types of dissociation (i.e., depersonalization/derealization, absorption) are differentially related to cortisol stress responses.

  4. Endoplasmic reticulum stress preconditioning attenuates methylmercury-induced cellular damage by inducing favorable stress responses

    PubMed Central

    Usuki, Fusako; Fujimura, Masatake; Yamashita, Akio

    2013-01-01

    We demonstrate that methylmercury (MeHg)-susceptible cells preconditioned with an inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+-ATPase, thapsigargin, showed resistance to MeHg cytotoxicity through favorable stress responses, which included phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha (Eif2α), accumulation of activating transcription factor 4 (Atf4), upregulation of stress-related proteins, and activation of extracellular signal regulated kinase pathway. In addition, ER stress preconditioning induced suppression of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) mainly through the phospho-Eif2α-mediated general suppression of translation initiation and possible combined effects of decreased several NMD components expression. Atf4 accumulation was not mediated by NMD inhibition but translation inhibition of its upstream open reading frame (uORF) and translation facilitation of its protein-coding ORF by the phospho-Eif2α. These results suggested that ER stress plays an important role in MeHg cytotoxicity and that the modulation of ER stress has therapeutic potential to attenuate MeHg cytotoxicity, the underlying mechanism being the induction of integrated stress responses. PMID:23907635

  5. Low lifetime stress exposure is associated with reduced stimulus–response memory

    PubMed Central

    Goldfarb, Elizabeth V.; Shields, Grant S.; Daw, Nathaniel D.; Slavich, George M.; Phelps, Elizabeth A.

    2017-01-01

    Exposure to stress throughout life can cumulatively influence later health, even among young adults. The negative effects of high cumulative stress exposure are well-known, and a shift from episodic to stimulus–response memory has been proposed to underlie forms of psychopathology that are related to high lifetime stress. At the other extreme, effects of very low stress exposure are mixed, with some studies reporting that low stress leads to better outcomes, while others demonstrate that low stress is associated with diminished resilience and negative outcomes. However, the influence of very low lifetime stress exposure on episodic and stimulus–response memory is unknown. Here we use a lifetime stress assessment system (STRAIN) to assess cumulative lifetime stress exposure and measure memory performance in young adults reporting very low and moderate levels of lifetime stress exposure. Relative to moderate levels of stress, very low levels of lifetime stress were associated with reduced use and retention (24 h later) of stimulus–response (SR) associations, and a higher likelihood of using context memory. Further, computational modeling revealed that participants with low levels of stress exhibited worse expression of memory for SR associations than those with moderate stress. These results demonstrate that very low levels of stress exposure can have negative effects on cognition. PMID:28298555

  6. Stress-related disorders, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP)ergic system, and sex differences.

    PubMed

    Ramikie, Teniel S; Ressler, Kerry J

    2016-12-01

    Trauma-related disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are remarkably common and debilitating, and are often characterized by dysregulated threat responses. Across numerous epidemiological studies, females have been found to have an approximately twofold increased risk for PTSD and other stress-related disorders. Understanding the biological mechanisms of this differential risk is of critical importance. Recent data suggest that the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) pathway is a critical regulator of the stress response across species. Moreover, increasing evidence suggests that this pathway is regulated by both stress and estrogen modulation and may provide an important window into understanding mechanisms of sex differences in the stress response. We have recently shown that PACAP and its receptor (PAC1R) are critical mediators of abnormal processes after psychological trauma. Notably, in heavily traumatized human subjects, there appears to be a robust sex-specific association of PACAP blood levels and PAC1R gene variants with fear physiology, PTSD diagnosis, and symptoms, specifically in females. The sex-specific association occurs within a single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs2267735) that resides in a putative estrogen response element involved in PAC1R gene regulation. Complementing these human data, the PAC1R messenger RNA is induced with fear conditioning or estrogen replacement in rodent models. These data suggest that perturbations in the PACAP-PAC1R pathway are regulated by estrogen and are involved in abnormal fear responses underlying PTSD.

  7. Glucocorticoids mediate stress-induced impairment of retrieval of stimulus-response memory.

    PubMed

    Atsak, Piray; Guenzel, Friederike M; Kantar-Gok, Deniz; Zalachoras, Ioannis; Yargicoglu, Piraye; Meijer, Onno C; Quirarte, Gina L; Wolf, Oliver T; Schwabe, Lars; Roozendaal, Benno

    2016-05-01

    Acute stress and elevated glucocorticoid hormone levels are well known to impair the retrieval of hippocampus-dependent 'declarative' memory. Recent findings suggest that stress might also impair the retrieval of non-hippocampal memories. In particular, stress shortly before retention testing was shown to impair the retrieval of striatal stimulus-response associations in humans. However, the mechanism underlying this stress-induced retrieval impairment of non-hippocampal stimulus-response memory remains elusive. In the present study, we investigated whether an acute elevation in glucocorticoid levels mediates the impairing effects of stress on retrieval of stimulus-response memory. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained on a stimulus-response task in an eight-arm radial maze until they learned to associate a stimulus, i.e., cue, with a food reward in one of the arms. Twenty-four hours after successful acquisition, they received a systemic injection of vehicle, corticosterone (1mg/kg), the corticosterone-synthesis inhibitor metyrapone (35mg/kg) or were left untreated 1h before retention testing. We found that the corticosterone injection impaired the retrieval of stimulus-response memory. We further found that the systemic injection procedure per se was stressful as the vehicle administration also increased plasma corticosterone levels and impaired the retrieval of stimulus-response memory. However, memory retrieval was not impaired when rats were tested 2min after the systemic vehicle injection, before any stress-induced elevation in corticosterone levels had occurred. Moreover, metyrapone treatment blocked the effect of injection stress on both plasma corticosterone levels and memory retrieval impairment, indicating that the endogenous corticosterone response mediates the stress-induced memory retrieval impairment. None of the treatments affected rats' locomotor activity or motivation to search for the food reward within the maze. These findings show that stress

  8. Renal sympathetic nerve, blood flow, and epithelial transport responses to thermal stress.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Thad E

    2017-05-01

    Thermal stress is a profound sympathetic stress in humans; kidney responses involve altered renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), renal blood flow, and renal epithelial transport. During mild cold stress, RSNA spectral power but not total activity is altered, renal blood flow is maintained or decreased, and epithelial transport is altered consistent with a sympathetic stress coupled with central volume loaded state. Hypothermia decreases RSNA, renal blood flow, and epithelial transport. During mild heat stress, RSNA is increased, renal blood flow is decreased, and epithelial transport is increased consistent with a sympathetic stress coupled with a central volume unloaded state. Hyperthermia extends these directional changes, until heat illness results. Because kidney responses are very difficult to study in humans in vivo, this review describes and qualitatively evaluates an in vivo human skin model of sympathetically regulated epithelial tissue compared to that of the nephron. This model utilizes skin responses to thermal stress, involving 1) increased skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA), decreased skin blood flow, and suppressed eccrine epithelial transport during cold stress; and 2) increased SSNA, skin blood flow, and eccrine epithelial transport during heat stress. This model appears to mimic aspects of the renal responses. Investigations of skin responses, which parallel certain renal responses, may aid understanding of epithelial-sympathetic nervous system interactions during cold and heat stress. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Heat stress responses modulate calcium regulations and electrophysiological characteristics in atrial myocytes.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yao-Chang; Kao, Yu-Hsun; Huang, Chun-Feng; Cheng, Chen-Chuan; Chen, Yi-Jen; Chen, Shih-Ann

    2010-04-01

    Heat stress-induced responses change the ionic currents and calcium homeostasis. However, the molecular insights into the heat stress responses on calcium homeostasis remain unclear. The purposes of this study were to examine the mechanisms of heat stress responses on calcium handling and electrophysiological characteristics in atrial myocytes. We used indo-1 fluorimetric ratio technique and whole-cell patch clamp to investigate the intracellular calcium, action potentials, and ionic currents in isolated rabbit single atrial cardiomyocytes with or without (control) exposure to heat stress (43 degrees C, 15 min) 5+/-1 h before experiments. The expressions of sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase (SERCA2a), and Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX) in the control and heat stress-treated atrial myocytes were evaluated by Western blot and real-time PCR. As compared with control myocytes, the heat stress-treated myocytes had larger sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium content and larger intracellular calcium transient with a shorter decay portion. Heat stress-treated myocytes also had larger L-type calcium currents, transient outward potassium currents, but smaller NCX currents. Heat stress responses increased the protein expressions, SERCA2a, NCX, and heat shock protein. However, heat stress responses did not change the RNA expression of SERCA2a and NCX. In conclusion, heat stress responses change calcium handling through protein but not RNA regulation. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Age-Related Decrease in Stress Responsiveness and Proactive Coping in Male Mice.

    PubMed

    Oh, Hee-Jin; Song, Minah; Kim, Young Ki; Bae, Jae Ryong; Cha, Seung-Yun; Bae, Ji Young; Kim, Yeongmin; You, Minsu; Lee, Younpyo; Shim, Jieun; Maeng, Sungho

    2018-01-01

    Coping is a strategic approach to dealing with stressful situations. Those who use proactive coping strategies tend to accept changes and act before changes are expected. In contrast, those who use reactive coping are less flexible and more likely to act in response to changes. However, little research has assessed how coping style changes with age. This study investigated age-related changes in coping strategies and stress responsiveness and the influence of age on the processing of conditioned fear memory in 2-, 12- and 23-month-old male mice. Coping strategy was measured by comparing the escape latency in an active avoidance test and by comparing responses to a shock prod. The results showed that proactivity in coping response gradually decreased with age. Stress responsiveness, measured by stress-induced concentration of corticosterone, was also highest in 2-month-old mice and decreased with age. Consolidation of fear memory was highest in 12-month-old mice and was negatively correlated with the degree of stress responsiveness and proactivity in coping. Fear extinction did not differ among age groups and was not correlated with stress responsiveness or the proactivity of coping. However, the maintenance of extinct fear memory, which was best in 2-month-old mice and worst in 12-month-old mice, was negatively correlated with stress responsiveness but not with coping style. Age-dependent changes in the expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and its regulatory co-chaperones, which are accepted mechanisms for stress hormone stimulation, were measured in the hippocampus. The expression of GR was increased at 12 months compared to other age groups. There were no differences in Hsp70 and BAG1 expression by age. These results can be summarized as follows: (1) stress responsiveness and proactivity in coping decreased with age class; (2) consolidation of fear memory was negatively correlated with both stress responsiveness and proactivity; however, maintenance of

  11. Age-Related Decrease in Stress Responsiveness and Proactive Coping in Male Mice

    PubMed Central

    Oh, Hee-Jin; Song, Minah; Kim, Young Ki; Bae, Jae Ryong; Cha, Seung-Yun; Bae, Ji Young; Kim, Yeongmin; You, Minsu; Lee, Younpyo; Shim, Jieun; Maeng, Sungho

    2018-01-01

    Coping is a strategic approach to dealing with stressful situations. Those who use proactive coping strategies tend to accept changes and act before changes are expected. In contrast, those who use reactive coping are less flexible and more likely to act in response to changes. However, little research has assessed how coping style changes with age. This study investigated age-related changes in coping strategies and stress responsiveness and the influence of age on the processing of conditioned fear memory in 2-, 12- and 23-month-old male mice. Coping strategy was measured by comparing the escape latency in an active avoidance test and by comparing responses to a shock prod. The results showed that proactivity in coping response gradually decreased with age. Stress responsiveness, measured by stress-induced concentration of corticosterone, was also highest in 2-month-old mice and decreased with age. Consolidation of fear memory was highest in 12-month-old mice and was negatively correlated with the degree of stress responsiveness and proactivity in coping. Fear extinction did not differ among age groups and was not correlated with stress responsiveness or the proactivity of coping. However, the maintenance of extinct fear memory, which was best in 2-month-old mice and worst in 12-month-old mice, was negatively correlated with stress responsiveness but not with coping style. Age-dependent changes in the expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and its regulatory co-chaperones, which are accepted mechanisms for stress hormone stimulation, were measured in the hippocampus. The expression of GR was increased at 12 months compared to other age groups. There were no differences in Hsp70 and BAG1 expression by age. These results can be summarized as follows: (1) stress responsiveness and proactivity in coping decreased with age class; (2) consolidation of fear memory was negatively correlated with both stress responsiveness and proactivity; however, maintenance of

  12. Stress-Induced Inflammatory Responses in Women: Effects of Race and Pregnancy

    PubMed Central

    Christian, Lisa M.; Glaser, Ronald; Porter, Kyle; Iams, Jay D.

    2013-01-01

    Objective African Americans experience preterm birth at nearly twice the rate of Whites. Chronic stress associated with minority status is implicated in this disparity. Inflammation is a key biological pathway by which stress may affect birth outcomes. This study examined effects of race and pregnancy on stress-induced inflammatory responses. Methods Thirty-nine women in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy (19 African American; 20 White) and 39 demographically similar nonpregnant women completed an acute stressor (Trier Social Stress Test). Psychosocial characteristics, health behaviors, and affective responses were assessed. Serum interleukin(IL)-6 was measured via high sensitivity ELISA at baseline, 45 minutes, and 120 minutes post-stressor. Results IL-6 responses at 120 minutes post-stressor were 46% higher in African Americans versus Whites (95%CI:8%-81%; t(72)=3.51, p=.001). This effect was present in pregnancy and nonpregnancy. IL-6 responses at 120 minutes post-stressor tended to be lower (15%) in pregnant versus nonpregnant women (95%CI:-5%-32%; p=0.14). Racial differences in inflammatory responses were not accounted for by demographics, psychological characteristics, health behaviors, or differences in salivary cortisol across the study session. Pregnant Whites showed lower negative affective responses than nonpregnant women of either race (ps≤.007). Conclusion This study provides novel evidence that stress-induced inflammatory responses are more robust among African American women versus Whites during pregnancy and nonpregnancy. The ultimate impact of stress on health is a function of stressor exposure and physiological responses. Individual differences in stress-induced inflammatory responses represent a clear target for continued research efforts in racial disparities in health during pregnancy and nonpregnancy. PMID:23873713

  13. Keratins Are Altered in Intestinal Disease-Related Stress Responses

    PubMed Central

    Helenius, Terhi O.; Antman, Cecilia A.; Asghar, Muhammad Nadeem; Nyström, Joel H.; Toivola, Diana M.

    2016-01-01

    Keratin (K) intermediate filaments can be divided into type I/type II proteins, which form obligate heteropolymers. Epithelial cells express type I-type II keratin pairs, and K7, K8 (type II) and K18, K19 and K20 (type I) are the primary keratins found in the single-layered intestinal epithelium. Keratins are upregulated during stress in liver, pancreas, lung, kidney and skin, however, little is known about their dynamics in the intestinal stress response. Here, keratin mRNA, protein and phosphorylation levels were studied in response to murine colonic stresses modeling human conditions, and in colorectal cancer HT29 cells. Dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-colitis was used as a model for intestinal inflammatory stress, which elicited a strong upregulation and widened crypt distribution of K7 and K20. K8 levels were slightly downregulated in acute DSS, while stress-responsive K8 serine-74 phosphorylation (K8 pS74) was increased. By eliminating colonic microflora using antibiotics, K8 pS74 in proliferating cells was significantly increased, together with an upregulation of K8 and K19. In the aging mouse colon, most colonic keratins were upregulated. In vitro, K8, K19 and K8 pS74 levels were increased in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in HT29 cells. In conclusion, intestinal keratins are differentially and dynamically upregulated and post-translationally modified during stress and recovery. PMID:27626448

  14. Keratins Are Altered in Intestinal Disease-Related Stress Responses.

    PubMed

    Helenius, Terhi O; Antman, Cecilia A; Asghar, Muhammad Nadeem; Nyström, Joel H; Toivola, Diana M

    2016-09-10

    Keratin (K) intermediate filaments can be divided into type I/type II proteins, which form obligate heteropolymers. Epithelial cells express type I-type II keratin pairs, and K7, K8 (type II) and K18, K19 and K20 (type I) are the primary keratins found in the single-layered intestinal epithelium. Keratins are upregulated during stress in liver, pancreas, lung, kidney and skin, however, little is known about their dynamics in the intestinal stress response. Here, keratin mRNA, protein and phosphorylation levels were studied in response to murine colonic stresses modeling human conditions, and in colorectal cancer HT29 cells. Dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-colitis was used as a model for intestinal inflammatory stress, which elicited a strong upregulation and widened crypt distribution of K7 and K20. K8 levels were slightly downregulated in acute DSS, while stress-responsive K8 serine-74 phosphorylation (K8 pS74) was increased. By eliminating colonic microflora using antibiotics, K8 pS74 in proliferating cells was significantly increased, together with an upregulation of K8 and K19. In the aging mouse colon, most colonic keratins were upregulated. In vitro, K8, K19 and K8 pS74 levels were increased in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in HT29 cells. In conclusion, intestinal keratins are differentially and dynamically upregulated and post-translationally modified during stress and recovery.

  15. Sex differences in the stress response in SD rats.

    PubMed

    Lu, Jing; Wu, Xue-Yan; Zhu, Qiong-Bin; Li, Jia; Shi, Li-Gen; Wu, Juan-Li; Zhang, Qi-Jun; Huang, Man-Li; Bao, Ai-Min

    2015-05-01

    Sex differences play an important role in depression, the basis of which is an excessive stress response. We aimed at revealing the neurobiological sex differences in the same study in acute- and chronically-stressed rats. Female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), acute foot shock (FS) and controls, animals in all 3 groups were sacrificed in proestrus or diestrus. Male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: CUMS, FS and controls. Comparisons were made of behavioral changes in CUMS and control rats, plasma levels of corticosterone (CORT), testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2), and of the hypothalamic mRNA-expression of stress-related molecules, i.e. estrogen receptor α and β, androgen receptor, aromatase, mineralocorticoid receptor, glucocorticoid receptor, corticotropin-releasing hormone, arginine vasopressin and oxytocin. CUMS resulted in disordered estrus cycles, more behavioral and hypothalamic stress-related molecules changes and a stronger CORT response in female rats compared with male rats. Female rats also showed decreased E2 and T levels after FS and CUMS, while male FS rats showed increased E2 and male CUMS rats showed decreased T levels. Stress affects the behavioral, endocrine and the molecular response of the stress systems in the hypothalamus of SD rats in a clear sexual dimorphic way, which has parallels in human data on stress and depression. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Heritable stress response dynamics revealed by single-cell genealogy

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Cells often respond to environmental stimuli by activating specific transcription factors. Upon exposure to glucose limitation stress, it is known that yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells dephosphorylate the general stress response factor Msn2, leading to its nuclear localization, which in turn activates the expression of many genes. However, the precise dynamics of Msn2 nucleocytoplasmic translocations and whether they are inherited over multiple generations in a stress-dependent manner are not well understood. Tracking Msn2 localization events in yeast lineages grown on a microfluidic chip, here we report how cells modulate the amplitude, duration, frequency, and dynamic pattern of the localization events in response to glucose limitation stress. Single yeast cells were found to modulate the amplitude and frequency of Msn2 nuclear localization, but not its duration. Moreover, the Msn2 localization frequency was epigenetically inherited in descendants of mother cells, leading to a decrease in cell-to-cell variation in localization frequency. An analysis of the time dynamic patterns of nuclear localizations between genealogically related cell pairs using an information theory approach found that the magnitude of pattern similarity increased with stress intensity and was strongly inherited by the descendant cells at the highest stress level. By dissecting how general stress response dynamics is contributed by different modulation schemes over long time scales, our work provides insight into which scheme evolution might have acted on to optimize fitness in stressful environments. PMID:29675464

  17. Identification of plasma glucocorticoids in pallid sturgeon in response to stress

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Webb, M.A.H.; Allert, J.A.; Kappenman, K.M.; Marcos, J.; Feist, G.W.; Schreck, C.B.; Shackleton, C.H.

    2007-01-01

    Compared to teleosts, little is known about the stress response in chondrosteans, and the glucocorticoid(s) most responsive to stress have never been definitively determined in sturgeon. In terms of cortisol production, pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) have a low physiological response to stress compared to other sturgeons (Acipenser sp.). Because of this, our null hypothesis was that cortisol is not the predominant glucocorticoid secreted in response to stress in pallid sturgeon. Our objective was to identify the putative glucocorticoids present in the plasma of pallid sturgeon during the stress response. Pallid sturgeon were subjected to a severe confinement stress (12 h) with an additional handling stressor for the first 6 h. Control fish were not subjected to confinement but were handled only to collect blood. Blood plasma was collected at time 0, 6, and 12 h. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to screen the plasma for the spectrum of glucocorticoids and determine the putative steroid secreted during the stress response. Cortisol was the primary glucocorticoid detected in stressed pallid sturgeon. In addition, the cortisol metabolites cortisone, alloTHE (5??-pregnane-3??,17??,21-triol-11,20-dione), allo-??-cortolone (3??,17??,20??,21-tetrahydro-5??-pregnan-11-one), and allo-??-cortolone (3??,17??,20??,21-tetrahydro-5??-pregnan-11-one) were detected. Plasma cortisol increased from a resting concentration of 0.67 ng/ml to 10.66 ng/ml at 6 h followed by a decrease to 6.78 ng/ml by 12 h. Plasma glucose increased significantly by time 6 and 12 h in both stressed and unstressed groups and remained elevated at time 12 h, while resting lactate concentrations were low to non-detectable and did not increase significantly with the stressor over time. Cortisol was the primary glucocorticoid synthesized and secreted in response to a stressor in pallid sturgeon. Though the proportional increase in plasma cortisol in stressed pallid sturgeon was lower than

  18. Adrenocortical stress responses influence an invasive vertebrate's fitness in an extreme environment

    PubMed Central

    Jessop, Tim S.; Letnic, Mike; Webb, Jonathan K.; Dempster, Tim

    2013-01-01

    Continued range expansion into physiologically challenging environments requires invasive species to maintain adaptive phenotypic performance. The adrenocortical stress response, governed in part by glucocorticoid hormones, influences physiological and behavioural responses of vertebrates to environmental stressors. However, any adaptive role of this response in invasive populations that are expanding into extreme environments is currently unclear. We experimentally manipulated the adrenocortical stress response of invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina) to investigate its effect on phenotypic performance and fitness at the species' range front in the Tanami Desert, Australia. Here, toads are vulnerable to overheating and dehydration during the annual hot–dry season and display elevated plasma corticosterone levels indicative of severe environmental stress. By comparing unmanipulated control toads with toads whose adrenocortical stress response was manipulated to increase acute physiological stress responsiveness, we found that control toads had significantly reduced daily evaporative water loss and higher survival relative to the experimental animals. The adrenocortical stress response hence appears essential in facilitating complex phenotypic performance and setting fitness trajectories of individuals from invasive species during range expansion. PMID:23945686

  19. Spaceflight Modifies Escherichia coli Gene Expression in Response to Antibiotic Exposure and Reveals Role of Oxidative Stress Response

    PubMed Central

    Aunins, Thomas R.; Erickson, Keesha E.; Prasad, Nripesh; Levy, Shawn E.; Jones, Angela; Shrestha, Shristi; Mastracchio, Rick; Stodieck, Louis; Klaus, David; Zea, Luis; Chatterjee, Anushree

    2018-01-01

    Bacteria grown in space experiments under microgravity conditions have been found to undergo unique physiological responses, ranging from modified cell morphology and growth dynamics to a putative increased tolerance to antibiotics. A common theory for this behavior is the loss of gravity-driven convection processes in the orbital environment, resulting in both reduction of extracellular nutrient availability and the accumulation of bacterial byproducts near the cell. To further characterize the responses, this study investigated the transcriptomic response of Escherichia coli to both microgravity and antibiotic concentration. E. coli was grown aboard International Space Station in the presence of increasing concentrations of the antibiotic gentamicin with identical ground controls conducted on Earth. Here we show that within 49 h of being cultured, E. coli adapted to grow at higher antibiotic concentrations in space compared to Earth, and demonstrated consistent changes in expression of 63 genes in response to an increase in drug concentration in both environments, including specific responses related to oxidative stress and starvation response. Additionally, we find 50 stress-response genes upregulated in response to the microgravity when compared directly to the equivalent concentration in the ground control. We conclude that the increased antibiotic tolerance in microgravity may be attributed not only to diminished transport processes, but also to a resultant antibiotic cross-resistance response conferred by an overlapping effect of stress response genes. Our data suggest that direct stresses of nutrient starvation and acid-shock conveyed by the microgravity environment can incidentally upregulate stress response pathways related to antibiotic stress and in doing so contribute to the increased antibiotic stress tolerance observed for bacteria in space experiments. These results provide insights into the ability of bacteria to adapt under extreme stress

  20. Spaceflight Modifies Escherichia coli Gene Expression in Response to Antibiotic Exposure and Reveals Role of Oxidative Stress Response.

    PubMed

    Aunins, Thomas R; Erickson, Keesha E; Prasad, Nripesh; Levy, Shawn E; Jones, Angela; Shrestha, Shristi; Mastracchio, Rick; Stodieck, Louis; Klaus, David; Zea, Luis; Chatterjee, Anushree

    2018-01-01

    Bacteria grown in space experiments under microgravity conditions have been found to undergo unique physiological responses, ranging from modified cell morphology and growth dynamics to a putative increased tolerance to antibiotics. A common theory for this behavior is the loss of gravity-driven convection processes in the orbital environment, resulting in both reduction of extracellular nutrient availability and the accumulation of bacterial byproducts near the cell. To further characterize the responses, this study investigated the transcriptomic response of Escherichia coli to both microgravity and antibiotic concentration. E. coli was grown aboard International Space Station in the presence of increasing concentrations of the antibiotic gentamicin with identical ground controls conducted on Earth. Here we show that within 49 h of being cultured, E. coli adapted to grow at higher antibiotic concentrations in space compared to Earth, and demonstrated consistent changes in expression of 63 genes in response to an increase in drug concentration in both environments, including specific responses related to oxidative stress and starvation response. Additionally, we find 50 stress-response genes upregulated in response to the microgravity when compared directly to the equivalent concentration in the ground control. We conclude that the increased antibiotic tolerance in microgravity may be attributed not only to diminished transport processes, but also to a resultant antibiotic cross-resistance response conferred by an overlapping effect of stress response genes. Our data suggest that direct stresses of nutrient starvation and acid-shock conveyed by the microgravity environment can incidentally upregulate stress response pathways related to antibiotic stress and in doing so contribute to the increased antibiotic stress tolerance observed for bacteria in space experiments. These results provide insights into the ability of bacteria to adapt under extreme stress

  1. An overview of stress response proteomes in Listeria monocytogenes

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Listeria monocytogenes adapts to diverse stress conditions including cold, osmotic, heat, acid, and alkali stresses encountered during food processing and preservation which is a serious food safety threat. In this review, we have presented the major findings on this bacterium’s stress response prot...

  2. Gene expression changes in response to aging compared to heat stress, oxidative stress and ionizing radiation in Drosophila melanogaster.

    PubMed

    Landis, Gary; Shen, Jie; Tower, John

    2012-11-01

    Gene expression changes in response to aging, heat stress, hyperoxia, hydrogen peroxide, and ionizing radiation were compared using microarrays. A set of 18 genes were up-regulated across all conditions, indicating a general stress response shared with aging, including the heat shock protein (Hsp) genes Hsp70, Hsp83 and l(2)efl, the glutathione-S-transferase gene GstD2, and the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (mUPR) gene ref(2)P. Selected gene expression changes were confirmed using quantitative PCR, Northern analysis and GstD-GFP reporter constructs. Certain genes were altered in only a subset of the conditions, for example, up-regulation of numerous developmental pathway and signaling genes in response to hydrogen peroxide. While aging shared features with each stress, aging was more similar to the stresses most associated with oxidative stress (hyperoxia, hydrogen peroxide, ionizing radiation) than to heat stress. Aging is associated with down-regulation of numerous mitochondrial genes, including electron-transport-chain (ETC) genes and mitochondrial metabolism genes, and a sub-set of these changes was also observed upon hydrogen peroxide stress and ionizing radiation stress. Aging shared the largest number of gene expression changes with hyperoxia. The extensive down-regulation of mitochondrial and ETC genes during aging is consistent with an aging-associated failure in mitochondrial maintenance, which may underlie the oxidative stress-like and proteotoxic stress-like responses observed during aging.

  3. Conversion of psychological stress into cellular stress response: roles of the sigma-1 receptor in the process.

    PubMed

    Hayashi, Teruo

    2015-04-01

    Psychiatrists empirically recognize that excessive or chronic psychological stress can result in long-lasting impairments of brain functions that partly involve neuronal cell damage. Recent studies begin to elucidate the molecular pathways activated/inhibited by psychological stress. Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis under psychological stress causes inflammatory oxidative stresses in the brain, in part due to elevation of cytokines. Psychological stress or neuropathological conditions (e.g., accumulation of β-amyloids) trigger 'cellular stress responses', which promote upregulation of molecular chaperones to protect macromolecules from degradation. The unfolded protein response, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-specific cellular stress response, has been recently implicated in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders and the pharmacology of certain clinically used drugs. The sigma-1 receptor is an ER protein whose ligands are shown to exert antidepressant-like and neuroprotective actions. Recent studies found that the sigma-1 receptor is a novel ligand-operated ER chaperone that regulates bioenergetics, free radical generation, oxidative stress, unfolded protein response and cytokine signaling. The sigma-1 receptor also regulates morphogenesis of neuronal cells, such as neurite outgrowth, synaptogenesis, and myelination, which can be perturbed by cellular stress. The sigma-1 receptor may thus contribute to a cellular defense system that protects nervous systems against chronic psychological stress. Findings from sigma receptor research imply that not only cell surface monoamine effectors but also intracellular molecules, especially those at the ER, may provide novel therapeutic targets for future drug developments. © 2014 The Author. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

  4. Time matters - acute stress response and glucocorticoid sensitivity in early multiple sclerosis.

    PubMed

    Kern, Simone; Rohleder, Nicolas; Eisenhofer, Graeme; Lange, Jan; Ziemssen, Tjalf

    2014-10-01

    Psychosocial stress has frequently been associated with disease activity and acute exacerbations in multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite this well established finding, strikingly little is known about the acute hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) stress response in MS. Twenty-six early relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients and seventeen age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects (CS) took part in the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a well validated psycho-social laboratory stress protocol. Repeated blood samples were analyzed for stress-related cortisol and catecholamine levels as well as for glucocorticoid sensitivity (GCS) of target immune cells. Chronic and acute stress appraisals were assessed by self-report measures. RRMS patients and CS did not differ in stress-related cortisol/catecholamine levels, GCS or stress appraisal in response to the TSST. However, cortisol release as well as GCS was strongly correlated with time since diagnosis but not with neurological disability. Patients with shorter disease duration (2-12 months) expressed a significantly higher cortisol stress response while MS patients with longer disease duration (14-36 months) showed a significantly diminished HPA response as well as lower post-stress GCS. There is evidence for a time-dependent variability in the HPA stress system with an increased cortisol stress response in the first year after diagnosis along with a more blunted HPA stress response and a diminished GCS in subsequent disease stages. Data underscore the highly dynamic nature of HPA axis regulation in the MS disease process, which could possibly relate to compensatory mechanisms within a cytokine-HPA axis feedback circuit model. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Sex and stress: Men and women show different cortisol responses to psychological stress induced by the Trier social stress test and the Iowa singing social stress test.

    PubMed

    Reschke-Hernández, Alaine E; Okerstrom, Katrina L; Bowles Edwards, Angela; Tranel, Daniel

    2017-01-02

    Acute psychological stress affects each of us in our daily lives and is increasingly a topic of discussion for its role in mental illness, aging, cognition, and overall health. A better understanding of how such stress affects the body and mind could contribute to the development of more effective clinical interventions and prevention practices. Over the past 3 decades, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) has been widely used to induce acute stress in a laboratory setting based on the principles of social evaluative threat, namely, a judged speech-making task. A comparable alternative task may expand options for examining acute stress in a controlled laboratory setting. This study uses a within-subjects design to examine healthy adult participants' (n = 20 men, n = 20 women) subjective stress and salivary cortisol responses to the standard TSST (involving public speaking and math) and the newly created Iowa Singing Social Stress Test (I-SSST). The I-SSST is similar to the TSST but with a new twist: public singing. Results indicated that men and women reported similarly high levels of subjective stress in response to both tasks. However, men and women demonstrated different cortisol responses; men showed a robust response to both tasks, and women displayed a lesser response. These findings are in line with previous literature and further underscore the importance of examining possible sex differences throughout various phases of research, including design, analysis, and interpretation of results. Furthermore, this nascent examination of the I-SSST suggests a possible alternative for inducing stress in the laboratory. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Examining the mediating roles of binge eating and emotional eating in the relationships between stress and metabolic abnormalities

    PubMed Central

    Grey, Margaret; Whittemore, Robin; Reuning-Scherer, Jonathan; Grilo, Carlos M.; Sinha, Rajita

    2017-01-01

    To test whether binge eating and emotional eating mediate the relationships between self-reported stress, morning cortisol and the homeostatic model of insulin resistance and waist circumference. We also explored the moderators of gender and age. Data were from 249 adults (mean BMI = 26.9 ± 5.1 kg/m2; mean age = 28.3 ± 8.3 years; 54.2 % male; 69.5 % white) recruited from the community who were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Participants completed a comprehensive assessment panel of psychological and physiological assessments including a morning blood draw for plasma cortisol. We found negative relationships between stress and morning cortisol (r = −0.15 to −0.21; p < 0.05), and cortisol and the homeostatic model of insulin resistance and waist circumference (r = −0.16, −0.25, respectively; p < 0.05). There was not statistical support for binge eating or emotional eating as mediators and no support for moderated mediation for either gender or age; however, gender moderated several paths in the model. These include the paths between perceived stress and emotional eating (B = 0.009, p < 0.001), perceived stress and binge eating (B = 0.01, p = 0.003), and binge eating and increased HOMA-IR (B = 0.149, p = 0.018), which were higher among females. Among women, perceived stress may be an important target to decrease binge and emotional eating. It remains to be determined what physiological and psychological mechanisms underlie the relationships between stress and metabolic abnormalities. PMID:26686376

  7. Spine abnormalities depicted by magnetic resonance imaging in adolescent rowers.

    PubMed

    Maurer, Marvin; Soder, Ricardo Bernardi; Baldisserotto, Matteo

    2011-02-01

    Most lesions of the spine of athletes, which often are detected incidentally, do not cause important symptoms or make the athletes discontinue their physical activities. To better understand the significance of these lesions, new imaging studies have been conducted with asymptomatic athletes in several sports, aiming to detect potentially deleterious and disabling abnormalities. To compare the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lumbar spine findings in a group of asymptomatic adolescent rowers and in a control group of adolescents matched according to age and sex who do not practice any regular physical activity. Cohort study (prevalence); Level of evidence, 3. Our study evaluated 44 asymptomatic adolescent boys distributed in 2 groups of 22 rowers and 22 control subjects. All the examinations were performed using a 0.35-T open-field MRI unit and evaluated by 2 experienced radiologists blinded to the study groups. Each MRI scan was analyzed for the presence of disc degeneration/desiccation, herniated or bulging disc, pars interarticularis stress reaction, and spondylolysis. The Student t test and the Fisher exact test were used for statistical analyses. Nine rowers (40.9%) had at least 1 abnormality detected by MRI in the lumbar spine, whereas only 2 participants (9.1%) in the control group had at least 1 MRI abnormality (P = .03). Seven disc changes (31.8%) and 6 pars abnormalities (27.3%) were found in the group of elite rowers. In the control group, 3 disc changes (13.6%) and no pars abnormalities were found in the MR scans. The comparison between groups showed statistically significant differences in stress reaction of the pars articularis. Disc disease and pars interarticularis stress reaction are prevalent abnormalities of the lumbar spine of high-performance rowers.

  8. Thermodynamic Modeling and Analysis of Human Stress Response

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boregowda, S. C.; Tiwari, S. N.

    1999-01-01

    A novel approach based on the second law of thermodynamics is developed to investigate the psychophysiology and quantify human stress level. Two types of stresses (thermal and mental) are examined. A Unified Stress Response Theory (USRT) is developed under the new proposed field of study called Engineering Psychophysiology. The USRT is used to investigate both thermal and mental stresses from a holistic (human body as a whole) and thermodynamic viewpoint. The original concepts and definitions are established as postulates which form the basis for thermodynamic approach to quantify human stress level. An Objective Thermal Stress Index (OTSI) is developed by applying the second law of thermodynamics to the human thermal system to quantify thermal stress or dis- comfort in the human body. The human thermal model based on finite element method is implemented. It is utilized as a "Computational Environmental Chamber" to conduct series of simulations to examine the human thermal stress responses under different environmental conditions. An innovative hybrid technique is developed to analyze human thermal behavior based on series of human-environment interaction simulations. Continuous monitoring of thermal stress is demonstrated with the help of OTSI. It is well established that the human thermal system obeys the second law of thermodynamics. Further, the OTSI is validated against the experimental data. Regarding mental stress, an Objective Mental Stress Index (OMSI) is developed by applying the Maxwell relations of thermodynamics to the combined thermal and cardiovascular system in the human body. The OMSI is utilized to demonstrate the technique of monitoring mental stress continuously and is validated with the help of series of experimental studies. Although the OMSI indicates the level of mental stress, it provides a strong thermodynamic and mathematical relationship between activities of thermal and cardiovascular systems of the human body.

  9. Cortisol Stress Response Variability in Early Adolescence Attachment, Affect and Sex

    PubMed Central

    Cameron, Catherine Ann; McKay, Stacey; Susman, Elizabeth J.; Wynne-Edwards, Katherine; Wright, Joan M.; Weinberg, Joanne

    2017-01-01

    Attachment, affect, and sex shape responsivity to psychosocial stress. Concurrent social contexts influence cortisol secretion, a stress hormone and biological marker of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity. Patterns of attachment, emotion status, and sex were hypothesized to relate to bifurcated, that is, accentuated and attenuated, cortisol reactivity. The theoretical framework for this study posits that multiple individual differences mediate a cortisol stress response. The effects of two psychosocial stress interventions, a modified Trier Social Stress Test for Teens and the Frustration Social Stressor for Adolescents were developed and investigated with early adolescents. Both of these protocols induced a significant stress reaction and evoked predicted bifurcation in cortisol responses; an increase or decrease from baseline to reactivity. In Study I, 120 predominantly middle-class, Euro-Canadian early adolescents with a mean age of 13.43 years were studied. The girls' attenuated cortisol reactivity to the public performance stressor related significantly to their self-reported lower maternal-attachment and higher trait-anger. In Study II, a community sample of 146 predominantly Euro-Canadian middle-class youth, with an average age of 14.5 years participated. Their self-reports of higher trait-anger and trait-anxiety, and lower parental attachment by both sexes related differentially to accentuated and attenuated cortisol reactivity to the frustration stressor. Thus, attachment, affect, sex, and the stressor contextual factors were associated with the adrenal-cortical responses of these adolescents through complex interactions. Further studies of individual differences in physiological responses to stress are called for in order to clarify the identities of concurrent protective and risk factors in the psychosocial stress and physiological stress responses of early adolescents. PMID:27468997

  10. Cortisol Stress Response Variability in Early Adolescence: Attachment, Affect and Sex.

    PubMed

    Cameron, Catherine Ann; McKay, Stacey; Susman, Elizabeth J; Wynne-Edwards, Katherine; Wright, Joan M; Weinberg, Joanne

    2017-01-01

    Attachment, affect, and sex shape responsivity to psychosocial stress. Concurrent social contexts influence cortisol secretion, a stress hormone and biological marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. Patterns of attachment, emotion status, and sex were hypothesized to relate to bifurcated, that is, accentuated and attenuated, cortisol reactivity. The theoretical framework for this study posits that multiple individual differences mediate a cortisol stress response. The effects of two psychosocial stress interventions, a modified Trier Social Stress Test for Teens and the Frustration Social Stressor for Adolescents were developed and investigated with early adolescents. Both of these protocols induced a significant stress reaction and evoked predicted bifurcation in cortisol responses; an increase or decrease from baseline to reactivity. In Study I, 120 predominantly middle-class, Euro-Canadian early adolescents with a mean age of 13.43 years were studied. The girls' attenuated cortisol reactivity to the public performance stressor related significantly to their self-reported lower maternal-attachment and higher trait-anger. In Study II, a community sample of 146 predominantly Euro-Canadian middle-class youth, with an average age of 14.5 years participated. Their self-reports of higher trait-anger and trait-anxiety, and lower parental attachment by both sexes related differentially to accentuated and attenuated cortisol reactivity to the frustration stressor. Thus, attachment, affect, sex, and the stressor contextual factors were associated with the adrenal-cortical responses of these adolescents through complex interactions. Further studies of individual differences in physiological responses to stress are called for in order to clarify the identities of concurrent protective and risk factors in the psychosocial stress and physiological stress responses of early adolescents.

  11. Stress Response Mechanisms: From Single Cells to Multinational Organizations

    PubMed Central

    Pech, Richard J.

    2006-01-01

    Can a literal comparison be made between biological phenomena in organisms and phenomena in human organizations? The evidence provided by simplified but useful examples appears to suggest that a phenomenon simulating hormesis can and does occur in organizational contexts. Similarities between stress response behaviors of organisms and stress response behaviors in organizations are discussed. Cellular stress response mechanisms stimulate and repair, as well as defend the organism against further attacks. Organizational hormesis describes actions that stimulate the organization by increasing its focus and protecting it against future attacks. The common aim for the organism as well as the organization is to increase the probability of survival. The following describes examples of organizational survival that demonstrate a number of hormetic parallels between organisms and organisations. PMID:18648597

  12. Family history of psychosis moderates early auditory cortical response abnormalities in non-psychotic bipolar disorder

    PubMed Central

    Hamm, Jordan P; Ethridge, Lauren E; Shapiro, John R; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Tamminga, Carol A; Sweeney, John A; Keshavan, Matcheri S; Thaker, Gunvant K; Clementz, Brett A

    2017-01-01

    Objectives Bipolar I disorder is a disabling illness affecting 1% of people worldwide. Family and twin studies suggest that psychotic bipolar disorder (BDP) represents a homogenous subgroup with an etiology distinct from non-psychotic bipolar disorder (BDNP) and partially shared with schizophrenia. Studies of auditory electrophysiology [e.g., paired-stimulus and oddball measured with electroencephalography (EEG)] consistently report deviations in psychotic groups (schizophrenia, BDP), yet such studies comparing BDP and BDNP are sparse and, in some cases, conflicting. Auditory EEG responses are significantly reduced in unaffected relatives of psychosis patients, suggesting that they may relate to both psychosis liability and expression. Methods While 64-sensor EEGs were recorded, age- and gender-matched samples of 70 BDP, 35 BDNP {20 with a family history of psychosis [BDNP(+)]}, and 70 psychiatrically healthy subjects were presented typical auditory paired-stimuli and auditory oddball paradigms. Results Oddball P3b reductions were present and indistinguishable across all patient groups. P2s to paired-stimuli were abnormal only in BDP and BDNP(+). Conversely, N1 reductions to stimuli in both paradigms and P3a reductions were present in both BDP and BDNP(−) groups but were absent in BDNP(+). Conclusions While nearly all auditory neural response components studied were abnormal in BDP, BDNP abnormalities at early- and mid-latencies were moderated by family psychosis history. The relationship between psychosis expression, heritable psychosis risk, and neurophysiology within bipolar disorder, therefore, may be complex. Consideration of such clinical disease heterogeneity may be important for future investigations of the pathophysiology of major psychiatric disturbance. PMID:23941660

  13. Reproduction elevates the corticosterone stress response in common fruit bats.

    PubMed

    Klose, Stefan M; Smith, Carolynn L; Denzel, Andrea J; Kalko, Elisabeth K V

    2006-04-01

    Changes in reproductive state or the environment may affect the sensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-andrenal (HPA) axis. However, little is known about the dynamics of the resulting corticosteroid stress response, in particular in tropical mammals. In this study, we address the modulation of corticosterone release in response to different reproductive conditions and seasonality in 326 free-living common fruit-eating bats (Artibeus jamaicensis) on Barro Colorado Island in Panama during dry and wet seasons. We present strong evidence that stress sensitivity is primarily modulated by reproductive condition. In reproductively active females, corticosterone increases were more rapid and reached higher levels, but also decreased significantly faster than in inactive females. The corticosterone response was weaker in reproducing males than in females and delayed compared to non-reproductive males. Testes volume in reproductively active males was negatively correlated with corticosterone concentrations. Our findings suggest differentiated dynamics in the corticosterone stress response between sexes, potentially reflecting conflicting ecological demands. In females, a strong acute corticosterone response may represent high stress- and risk-sensitivity that facilitates escape and thus helps to protect reproduction. In males, suppression during reproductive activity could reflect lowered stress sensitivity to avoid chronically elevated corticosterone levels in times of frequent aggressive and therefore costly inter-male encounters.

  14. Stress tolerances of nullmutants of function-unknown genes encoding menadione stress-responsive proteins in Aspergillus nidulans.

    PubMed

    Leiter, Éva; Bálint, Mihály; Miskei, Márton; Orosz, Erzsébet; Szabó, Zsuzsa; Pócsi, István

    2016-07-01

    A group of menadione stress-responsive function-unkown genes of Aspergillus nidulans (Locus IDs ANID_03987.1, ANID_06058.1, ANID_10219.1, and ANID_10260.1) was deleted and phenotypically characterized. Importantly, comparative and phylogenetic analyses of the tested A. nidulans genes and their orthologs shed light only on the presence of a TANGO2 domain with NRDE protein motif in the translated ANID_06058.1 gene but did not reveal any recognizable protein-encoding domains in other protein sequences. The gene deletion strains were subjected to oxidative, osmotic, and metal ion stress and, surprisingly, only the ΔANID_10219.1 mutant showed an increased sensitivity to 0.12 mmol l(-1) menadione sodium bisulfite. The gene deletions affected the stress sensitivities (tolerances) irregularly, for example, some strains grew more slowly when exposed to various oxidants and/or osmotic stress generating agents, meanwhile the ΔANID_10260.1 mutant possessed a wild-type tolerance to all stressors tested. Our results are in line with earlier studies demonstrating that the deletions of stress-responsive genes do not confer necessarily any stress-sensitivity phenotypes, which can be attributed to compensatory mechanisms based on other elements of the stress response system with overlapping functions. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Diminished medial prefrontal cortex activation during the recollection of stressful events is an acquired characteristic of PTSD.

    PubMed

    Dahlgren, M K; Laifer, L M; VanElzakker, M B; Offringa, R; Hughes, K C; Staples-Bradley, L K; Dubois, S J; Lasko, N B; Hinojosa, C A; Orr, S P; Pitman, R K; Shin, L M

    2018-05-01

    Previous research has shown relatively diminished medial prefrontal cortex activation and heightened psychophysiological responses during the recollection of personal events in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the origin of these abnormalities is unknown. Twin studies provide the opportunity to determine whether such abnormalities reflect familial vulnerabilities, result from trauma exposure, or are acquired characteristics of PTSD. In this case-control twin study, 26 male identical twin pairs (12 PTSD; 14 non-PTSD) discordant for PTSD and combat exposure recalled and imagined trauma-unrelated stressful and neutral life events using a standard script-driven imagery paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging and concurrent skin conductance measurement. Diminished activation in the medial prefrontal cortex during Stressful v. Neutral script-driven imagery was observed in the individuals with PTSD, relative to other groups. Diminished medial prefrontal cortex activation during Stressful v. Neutral script-driven imagery may be an acquired characteristic of PTSD. If replicated, this finding could be used prospectively to inform diagnosis and the assessment of treatment response.

  16. Stress during a Critical Postnatal Period Induces Region-Specific Structural Abnormalities and Dysfunction of the Prefrontal Cortex via CRF1

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Xiao-Dun; Liao, Xue-Mei; Uribe-Mariño, Andrés; Liu, Rui; Xie, Xiao-Meng; Jia, Jiao; Su, Yun-Ai; Li, Ji-Tao; Schmidt, Mathias V; Wang, Xiao-Dong; Si, Tian-Mei

    2015-01-01

    During the early postnatal period, environmental influences play a pivotal role in shaping the development of the neocortex, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC) that is crucial for working memory and goal-directed actions. Exposure to stressful experiences during this critical period may disrupt the development of PFC pyramidal neurons and impair the wiring and function of related neural circuits. However, the molecular mechanisms of the impact of early-life stress on PFC development and function are not well understood. In this study, we found that repeated stress exposure during the first postnatal week hampered dendritic development in layers II/III and V pyramidal neurons in the dorsal agranular cingulate cortex (ACd) and prelimbic cortex (PL) of neonatal mice. The deleterious effects of early postnatal stress on structural plasticity persisted to adulthood only in ACd layer V pyramidal neurons. Most importantly, concurrent blockade of corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRF1) by systemic antalarmin administration (20 μg/g of body weight) during early-life stress exposure prevented stress-induced apical dendritic retraction and spine loss in ACd layer V neurons and impairments in PFC-dependent cognitive tasks. Moreover, the magnitude of dendritic regression, especially the shrinkage of apical branches, of ACd layer V neurons predicted the degree of cognitive deficits in stressed mice. Our data highlight the region-specific effects of early postnatal stress on the structural plasticity of prefrontal pyramidal neurons, and suggest a critical role of CRF1 in modulating early-life stress-induced prefrontal abnormalities. PMID:25403725

  17. Physiological Responses to Thermal Stress and Exercise

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iyota, Hiroyuki; Ohya, Akira; Yamagata, Junko; Suzuki, Takashi; Miyagawa, Toshiaki; Kawabata, Takashi

    The simple and noninvasive measuring methods of bioinstrumentation in humans is required for optimization of air conditioning and management of thermal environments, taking into consideration the individual specificity of the human body as well as the stress conditions affecting each. Changes in human blood circulation were induced with environmental factors such as heat, cold, exercise, mental stress, and so on. In this study, the physiological responses of human body to heat stress and exercise were investigated in the initial phase of the developmental research. We measured the body core and skin temperatures, skin blood flow, and pulse wave as the indices of the adaptation of the cardiovascular system. A laser Doppler skin blood flowmetry using an optical-sensor with a small portable data logger was employed for the measurement. These results reveal the heat-stress and exercise-induced circulatory responses, which are under the control of the sympathetic nerve system. Furthermore, it was suggested that the activity of the sympathetic nervous system could be evaluated from the signals of the pulse wave included in the signals derived from skin blood flow by means of heart rate variability assessments and detecting peak heights of velocity-plethysmogram.

  18. Financial stress response profiles and psychosocial functioning in low-income parents.

    PubMed

    Perzow, Sarah E D; Bray, Bethany C; Wadsworth, Martha E

    2018-06-01

    Parenting in the context of poverty is accompanied by heightened stress and heightened stakes. How parents respond to poverty-related stress has important implications for family functioning, but research investigating individual differences in low-income mothers' and fathers' responses to financial stress and their associations with parents' concurrent psychosocial adaptation is lacking. A better understanding of differences in stress responses among low-income parents is required to develop and tailor prevention programs that meet these families' needs. This study applies latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify and describe profiles of financial stress responses (problem solving, emotion regulation, emotion expression, cognitive restructuring, positive thinking, acceptance, distraction, denial, avoidance, wishful thinking, rumination, intrusive thoughts, emotional arousal, physiologic arousal, impulsive action, emotional numbing, cognitive interference, escape, and inaction) and examines associations between profile membership and psychosocial functioning in low-income parents. Five profiles were identified that were distinguished by self-reported voluntary and involuntary financial stress responses: active (32% of sample), low (11%), high (11%), negative cognitive (NC; 17%), and average (29%) responders. Notable differences emerged on measures of life stress, economic hardship, psychopathology, and social support, with individuals in the NC responders profile reporting the most difficulty and members of the active responders profile reporting the greatest adaptation. These findings offer a more nuanced understanding of how mothers and fathers respond to chronic poverty-related stress and have valuable implications for intervention efforts to promote adaptive stress responses and psychosocial functioning in low-income families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  19. Salivary Markers of Inflammation in Response to Acute Stress

    PubMed Central

    Slavish, Danica C.; Graham-Engeland, Jennifer E.; Smyth, Joshua M.; Engeland, Christopher G.

    2014-01-01

    There is burgeoning interest in the ability to detect inflammatory markers in response to stress within naturally occurring social contexts and/or across multiple time points per day within individuals. Salivary collection is a less invasive process than current methods of blood collection and enables intensive naturalistic methodologies, such as those involving extensive repeated measures per day over time. Yet the reliability and validity of saliva-based to blood-based inflammatory biomarkers in response to stress remains unclear. We review and synthesize the published studies that have examined salivary markers of inflammation following exposure to an acute laboratory stressor. Results from each study are reviewed by analyte (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, CRP) and stress type (social-cognitive and exercise-physical), after which methodological issues and limitations are addressed. Although the literature is limited, several inflammatory markers (including IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6) have been reliably determined from saliva and have increased significantly in response to stress across multiple studies, with effect sizes ranging from very small to very large. Although CRP from saliva has been associated with CRP in circulating blood more consistently than other biomarkers have been associated with their counterparts in blood, evidence demonstrating it reliably responds to acute stress is absent. Although the current literature is presently too limited to allow broad assertion that inflammatory biomarkers determined from saliva are valuable for examining acute stress responses, this review suggests that specific targets may be valid and highlights specific areas of need for future research. PMID:25205395

  20. Gene expression changes in response to aging compared to heat stress, oxidative stress and ionizing radiation in Drosophila melanogaster

    PubMed Central

    Landis, Gary; Shen, Jie; Tower, John

    2012-01-01

    Gene expression changes in response to aging, heat stress, hyperoxia, hydrogen peroxide, and ionizing radiation were compared using microarrays. A set of 18 genes were up-regulated across all conditions, indicating a general stress response shared with aging, including the heat shock protein (Hsp) genes Hsp70, Hsp83 and l(2)efl, the glutathione-S-transferase gene GstD2, and the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (mUPR) gene ref(2)P. Selected gene expression changes were confirmed using quantitative PCR, Northern analysis and GstD-GFP reporter constructs. Certain genes were altered in only a subset of the conditions, for example, up-regulation of numerous developmental pathway and signaling genes in response to hydrogen peroxide. While aging shared features with each stress, aging was more similar to the stresses most associated with oxidative stress (hyperoxia, hydrogen peroxide, ionizing radiation) than to heat stress. Aging is associated with down-regulation of numerous mitochondrial genes, including electron-transport-chain (ETC) genes and mitochondrial metabolism genes, and a sub-set of these changes was also observed upon hydrogen peroxide stress and ionizing radiation stress. Aging shared the largest number of gene expression changes with hyperoxia. The extensive down-regulation of mitochondrial and ETC genes during aging is consistent with an aging-associated failure in mitochondrial maintenance, which may underlie the oxidative stress-like and proteotoxic stress-like responses observed during aging. PMID:23211361

  1. Zika Virus Hijacks Stress Granule Proteins and Modulates the Host Stress Response

    PubMed Central

    Hou, Shangmei; Kumar, Anil; Xu, Zaikun; Airo, Adriana M.; Stryapunina, Iryna; Wong, Cheung Pang; Branton, William; Tchesnokov, Egor; Götte, Matthias; Power, Christopher

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Zika virus (ZIKV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, has recently emerged as an important human pathogen with increasing economic and health impact worldwide. Because of its teratogenic nature and association with the serious neurological condition Guillain-Barré syndrome, a tremendous amount of effort has focused on understanding ZIKV pathogenesis. To gain further insights into ZIKV interaction with host cells, we investigated how this pathogen affects stress response pathways. While ZIKV infection induces stress signaling that leads to phosphorylation of eIF2α and cellular translational arrest, stress granule (SG) formation was inhibited. Further analysis revealed that the viral proteins NS3 and NS4A are linked to translational repression, whereas expression of the capsid protein, NS3/NS2B-3, and NS4A interfered with SG formation. Some, but not all, flavivirus capsid proteins also blocked SG assembly, indicating differential interactions between flaviviruses and SG biogenesis pathways. Depletion of the SG components G3BP1, TIAR, and Caprin-1, but not TIA-1, reduced ZIKV replication. Both G3BP1 and Caprin-1 formed complexes with capsid, whereas viral genomic RNA stably interacted with G3BP1 during ZIKV infection. Taken together, these results are consistent with a scenario in which ZIKV uses multiple viral components to hijack key SG proteins to benefit viral replication. IMPORTANCE There is a pressing need to understand ZIKV pathogenesis in order to advance the development of vaccines and therapeutics. The cellular stress response constitutes one of the first lines of defense against viral infection; therefore, understanding how ZIKV evades this antiviral system will provide key insights into ZIKV biology and potentially pathogenesis. Here, we show that ZIKV induces the stress response through activation of the UPR (unfolded protein response) and PKR (protein kinase R), leading to host translational arrest, a process likely mediated by the viral

  2. The Response to Heat Shock and Oxidative Stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Morano, Kevin A.; Grant, Chris M.; Moye-Rowley, W. Scott

    2012-01-01

    A common need for microbial cells is the ability to respond to potentially toxic environmental insults. Here we review the progress in understanding the response of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to two important environmental stresses: heat shock and oxidative stress. Both of these stresses are fundamental challenges that microbes of all types will experience. The study of these environmental stress responses in S. cerevisiae has illuminated many of the features now viewed as central to our understanding of eukaryotic cell biology. Transcriptional activation plays an important role in driving the multifaceted reaction to elevated temperature and levels of reactive oxygen species. Advances provided by the development of whole genome analyses have led to an appreciation of the global reorganization of gene expression and its integration between different stress regimens. While the precise nature of the signal eliciting the heat shock response remains elusive, recent progress in the understanding of induction of the oxidative stress response is summarized here. Although these stress conditions represent ancient challenges to S. cerevisiae and other microbes, much remains to be learned about the mechanisms dedicated to dealing with these environmental parameters. PMID:22209905

  3. Long-term moderate exercise accelerates the recovery of stress-evoked cardiovascular responses.

    PubMed

    Hsu, Yuan-Chang; Tsai, Sheng-Feng; Yu, Lung; Chuang, Jih-Ing; Wu, Fong-Sen; Jen, Chauying J; Kuo, Yu-Min

    2016-01-01

    Psychological stress is an important global health problem. It is well documented that stress increases the incidences of various cardiovascular disorders. Regular exercise is known to reduce resting blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). This study was designed to clarify the effects of long-term exercise on stress-evoked cardiovascular responses and to emphasize post-stress recovery effects. Male Wistar rats underwent 8 weeks of moderate treadmill training, with cardiovascular responses, autonomic nervous system activities and local Fos reactivity changes in the cardiovascular regulation center were monitored before, during and after immobilization stress. A spectral analysis of cardiovascular parameters was used to examine autonomic nervous activities. We found that long-term exercise (i) lowered resting BP, HR and sympathetic activity, but increased resting parasympathetic activity and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS); (ii) accelerated post-stress recovery of stress-evoked cardiovascular and sympathetic responses along with increased BRS and (iii) accelerated post-stress recovery of stress-evoked neuron activations in the paraventricular nucleus, but delayed it in the nucleus of the tractus solitarius. We conclude that, in rats, long-term exercise accelerated recovery of stress-evoked cardiovascular responses differentially altering hypothalamic and medullar neuron activities.

  4. Distinct Trajectories of Cortisol Response to Prolonged Acute Stress Are Linked to Affective Responses and Hippocampal Gray Matter Volume in Healthy Females

    PubMed Central

    Treadway, Michael T.; Valeri, Linda; Douglas, Samuel

    2017-01-01

    The development of robust laboratory procedures for acute stress induction over the last decades has greatly advanced our understanding of stress responses in humans and their underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Nevertheless, attempts to uncover linear relationships among endocrine, neural, and affective responses to stress have generally yielded inconsistent results. Here, 79 healthy females completed a well established laboratory procedure of acute stress induction that was modified to prolong its effect. Endocrinological and subjective affect assessments revealed stress-induced increases in cortisol release and negative affect that persisted 65 and 100 min after stress onset, respectively, confirming a relatively prolonged acute stress induction. Applying latent class linear mixed modeling on individuals' patterns of cortisol responses identified three distinct trajectories of cortisol response: the hyper-response (n = 10), moderate-response (n = 21), and mild-response (n = 48) groups. Notably, whereas all three groups exhibited a significant stress-induced increase in cortisol release and negative affect, the hyper-response and mild-response groups both reported more negative affect relative to the moderate-response group. Structural MRI revealed no group differences in hippocampal and amygdala volumes, yet a continuous measure of cortisol response (area under the curve) showed that high and low levels of stress-induced cortisol release were associated with less hippocampal gray matter volume compared with moderate cortisol release. Together, these results suggest that distinct trajectories of cortisol response to prolonged acute stress among healthy females may not be captured by conventional linear analyses; instead, quadratic relations may better describe links between cortisol response to stress and affective responses, as well as hippocampal structural variability. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Despite substantial research, it is unclear whether and how

  5. Distinct Trajectories of Cortisol Response to Prolonged Acute Stress Are Linked to Affective Responses and Hippocampal Gray Matter Volume in Healthy Females.

    PubMed

    Admon, Roee; Treadway, Michael T; Valeri, Linda; Mehta, Malavika; Douglas, Samuel; Pizzagalli, Diego A

    2017-08-16

    The development of robust laboratory procedures for acute stress induction over the last decades has greatly advanced our understanding of stress responses in humans and their underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Nevertheless, attempts to uncover linear relationships among endocrine, neural, and affective responses to stress have generally yielded inconsistent results. Here, 79 healthy females completed a well established laboratory procedure of acute stress induction that was modified to prolong its effect. Endocrinological and subjective affect assessments revealed stress-induced increases in cortisol release and negative affect that persisted 65 and 100 min after stress onset, respectively, confirming a relatively prolonged acute stress induction. Applying latent class linear mixed modeling on individuals' patterns of cortisol responses identified three distinct trajectories of cortisol response: the hyper-response ( n = 10), moderate-response ( n = 21), and mild-response ( n = 48) groups. Notably, whereas all three groups exhibited a significant stress-induced increase in cortisol release and negative affect, the hyper-response and mild-response groups both reported more negative affect relative to the moderate-response group. Structural MRI revealed no group differences in hippocampal and amygdala volumes, yet a continuous measure of cortisol response (area under the curve) showed that high and low levels of stress-induced cortisol release were associated with less hippocampal gray matter volume compared with moderate cortisol release. Together, these results suggest that distinct trajectories of cortisol response to prolonged acute stress among healthy females may not be captured by conventional linear analyses; instead, quadratic relations may better describe links between cortisol response to stress and affective responses, as well as hippocampal structural variability. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Despite substantial research, it is unclear whether and how

  6. Hydrogen-peroxide-induced oxidative stress responses in Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhou, A.; He, Z.; Redding-Johanson, A.M.

    2010-07-01

    To understand how sulphate-reducing bacteria respond to oxidative stresses, the responses of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough to H{sub 2}O{sub 2}-induced stresses were investigated with transcriptomic, proteomic and genetic approaches. H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and induced chemical species (e.g. polysulfide, ROS) and redox potential shift increased the expressions of the genes involved in detoxification, thioredoxin-dependent reduction system, protein and DNA repair, and decreased those involved in sulfate reduction, lactate oxidation and protein synthesis. A gene coexpression network analysis revealed complicated network interactions among differentially expressed genes, and suggested possible importance of several hypothetical genes in H{sub 2}O{sub 2} stress. Also, most of themore » genes in PerR and Fur regulons were highly induced, and the abundance of a Fur regulon protein increased. Mutant analysis suggested that PerR and Fur are functionally overlapped in response to stresses induced by H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and reaction products, and the upregulation of thioredoxin-dependent reduction genes was independent of PerR or Fur. It appears that induction of those stress response genes could contribute to the increased resistance of deletion mutants to H{sub 2}O{sub 2}-induced stresses. In addition, a conceptual cellular model of D. vulgaris responses to H{sub 2}O{sub 2} stress was constructed to illustrate that this bacterium may employ a complicated molecular mechanism to defend against the H{sub 2}O{sub 2}-induced stresses.« less

  7. Responses to Interpersonal Stress: Normative Changes Across Childhood and the Impact of Peer Victimization

    PubMed Central

    Troop-Gordon, Wendy; Sugimura, Niwako; Rudolph, Karen D.

    2016-01-01

    This research examined the development of stress responses across 2nd to 6th grades and whether exposure to peer victimization alters stress response trajectories. Youth (338 girls; 298 boys; M age = 7.97 years, SD = .37) reported on stress responses; teachers and youth reported on peer victimization. Latent growth curve modeling revealed an increase in effortful engagement responses and a decrease in disengagement and involuntary engagement responses during this period. Peer victimization disrupted these normative trajectories, resulting in less effortful engagement and more effortful disengagement and involuntary stress responses in early adolescence. These findings suggest that early peer victimization sensitizes youth to stress by interfering with the development of effective coping and fostering maladaptive stress responses. PMID:27709602

  8. Effect of MPS1 Inhibition on Genotoxic Stress Responses in Murine Tumour Cells.

    PubMed

    Suzuki, Motofumi; Yamamori, Tohru; Yasui, Hironobu; Inanami, Osamu

    2016-06-01

    The monopolar spindle 1 (MPS1) is a serine/threonine kinase that plays an important role in spindle assembly checkpoint signaling. To determine the possible relationship between MPS1 inhibition and genotoxic stress responses, herein we examined whether MPS1 inhibition influences cellular susceptibility towards two genotoxic treatments, etoposide and ionizing radiation (IR). Two murine tumour cell lines, SCCVII and EMT6, were used. The effect of genotoxic treatments with or without two novel MPS1 inhibitors, NMS-P715 and AZ3146, on cellular survival, cell-cycle distribution, centrosome status and mitotic catastrophe (MC) was evaluated. MPS1 inhibition sensitized murine tumour cells to etoposide but not to IR. In addition, MPS1 inhibition altered cell-cycle progression and exacerbated centrosome abnormalities, resulting in enhanced MC induced by etoposide but not by IR. MPS1 inhibition promotes the etoposide-induced aberrant mitosis and, consequently, the induction of tumour cell death. Copyright© 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

  9. Proteomics Analysis of Alfalfa Response to Heat Stress

    PubMed Central

    Li, Weimin; Wei, Zhenwu; Qiao, Zhihong; Wu, Zinian; Cheng, Lixiang; Wang, Yuyang

    2013-01-01

    The proteome responses to heat stress have not been well understood. In this study, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cv. Huaiyin) seedlings were exposed to 25°C (control) and 40°C (heat stress) in growth chambers, and leaves were collected at 24, 48 and 72 h after treatment, respectively. The morphological, physiological and proteomic processes were negatively affected under heat stress. Proteins were extracted and separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE), and differentially expressed protein spots were identified by mass spectrometry (MS). Totally, 81 differentially expressed proteins were identified successfully by MALDI-TOF/TOF. These proteins were categorized into nine classes: including metabolism, energy, protein synthesis, protein destination/storage, transporters, intracellular traffic, cell structure, signal transduction and disease/defence. Five proteins were further analyzed for mRNA levels. The results of the proteomics analyses provide a better understanding of the molecular basis of heat-stress responses in alfalfa. PMID:24324825

  10. A microRNA regulates the response of corals to thermal stress.

    PubMed

    Gajigan, Andrian P; Conaco, Cecilia

    2017-07-01

    Coral reefs are diverse ecosystems of great ecological and economic importance. However, corals are vulnerable to a variety of stressors, including rising seawater temperatures, and yet little is known about the genetic mechanisms underlying their survival and adaptation to stress. Like other animals, corals possess genes for key members of the microRNA (miRNA) machinery. miRNAs are short RNAs that regulate diverse cellular processes, including organismal stress response, through post-transcriptional repression of gene transcripts. Through small RNA sequencing, we identified 26 miRNAs in the coral, Acropora digitifera. Many of the identified miRNAs are novel, while eight are conserved with miRNAs previously identified in other cnidarians. One of the identified miRNAs is differentially expressed in coral tissues exposed to acute thermal stress. This thermally responsive miRNA putatively regulates multiple pathways of the organismal stress response, DNA/RNA expression regulation, repair mechanisms, tissue morphogenesis, and signalling. We propose a model by which miRNA regulation allows the coral to mount a robust stress response through sequestration of a pool of nontranslated transcripts encoding stress response proteins. Release of miRNA-mediated repression under stress conditions may result in rapid and abundant translation of proteins that help the coral maintain cellular homoeostasis. These findings highlight the potential importance of miRNAs in the thermal resilience of corals. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. The stress response system of proteins: Implications for bioreactor scaleup

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goochee, Charles F.

    1988-01-01

    Animal cells face a variety of environmental stresses in large scale bioreactors, including periodic variations in shear stress and dissolved oxygen concentration. Diagnostic techniques were developed for identifying the particular sources of environmental stresses for animal cells in a given bioreactor configuration. The mechanisms by which cells cope with such stresses was examined. The individual concentrations and synthesis rates of hundreds of intracellular proteins are affected by the extracellular environment (medium composition, dissolved oxygen concentration, ph, and level of surface shear stress). Techniques are currently being developed for quantifying the synthesis rates and concentrations of the intracellular proteins which are most sensitive to environmental stress. Previous research has demonstrated that a particular set of stress response proteins are synthesized by mammalian cells in response to temperature fluctuations, dissolved oxygen deprivation, and glucose deprivation. Recently, it was demonstrated that exposure of human kidney cells to high shear stress results in expression of a completely distinct set of intracellular proteins.

  12. Genetic erosion impedes adaptive responses to stressful environments

    PubMed Central

    Bijlsma, R; Loeschcke, Volker

    2012-01-01

    Biodiversity is increasingly subjected to human-induced changes of the environment. To persist, populations continually have to adapt to these often stressful changes including pollution and climate change. Genetic erosion in small populations, owing to fragmentation of natural habitats, is expected to obstruct such adaptive responses: (i) genetic drift will cause a decrease in the level of adaptive genetic variation, thereby limiting evolutionary responses; (ii) inbreeding and the concomitant inbreeding depression will reduce individual fitness and, consequently, the tolerance of populations to environmental stress. Importantly, inbreeding generally increases the sensitivity of a population to stress, thereby increasing the amount of inbreeding depression. As adaptation to stress is most often accompanied by increased mortality (cost of selection), the increase in the ‘cost of inbreeding’ under stress is expected to severely hamper evolutionary adaptive processes. Inbreeding thus plays a pivotal role in this process and is expected to limit the probability of genetically eroded populations to successfully adapt to stressful environmental conditions. Consequently, the dynamics of small fragmented populations may differ considerably from large nonfragmented populations. The resilience of fragmented populations to changing and deteriorating environments is expected to be greatly decreased. Alleviating inbreeding depression, therefore, is crucial to ensure population persistence. PMID:25568035

  13. Organization of cis-acting regulatory elements in osmotic- and cold-stress-responsive promoters.

    PubMed

    Yamaguchi-Shinozaki, Kazuko; Shinozaki, Kazuo

    2005-02-01

    cis-Acting regulatory elements are important molecular switches involved in the transcriptional regulation of a dynamic network of gene activities controlling various biological processes, including abiotic stress responses, hormone responses and developmental processes. In particular, understanding regulatory gene networks in stress response cascades depends on successful functional analyses of cis-acting elements. The ever-improving accuracy of transcriptome expression profiling has led to the identification of various combinations of cis-acting elements in the promoter regions of stress-inducible genes involved in stress and hormone responses. Here we discuss major cis-acting elements, such as the ABA-responsive element (ABRE) and the dehydration-responsive element/C-repeat (DRE/CRT), that are a vital part of ABA-dependent and ABA-independent gene expression in osmotic and cold stress responses.

  14. Immune and stress responses in oysters with insights on adaptation.

    PubMed

    Guo, Ximing; He, Yan; Zhang, Linlin; Lelong, Christophe; Jouaux, Aude

    2015-09-01

    Oysters are representative bivalve molluscs that are widely distributed in world oceans. As successful colonizers of estuaries and intertidal zones, oysters are remarkably resilient against harsh environmental conditions including wide fluctuations in temperature and salinity as well as prolonged air exposure. Oysters have no adaptive immunity but can thrive in microbe-rich estuaries as filter-feeders. These unique adaptations make oysters interesting models to study the evolution of host-defense systems. Recent advances in genomic studies including sequencing of the oyster genome have provided insights into oyster's immune and stress responses underlying their amazing resilience. Studies show that the oyster genomes are highly polymorphic and complex, which may be key to their resilience. The oyster genome has a large gene repertoire that is enriched for immune and stress response genes. Thousands of genes are involved in oyster's immune and stress responses, through complex interactions, with many gene families expanded showing high sequence, structural and functional diversity. The high diversity of immune receptors and effectors may provide oysters with enhanced specificity in immune recognition and response to cope with diverse pathogens in the absence of adaptive immunity. Some members of expanded immune gene families have diverged to function at different temperatures and salinities or assumed new roles in abiotic stress response. Most canonical innate immunity pathways are conserved in oysters and supported by a large number of diverse and often novel genes. The great diversity in immune and stress response genes exhibited by expanded gene families as well as high sequence and structural polymorphisms may be central to oyster's adaptation to highly stressful and widely changing environments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Decipher the Molecular Response of Plant Single Cell Types to Environmental Stresses

    DOE PAGES

    Nourbakhsh-Rey, Mehrnoush; Libault, Marc

    2016-01-01

    The analysis of the molecular response of entire plants or organs to environmental stresses suffers from the cellular complexity of the samples used. Specifically, this cellular complexity masks cell-specific responses to environmental stresses and logically leads to the dilution of the molecular changes occurring in each cell type composing the tissue/organ/plant in response to the stress. Therefore, to generate a more accurate picture of these responses, scientists are focusing on plant single cell type approaches. Several cell types are now considered as models such as the pollen, the trichomes, the cotton fiber, various root cell types including the root hairmore » cell, and the guard cell of stomata. Among them, several have been used to characterize plant response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Lastly, in this review, we are describing the various -omic studies performed on these different plant single cell type models to better understand plant cell response to biotic and abiotic stresses.« less

  16. Decipher the Molecular Response of Plant Single Cell Types to Environmental Stresses

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nourbakhsh-Rey, Mehrnoush; Libault, Marc

    The analysis of the molecular response of entire plants or organs to environmental stresses suffers from the cellular complexity of the samples used. Specifically, this cellular complexity masks cell-specific responses to environmental stresses and logically leads to the dilution of the molecular changes occurring in each cell type composing the tissue/organ/plant in response to the stress. Therefore, to generate a more accurate picture of these responses, scientists are focusing on plant single cell type approaches. Several cell types are now considered as models such as the pollen, the trichomes, the cotton fiber, various root cell types including the root hairmore » cell, and the guard cell of stomata. Among them, several have been used to characterize plant response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Lastly, in this review, we are describing the various -omic studies performed on these different plant single cell type models to better understand plant cell response to biotic and abiotic stresses.« less

  17. Sex differences in chronic stress responses and Alzheimer's disease.

    PubMed

    Yan, Yan; Dominguez, Sky; Fisher, Daniel W; Dong, Hongxin

    2018-02-01

    Clinical studies indicate that Alzheimer's disease (AD) disproportionately affects women in both disease prevalence and severity, but the mechanisms underlying this sex divergence are unknown. Though some have suggested this difference in risk is a reflection of known differences in longevity between men and women, mounting clinical and preclinical evidence supports women also having intrinsic susceptibilities towards the disease. While a number of potential risk factors have been hypothesized to affect these differences in risks, none have been definitively verified. In this review, we discuss a novel hypothesis whereby women's susceptibility to chronic stress also mediates increased risk for AD. As stress is a risk factor for AD, and women are twice as likely to develop mood disorders where stress is a major etiology, it is possible that sex dimorphisms in stress responses contribute to the increase in women with AD. In line with this, sex divergence in biochemical responses to stress have been noted along the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and among known molecular effectors of AD, with crosstalk between these processes also being likely. In addition, activation of the cortical corticotrophin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRF1) signaling pathway leads to distinct female-biased increases in molecules associated with AD pathogenesis. Therefore, the different biochemical responses to stress between women and men may represent an intrinsic, sex-dependent risk factor for AD.

  18. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate, superoxide dismutase and glutathione as stress response indicators in three corals under short-term hyposalinity stress.

    PubMed

    Gardner, Stephanie G; Nielsen, Daniel A; Laczka, Olivier; Shimmon, Ronald; Beltran, Victor H; Ralph, Peter J; Petrou, Katherina

    2016-02-10

    Corals are among the most active producers of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), a key molecule in marine sulfur cycling, yet the specific physiological role of DMSP in corals remains elusive. Here, we examine the oxidative stress response of three coral species (Acropora millepora, Stylophora pistillata and Pocillopora damicornis) and explore the antioxidant role of DMSP and its breakdown products under short-term hyposalinity stress. Symbiont photosynthetic activity declined with hyposalinity exposure in all three reef-building corals. This corresponded with the upregulation of superoxide dismutase and glutathione in the animal host of all three species. For the symbiont component, there were differences in antioxidant regulation, demonstrating differential responses to oxidative stress between the Symbiodinium subclades. Of the three coral species investigated, only A. millepora provided any evidence of the role of DMSP in the oxidative stress response. Our study reveals variability in antioxidant regulation in corals and highlights the influence life-history traits, and the subcladal differences can have on coral physiology. Our data expand on the emerging understanding of the role of DMSP in coral stress regulation and emphasizes the importance of exploring both the host and symbiont responses for defining the threshold of the coral holobiont to hyposalinity stress. © 2016 The Author(s).

  19. Review of Signal Crosstalk in Plant Stress Responses

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    This book was prepared to summarize the current understanding of the dynamics of plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses. The preface of the book sets the stage for the contents of the different chapters by outlining that plants defend themselves from various environmental stresses through a v...

  20. Acute stress responses: A review and synthesis of ASD, ASR, and CSR.

    PubMed

    Isserlin, Leanna; Zerach, Gadi; Solomon, Zahava

    2008-10-01

    Toward the development of a unifying diagnosis for acute stress responses this article attempts to find a place for combat stress reaction (CSR) within the spectrum of other defined acute stress responses. This article critically compares the diagnostic criteria of acute stress disorder (ASD), acute stress reaction (ASR), and CSR. Prospective studies concerning the predictive value of ASD, ASR, and CSR are reviewed. Questions, recommendations, and implications for clinical practice are raised concerning the completeness of the current acute stress response diagnoses, the heterogeneity of different stressors, the scope of expected outcomes, and the importance of decline in function as an indicator of future psychological, psychiatric, and somatic distress. PsycINFO Database Record 2009 APA.

  1. Effects of heat and other inducers of the stress response on protein degradation in Chinese hamster and Drosophila cells.

    PubMed

    Westwood, J T; Steinhardt, R A

    1989-04-01

    Many recent studies have suggested that heat and other inducers of the heat shock (stress) response in eukaryotic cells might result in the generation of abnormal proteins which would result in the overloading of protein degradation systems and the stabilization of proteins involved in positively regulating heat shock (hs) gene expression. In this study we have examined the effects different heat treatments and other hs inducers have on protein degradation in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and Drosophila Kc and Schneider cells. We have found that intermediate temperatures which induced the hs response (42 degrees C in CHO and 34 degrees C in Kc cells) did increase protein degradation rates whereas, higher temperatures which also induced the hs response (45 degrees C in CHO and 37 degrees C in Kc cells) initially increased but then decreased protein degradation rates. While these results are consistent with a model in which the protein degradation system is being overloaded and/or components of it are being depleted, we have found several conditions which induce hs proteins which rule out this mechanism. Exposure of either cell type to amino acid analogs (5 mM canavanine or 5 mM S-aminoethyl cysteine) resulted in the rapid degradation of those proteins which had incorporated the analogs in both CHO and Drosophila cells. However, the addition of analogs had little or no effect on the degradation of preexisting proteins, indicating that the introduction of abnormal proteins probably didn't overload the protein degradation system(s). The addition of 100 microM cadmium sulfate or 100 microM sodium arsenite had little or no effect on protein degradation rates in CHO cells even though both were good inducers of the hs proteins. Thus, exposure to inducers of the hs response does not universally increase protein degradation rates nor does it stabilize preexisting proteins. Therefore, the degradation of abnormal proteins is probably not involved in inducing the hs genes.

  2. Validation of the German version of the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test.

    PubMed

    Dieck, Arne; Helbig, Susanne; Drake, Christopher L; Backhaus, Jutta

    2018-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of a German version of the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test with groups with and without sleep problems. Three studies were analysed. Data set 1 was based on an initial screening for a sleep training program (n = 393), data set 2 was based on a study to test the test-retest reliability of the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test (n = 284) and data set 3 was based on a study to examine the influence of competitive sport on sleep (n = 37). Data sets 1 and 2 were used to test internal consistency, factor structure, convergent validity, discriminant validity and test-retest reliability of the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test. Content validity was tested using data set 3. Cronbach's alpha of the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test was good (α = 0.80) and test-retest reliability was satisfactory (r = 0.72). Overall, the one-factor model showed the best fit. Furthermore, significant positive correlations between the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test and impaired sleep quality, depression and stress reactivity were in line with the expectations regarding the convergent validity. Subjects with sleep problems had significantly higher scores in the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test than subjects without sleep problems (P < 0.01). Competitive athletes with higher scores in the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test had significantly lower sleep quality (P = 0.01), demonstrating that vulnerability for stress-induced sleep disturbances accompanies poorer sleep quality in stressful episodes. The findings show that the German version of the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test is a reliable and valid questionnaire to assess the vulnerability to stress-induced sleep disturbances. © 2017 European Sleep Research Society.

  3. Silver nanoparticles induce endoplasmatic reticulum stress response in zebrafish

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Christen, Verena; Capelle, Martinus; Fent, Karl, E-mail: karl.fent@fhnw.ch

    2013-10-15

    Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) find increasing applications, and therefore humans and the environment are increasingly exposed to them. However, potential toxicological implications are not sufficiently known. Here we investigate effects of AgNPs (average size 120 nm) on zebrafish in vitro and in vivo, and compare them to human hepatoma cells (Huh7). AgNPs are incorporated in zebrafish liver cells (ZFL) and Huh7, and in zebrafish embryos. In ZFL cells AgNPs lead to induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), endoplasmatic reticulum (ER) stress response, and TNF-α. Transcriptional alterations also occur in pro-apoptotic genes p53 and Bax. The transcriptional profile differed in ZFL andmore » Huh7 cells. In ZFL cells, the ER stress marker BiP is induced, concomitant with the ER stress marker ATF-6 and spliced XBP-1 after 6 h and 24 h exposure to 0.5 g/L and 0.05 g/L AgNPs, respectively. This indicates the induction of different pathways of the ER stress response. Moreover, AgNPs induce TNF-α. In zebrafish embryos exposed to 0.01, 0.1, 1 and 5 mg/L AgNPs hatching was affected and morphological defects occurred at high concentrations. ER stress related gene transcripts BiP and Synv are significantly up-regulated after 24 h at 0.1 and 5 mg/L AgNPs. Furthermore, transcriptional alterations occurred in the pro-apoptotic genes Noxa and p21. The ER stress response was strong in ZFL cells and occurred in zebrafish embryos as well. Our data demonstrate for the first time that AgNPs lead to induction of ER stress in zebrafish. The induction of ER stress can have several consequences including the activation of apoptotic and inflammatory pathways. - Highlights: • Effects of silver nanoparticles (120 nm AgNPs) are investigated in zebrafish. • AgNPs induce all ER stress reponses in vitro in zebrafish liver cells. • AgNPs induce weak ER stress in zebrafish embryos. • AgNPs induce oxidative stress and transcripts of pro-apoptosis genes.« less

  4. NO buffering and conditional NO release in stress response.

    PubMed

    Begara-Morales, Juan C; Chaki, Mounira; Valderrama, Raquel; Sánchez-Calvo, Beatriz; Mata-Pérez, Capilla; Padilla, María N; Corpas, Francisco J; Barroso, Juan B

    2018-03-01

    Nitric oxide (NO) has emerged as an essential biological messenger in plant biology that usually transmits its bioactivity by post-translational modifications such as S-nitrosylation, the reversible addition of a NO group to a protein cysteine residue leading to S-nitrosothiols (SNOs). In last year's, SNOs have emerged as key signalling molecules mainly involved in plant response to stress. Chief among SNOs is S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), generated by S-nitrosylation of the key antioxidant glutathione (GSH). GSNO is considered the major NO reservoir and a phloem mobile signal that confers to NO the capacity of a long-distance signalling molecule. GSNO is able to regulate protein function and gene expression resulting in a key role of GSNO in fundamental processes in plant such as development and response to a wide range of environmental stresses. In addition, GSNO is also able to regulate total SNO pool and consequently, it could be considered the storage of NO in cells that may control NO signalling under basal and stress-related responses. Thus, GSNO function could be crucial during plant response to environmental stresses. Besides this importance of GSNO in plant biology, its mode of action has not been widely discussed in the literature. In this review, we will firstly discuss the GSNO turnover in cells and secondly the role of GSNO as mediator of physiological and stress-related processes in plants, highlighting aspects in which there is still some controversy.

  5. Stress--the battle for hearts and minds: links between depression, stress and ischemic heart disease.

    PubMed

    Korszun, Ania; Frenneaux, Michael P

    2006-09-01

    Depression and ischemic heart disease (IHD) are strongly related common disorders. Depression itself is an independent cardiac risk factor and is associated with a two- to threefold increase in IHD mortality. Attention has now shifted to identifying the common underlying mechanisms that could make individuals susceptible to both disorders. Abnormalities that have been implicated in this relationship include abnormal platelet activation, decreased baroreceptor sensitivity and endothelial dysfunction. Depression and IHD both have a high association with environmental stress, and depression is characterized by abnormalities of the stress-hormone axis. This review provides a brief overview of some recent developments in our understanding of the pathophysiological links between stress, depression and IHD.

  6. A transcription factor hierarchy defines an environmental stress response network.

    PubMed

    Song, Liang; Huang, Shao-Shan Carol; Wise, Aaron; Castanon, Rosa; Nery, Joseph R; Chen, Huaming; Watanabe, Marina; Thomas, Jerushah; Bar-Joseph, Ziv; Ecker, Joseph R

    2016-11-04

    Environmental stresses are universally encountered by microbes, plants, and animals. Yet systematic studies of stress-responsive transcription factor (TF) networks in multicellular organisms have been limited. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) influences the expression of thousands of genes, allowing us to characterize complex stress-responsive regulatory networks. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, we identified genome-wide targets of 21 ABA-related TFs to construct a comprehensive regulatory network in Arabidopsis thaliana Determinants of dynamic TF binding and a hierarchy among TFs were defined, illuminating the relationship between differential gene expression patterns and ABA pathway feedback regulation. By extrapolating regulatory characteristics of observed canonical ABA pathway components, we identified a new family of transcriptional regulators modulating ABA and salt responsiveness and demonstrated their utility to modulate plant resilience to osmotic stress. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  7. Elucidating the fungal stress response by proteomics.

    PubMed

    Kroll, Kristin; Pähtz, Vera; Kniemeyer, Olaf

    2014-01-31

    Fungal species need to cope with stress, both in the natural environment and during interaction of human- or plant pathogenic fungi with their host. Many regulatory circuits governing the fungal stress response have already been discovered. However, there are still large gaps in the knowledge concerning the changes of the proteome during adaptation to environmental stress conditions. With the application of proteomic methods, particularly 2D-gel and gel-free, LC/MS-based methods, first insights into the composition and dynamic changes of the fungal stress proteome could be obtained. Here, we review the recent proteome data generated for filamentous fungi and yeasts. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Trends in Microbial Proteomics. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Hypothalamic mitochondrial abnormalities occur downstream of inflammation in diet-induced obesity.

    PubMed

    Carraro, Rodrigo S; Souza, Gabriela F; Solon, Carina; Razolli, Daniela S; Chausse, Bruno; Barbizan, Roberta; Victorio, Sheila C; Velloso, Licio A

    2018-01-15

    Hypothalamic dysfunction is a common feature of experimental obesity. Studies have identified at least three mechanisms involved in the development of hypothalamic neuronal defects in diet-induced obesity: i, inflammation; ii, endoplasmic reticulum stress; and iii, mitochondrial abnormalities. However, which of these mechanisms is activated earliest in response to the consumption of large portions of dietary fats is currently unknown. Here, we used immunoblot, real-time PCR, mitochondrial respiration assays and transmission electron microscopy to evaluate markers of inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial abnormalities in the hypothalamus of Swiss mice fed a high-fat diet for up to seven days. In the present study we show that the expression of the inflammatory chemokine fractalkine was the earliest event detected. Its hypothalamic expression increased as early as 3 h after the introduction of a high-fat diet and was followed by the increase of cytokines. GPR78, an endoplasmic reticulum chaperone, was increased 6 h after the introduction of a high-fat diet, however the actual triggering of endoplasmic reticulum stress was only detected three days later, when IRE-1α was increased. Mitofusin-2, a protein involved in mitochondrial fusion and tethering of mitochondria to the endoplasmic reticulum, underwent a transient reduction 24 h after the introduction of a high-fat diet and then increased after seven days. There were no changes in hypothalamic mitochondrial respiration during the experimental period, however there were reductions in mitochondria/endoplasmic reticulum contact sites, beginning three days after the introduction of a high-fat diet. The inhibition of TNF-α with infliximab resulted in the normalization of mitofusin-2 levels 24 h after the introduction of the diet. Thus, inflammation is the earliest mechanism activated in the hypothalamus after the introduction of a high-fat diet and may play a mechanistic role in the

  9. Relationship between structural abnormalities in the cerebellum and dementia, posttraumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder.

    PubMed

    Baldaçara, Leonardo; Borgio, João Guilherme Fiorani; Araújo, Célia; Nery-Fernandes, Fabiana; Lacerda, Acioly Luiz Taveres; Moraes, Walter André Dos Santos; Montaño, Maria Beatriz Marcondes Macedo; Rocha, Marlos; Quarantini, Lucas C; Schoedl, Aline; Pupo, Mariana; Mello, Marcelo F; Andreoli, Sergio B; Miranda-Scippa, Angela; Ramos, Luiz Roberto; Mari, Jair J; Bressan, Rodrigo Affonseca; Jackowski, Andrea Parolin

    2012-01-01

    New evidence suggests that the cerebellum has structural and functional abnormalities in psychiatric disorders. In this research, the goal was to measure the volume of the cerebellum and its subregions in individuals with psychiatric disorders and to relate these findings to their symptoms. Patients with different degrees of cognitive impairment (Epidemiology of the Elderly - UNIFESP) and patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from population studies were analyzed. Also, patients with bipolar disorder from an outpatient clinic (Center for the Study of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, Universidade Federal da Bahia) were recruited for this study. All subjects underwent a 1.5T structural magnetic resonance scan. Volumetric measures and symptom measurements, by psychometric scales, were performed and compared between patients and controls. The cerebellum volume was reduced in patients with cognitive impairment without dementia and with dementia, in patients with PTSD, and in patients with bipolar disorder compared to controls. In dementia and PTSD, the left cerebellar hemisphere and vermis volume were reduced. In bipolar disorder, volumes of both hemispheres and the vermis were reduced. In the first two studies, these cerebellar volumetric reductions correlated with symptoms of the disease. The exact nature of cerebellar involvement in mental processes is still not fully understood. However, abnormalities in cerebellar structure and its functions have been reported in some of these diseases. Future studies with larger samples are needed to clarify these findings and investigate whether they are important for treatment and prognosis.

  10. Leaf Responses to Mild Drought Stress in Natural Variants of Arabidopsis1[OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Clauw, Pieter; Coppens, Frederik; De Beuf, Kristof; Dhondt, Stijn; Van Daele, Twiggy; Maleux, Katrien; Storme, Veronique; Clement, Lieven; Gonzalez, Nathalie; Inzé, Dirk

    2015-01-01

    Although the response of plants exposed to severe drought stress has been studied extensively, little is known about how plants adapt their growth under mild drought stress conditions. Here, we analyzed the leaf and rosette growth response of six Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) accessions originating from different geographic regions when exposed to mild drought stress. The automated phenotyping platform WIWAM was used to impose stress early during leaf development, when the third leaf emerges from the shoot apical meristem. Analysis of growth-related phenotypes showed differences in leaf development between the accessions. In all six accessions, mild drought stress reduced both leaf pavement cell area and number without affecting the stomatal index. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis (using RNA sequencing) of early developing leaf tissue identified 354 genes differentially expressed under mild drought stress in the six accessions. Our results indicate the existence of a robust response over different genetic backgrounds to mild drought stress in developing leaves. The processes involved in the overall mild drought stress response comprised abscisic acid signaling, proline metabolism, and cell wall adjustments. In addition to these known severe drought-related responses, 87 genes were found to be specific for the response of young developing leaves to mild drought stress. PMID:25604532

  11. Measuring Physiological Stress Responses in Children: Lessons from a Novice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Quas, Jodi A.

    2011-01-01

    In this article the author describes challenges associated with integrating physiological measures of stress into developmental research, especially in the domains of memory and cognition. An initial critical challenge concerns how to define stress, which can refer to one or a series of events, a response, the consequence of that response, an…

  12. Attenuation of maternal psychophysiological stress responses and the maternal cortisol awakening response over the course of human pregnancy.

    PubMed

    Entringer, Sonja; Buss, Claudia; Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A; Cammack, Alison L; Yim, Ilona S; Chicz-DeMet, Aleksandra; Sandman, Curt A; Wadhwa, Pathik D

    2010-05-01

    The effects of maternal stress during pregnancy may depend, in part, on the timing in gestation of the occurrence of stress. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of stage of gestation on maternal psychophysiological responses to stress using a standardized laboratory paradigm and on the cortisol response to awakening (CAR). A longitudinal design was employed to quantify maternal psychophysiological stress reactivity [changes in heart rate (HR), blood pressure, salivary cortisol, and psychological distress in response to the trier social stress test (TSST)] and the CAR at approximately 17 and 31 weeks gestation in a sample of 148 women. To account for the possible effects of habituation when being exposed to the same stress protocol twice, a non-pregnant comparison group (CG, N = 36) also underwent these assessments at two time points, with a comparable time interval between the assessments. In both groups, the TSST elicited significant changes in maternal HR, mean arterial pressure, and psychological distress levels but not a significant increase in cortisol levels. Among the pregnant women (pregnant group(PG)), the stressor-induced increases in HR, blood pressure, and psychological distress were significantly lower at the second (31 weeks gestation) compared to the first (17 weeks gestation) assessment of pregnancy (all p < 0.01). The maternal CAR was also significantly attenuated in later compared to earlier gestation (p = 0.003). In the CG, there were no significant differences in psychophysiological stress responses and in the CAR across the two assessments. Among pregnant women there is a progressive attenuation of psychophysiological stress responses with advancing gestation. This attenuation is unlikely to be attributable to habituation. Individual differences in the degree of attenuation of stress responses over gestation may represent a novel marker of stress susceptibility in human pregnancy.

  13. Abnormal cardiac response to exercise in a murine model of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

    PubMed

    Nguyen, Lan; Chung, Jessica; Lam, Lien; Tsoutsman, Tatiana; Semsarian, Christopher

    2007-07-10

    Clinical outcome in familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) may be influenced by modifying factors such as exercise. Transgenic mice which overexpress the human disease-causing cTnI gene mutation, Gly203Ser (designated cTnI-G203S), develop all the characteristic phenotypic features of FHC. To study the modifying effect of exercise in early disease, mice underwent swimming exercise at an early age prior to the development of the FHC phenotype. In non-transgenic and cTnI-wt mice, swimming resulted in a significant increase in left ventricular wall thickness and contractility on echocardiography, consistent with a physiological hypertrophic response to exercise. In contrast, cTnI-G203S mice showed no increase in these parameters, indicating an abnormal response to exercise. The lack of a physiological response to exercise may indicate an important novel mechanistic insight into the role of exercise in triggering adverse events in FHC.

  14. The transcriptional regulatory network in the drought response and its crosstalk in abiotic stress responses including drought, cold, and heat.

    PubMed

    Nakashima, Kazuo; Yamaguchi-Shinozaki, Kazuko; Shinozaki, Kazuo

    2014-01-01

    Drought negatively impacts plant growth and the productivity of crops around the world. Understanding the molecular mechanisms in the drought response is important for improvement of drought tolerance using molecular techniques. In plants, abscisic acid (ABA) is accumulated under osmotic stress conditions caused by drought, and has a key role in stress responses and tolerance. Comprehensive molecular analyses have shown that ABA regulates the expression of many genes under osmotic stress conditions, and the ABA-responsive element (ABRE) is the major cis-element for ABA-responsive gene expression. Transcription factors (TFs) are master regulators of gene expression. ABRE-binding protein and ABRE-binding factor TFs control gene expression in an ABA-dependent manner. SNF1-related protein kinases 2, group A 2C-type protein phosphatases, and ABA receptors were shown to control the ABA signaling pathway. ABA-independent signaling pathways such as dehydration-responsive element-binding protein TFs and NAC TFs are also involved in stress responses including drought, heat, and cold. Recent studies have suggested that there are interactions between the major ABA signaling pathway and other signaling factors in stress responses. The important roles of these TFs in crosstalk among abiotic stress responses will be discussed. Control of ABA or stress signaling factor expression can improve tolerance to environmental stresses. Recent studies using crops have shown that stress-specific overexpression of TFs improves drought tolerance and grain yield compared with controls in the field.

  15. Stress Response of Granular Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramola, Kabir; Chakraborty, Bulbul

    2017-10-01

    We develop a framework for stress response in two dimensional granular media, with and without friction, that respects vector force balance at the microscopic level. We introduce local gauge degrees of freedom that determine the response of contact forces between constituent grains on a given, disordered, contact network, to external perturbations. By mapping this response to the spectral properties of the graph Laplacian corresponding to the underlying contact network, we show that this naturally leads to spatial localization of forces. We present numerical evidence for localization using exact diagonalization studies of network Laplacians of soft disk packings. Finally, we discuss the role of other constraints, such as torque balance, in determining the stability of a granular packing to external perturbations.

  16. The role of dehydroepiandrosterone on functional innate immune responses to acute stress.

    PubMed

    Prall, Sean P; Larson, Emilee E; Muehlenbein, Michael P

    2017-12-01

    The androgen dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) responds to stress activation, exhibits anti-glucocorticoid properties, and modulates immunity in diverse ways, yet little is known of its role in acute stress responses. In this study, the effects of DHEA and its sulfate ester DHEA-S on human male immune function during exposure to an acute stressor is explored. Variation in DHEA, DHEA-S, testosterone, and cortisol, along with bacterial killing assays, was measured in response to a modified Trier Social Stress test in 27 young adult males. Cortisol was positively related to salivary innate immunity but only for participants who also exhibited high DHEA responses. Additionally, DHEA positively and DHEA-S negatively predicted salivary immunity, but the opposite was observed for serum-based innate immunity. The DHEA response to acute stress appears to be an important factor in stress-mediated immunological responses, with differential effects on immunity dependent upon the presence of other hormones, primarily cortisol and DHEA-S. These results suggest that DHEA plays an important role, alongside other hormones, in modulating immunological shifts during acute stress. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Plant responsiveness to root-root communication of stress cues.

    PubMed

    Falik, Omer; Mordoch, Yonat; Ben-Natan, Daniel; Vanunu, Miriam; Goldstein, Oron; Novoplansky, Ariel

    2012-07-01

    Phenotypic plasticity is based on the organism's ability to perceive, integrate and respond to multiple signals and cues informative of environmental opportunities and perils. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that plants are able to adapt to imminent threats by perceiving cues emitted from their damaged neighbours. Here, the hypothesis was tested that unstressed plants are able to perceive and respond to stress cues emitted from their drought- and osmotically stressed neighbours and to induce stress responses in additional unstressed plants. Split-root Pisum sativum, Cynodon dactylon, Digitaria sanguinalis and Stenotaphrum secundatum plants were subjected to osmotic stress or drought while sharing one of their rooting volumes with an unstressed neighbour, which in turn shared its other rooting volume with additional unstressed neighbours. Following the kinetics of stomatal aperture allowed testing for stress responses in both the stressed plants and their unstressed neighbours. In both P. sativum plants and the three wild clonal grasses, infliction of osmotic stress or drought caused stomatal closure in both the stressed plants and in their unstressed neighbours. While both continuous osmotic stress and drought induced prolonged stomatal closure and limited acclimation in stressed plants, their unstressed neighbours habituated to the stress cues and opened their stomata 3-24 h after the beginning of stress induction. The results demonstrate a novel type of plant communication, by which plants might be able to increase their readiness to probable future osmotic and drought stresses. Further work is underway to decipher the identity and mode of operation of the involved communication vectors and to assess the potential ecological costs and benefits of emitting and perceiving drought and osmotic stress cues under various ecological scenarios.

  18. Youth Offspring of Mothers with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Have Altered Stress Reactivity in Response to a Laboratory Stressor

    PubMed Central

    Danielson, Carla Kmett; Hankin, Benjamin L.; Badanes, Lisa S.

    2015-01-01

    Summary Parental Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), particularly maternal PTSD, confers risk for stress-related psychopathology among offspring. Altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning is one mechanism proposed to explain transmission of this intergenerational risk. Investigation of this mechanism has been largely limited to general stress response (e.g., diurnal cortisol), rather than reactivity in response to an acute stressor. We examined cortisol reactivity in response to a laboratory stressor among offspring of mothers with a lifetime diagnosis of PTSD (n=36) and age- and gender- matched control offspring of mothers without PTSD (n=36). Youth (67% girls; mean age = 11.4, SD = 2.6) participated in a developmentally sensitive laboratory stressor and had salivary cortisol assessed five times (one pre-stress, one immediate post-stress, and three recovery measures, spaced 15 minutes apart). Results were consistent with the hypothesis that offspring of mothers with PTSD would exhibit a dysregulated, blunted cortisol reactivity profile and control offspring would display the expected adaptive peak in cortisol response to challenge profile. Findings were maintained after controlling for youth traumatic event history, physical anxiety symptoms, and depression, as well as maternal depression. This finding contributes to the existing literature indicating that attenuated HPA axis functioning, inclusive of hyposecretion of cortisol in response to acute stress, is robust among youth of mothers with PTSD. Future research is warranted in elucidating cortisol reactivity as a link between maternal PTSD and stress-related psychopathology vulnerability among offspring. PMID:25622009

  19. Psychological stress during exercise: immunoendocrine and oxidative responses.

    PubMed

    Huang, Chun-Jung; Webb, Heather E; Evans, Ronald K; McCleod, Kelly A; Tangsilsat, Supatchara E; Kamimori, Gary H; Acevedo, Edmund O

    2010-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in catecholamines (epinephrine [EPI] and norepinephrine [NE]), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and a biomarker of oxidative stress (8-isoprostane) in healthy individuals who were exposed to a dual challenge (physical and psychological stress). Furthermore, this study also examined the possible relationships between catecholamines (NE and EPI) and 8-isoprostane and between IL-2 and 8-isoprostane following a combined physical and psychological challenge. Seven healthy male subjects completed two experimental conditions. The exercise-alone condition (EAC) consisted of cycling at 60% VO(2max) for 37 min, while the dual-stress condition (DSC) included 20 min of a mental challenge while cycling. DSC showed greater EPI and 8-isoprostane levels (significant condition by time interaction). NE and IL-2 revealed significant change across time in both conditions. In addition, following dual stress, EPI area-under-the-curve (AUC) demonstrated a positive correlation with NE AUC and IL-2 AUC. NE AUC was positively correlated with IL-2 AUC and peak 8-isoprostane, and peak IL-2 was positively correlated with peak 8-isoprostane in response to a dual stress. The potential explanation for elevated oxidative stress during dual stress may be through the effects of the release of catecholamines and IL-2. These findings may further provide the potential explanation that dual stress alters physiological homeostasis in many occupations including firefighting, military operations and law enforcement. A greater understanding of these responses to stress can assist in finding strategies (e.g. exercise training) to overcome the inherent psychobiological challenges associated with physically and mentally demanding professions.

  20. Responses to Interpersonal Stress: Normative Changes Across Childhood and the Impact of Peer Victimization.

    PubMed

    Troop-Gordon, Wendy; Sugimura, Niwako; Rudolph, Karen D

    2017-03-01

    This research examined the development of stress responses across second to sixth grades and whether exposure to peer victimization alters stress response trajectories. Youth (338 girls; 298 boys; M age  = 7.97 years, SD = .37) reported on stress responses; teachers and youth reported on peer victimization. Latent growth curve modeling revealed an increase in effortful engagement responses and a decrease in disengagement and involuntary engagement responses during this period. Peer victimization disrupted these normative trajectories, resulting in less effortful engagement and more effortful disengagement and involuntary stress responses in early adolescence. These findings suggest that early peer victimization sensitizes youth to stress by interfering with the development of effective coping and fostering maladaptive stress responses. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  1. NIP/DuoxA is essential for Drosophila embryonic development and regulates oxidative stress response.

    PubMed

    Xie, Xiaojun; Hu, Jack; Liu, Xiping; Qin, Hanjuan; Percival-Smith, Anthony; Rao, Yong; Li, Shawn S C

    2010-05-11

    NIP/DuoxA, originally cloned as a protein capable of binding to the cell fate determinant Numb in Drosophila, was recently identified as a modulator of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in mammalian systems. Despite biochemical and cellular studies that link NIP/DuoxA to the generation of ROS through the dual oxidase (Duox) enzyme, the in vivo function of NIP/DuoxA has not been characterized to date. Here we report a genetic and functional characterization of nip in Drosophila melanogaster. We show that nip is essential for Drosophila development as nip null mutants die at the 1(st) larval instar. Expression of UAS-nip, but not UAS-Duox, rescued the lethality. To understand the function of nip beyond the early larval stage, we generated GAL4 inducible UAS-RNAi transgenes. da(G32)-GAL4 driven, ubiquitous RNAi-mediated silencing of nip led to profound abnormality in pre-adult development, crinkled wing and markedly reduced lifespan at 29 degrees C. Compared to wild type flies, da-GAL4 induced nip-RNAi transgenic flies exhibited significantly reduced ability to survive under oxidative stress and displayed impaired mitochondrial aconitase function. Our work provides in vivo evidence for a critical role for nip in the development and oxidative stress response in Drosophila.

  2. [Effects of Mindfulness Meditation program on perceived stress, ways of coping, and stress response in breast cancer patients].

    PubMed

    Kang, Gwangsoon; Oh, Sangeun

    2012-04-01

    Purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the Mindfulness Meditation program on perceived stress, ways of coping, salivary cortisol level, and psychological stress response in patients with breast cancer. This was a quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group pre-post test design. Participants in this study were 50 patients who had completed breast cancer treatment (experimental group, 25, control group, 25). The experimental group received the Mindfulness Meditation program for 3 hours/session/ week for 8 weeks. Data were analyzed using χ²-test and t-test for subject homogeneity verification, and ANCOVA to examine the hypotheses. The experimental group had significantly lower scores for perceived stress, emotional focused coping, salivary cortisol level, and psychological stress response compared to the control group. However, no significant differences were found between two groups for the scores on problem focused stress coping. According to the results, the Mindfulness Meditation program was useful for decreasing perceived stress, emotional focused coping, salivary cortisol level, and psychological stress response. Therefore, this program is an effective nursing intervention to decrease stress in patients with breast cancer.

  3. Transposable elements contribute to activation of maize genes in response to abiotic stress.

    PubMed

    Makarevitch, Irina; Waters, Amanda J; West, Patrick T; Stitzer, Michelle; Hirsch, Candice N; Ross-Ibarra, Jeffrey; Springer, Nathan M

    2015-01-01

    Transposable elements (TEs) account for a large portion of the genome in many eukaryotic species. Despite their reputation as "junk" DNA or genomic parasites deleterious for the host, TEs have complex interactions with host genes and the potential to contribute to regulatory variation in gene expression. It has been hypothesized that TEs and genes they insert near may be transcriptionally activated in response to stress conditions. The maize genome, with many different types of TEs interspersed with genes, provides an ideal system to study the genome-wide influence of TEs on gene regulation. To analyze the magnitude of the TE effect on gene expression response to environmental changes, we profiled gene and TE transcript levels in maize seedlings exposed to a number of abiotic stresses. Many genes exhibit up- or down-regulation in response to these stress conditions. The analysis of TE families inserted within upstream regions of up-regulated genes revealed that between four and nine different TE families are associated with up-regulated gene expression in each of these stress conditions, affecting up to 20% of the genes up-regulated in response to abiotic stress, and as many as 33% of genes that are only expressed in response to stress. Expression of many of these same TE families also responds to the same stress conditions. The analysis of the stress-induced transcripts and proximity of the transposon to the gene suggests that these TEs may provide local enhancer activities that stimulate stress-responsive gene expression. Our data on allelic variation for insertions of several of these TEs show strong correlation between the presence of TE insertions and stress-responsive up-regulation of gene expression. Our findings suggest that TEs provide an important source of allelic regulatory variation in gene response to abiotic stress in maize.

  4. The Relationship between Beginning Teachers' Stress Causes, Stress Responses, Teaching Behaviour and Attrition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harmsen, Ruth; Helms-Lorenz, Michelle; Maulana, Ridwan; van Veen, Klaas

    2018-01-01

    In this study, the relationships between beginning teachers' perceived stress causes, stress responses, observed teaching behaviour and attrition is investigated employing structural equation modelling (SEM). A total of 143 BTs were surveyed using the Questionnaire on the Experience and Evaluation of Work-BTs (QEEW-BT). Teaching behaviour was…

  5. Attachment representations in mothers with abnormal illness behaviour by proxy.

    PubMed

    Adshead, Gwen; Bluglass, Kerry

    2005-10-01

    Abnormal illness behaviour by proxy (also known as factitious illness by proxy or Munchhausen syndrome by proxy) is a type of child maltreatment, the origins of which are poorly understood. To describe attachment representations in a cohort of mothers demonstrating abnormal illness behaviour by proxy. Sixty-seven mothers who had shown this behaviour took part in a semistructured interview assessing their attachment representations. Only 12 mothers (18%) were rated secure in terms of their own childhood attachments. There was evidence of unresolved trauma or loss reactions in 40 mothers (60%). Eighteen mothers (27%) gave unusually disorganised and incoherent accounts of attachment relationships in their own childhoods. The frequency of these attachment categories is higher than in normal non-clinical samples. Insecure attachment is a risk factor for this type of child maltreatment. Therapeutic interventions could be offered in relation to unresolved traumatic stress or bereavement responses. Further study of similar groups, such as mothers with sick children or mothers with histories of traumatic experience, would be a useful next step.

  6. RNA-seq analysis of stress response in rainbow trout

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Fish under intensive rearing conditions experience various stress conditions, which have negative impacts on survival, growth and fillet quality. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying stress responses will facilitate improvement of animal welfare and production efficiency. Our objective ...

  7. MDMA does not alter responses to the Trier Social Stress Test in humans.

    PubMed

    Bershad, Anya K; Miller, Melissa A; de Wit, Harriet

    2017-07-01

    ±3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") is a stimulant-psychedelic drug with unique social effects. It may dampen reactivity to negative social stimuli such as social threat and rejection. Perhaps because of these effects, MDMA has shown promise as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the effect of single doses of MDMA on responses to an acute psychosocial stressor has not been tested. In this study, we sought to test the effects of MDMA on responses to stress in healthy adults using a public speaking task. We hypothesized that the drug would reduce responses to the stressful task. Volunteers (N = 39) were randomly assigned to receive placebo (N = 13), 0.5 mg/kg MDMA (N = 13), or 1.0 mg/kg MDMA (N = 13) during a stress and a no-stress session. Dependent measures included subjective reports of drug effects and emotional responses to the task, as well as salivary cortisol, heart rate, and blood pressure. The stress task produced its expected increase in physiological responses (cortisol, heart rate) and subjective ratings of stress in all three groups, and MDMA produced its expected subjective and physiological effects. MDMA alone increased ratings of subjective stress, heart rate, and saliva cortisol concentrations, but contrary to our hypothesis, it did not moderate responses to the Trier Social Stress Test. Despite its efficacy in PTSD and anxiety, MDMA did not reduce either the subjective or objective responses to stress in this controlled study. The conditions under which MDMA relieves responses to negative events or memories remain to be determined.

  8. MDMA does not alter responses to the Trier Social Stress Test in humans

    PubMed Central

    Bershad, Anya K.; Miller, Melissa A.; de Wit, Harriet

    2018-01-01

    Rationale ±3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) is a stimulant-psychedelic drug with unique social effects. It may dampen reactivity to negative social stimuli such as social threat and rejection. Perhaps because of these effects, MDMA has shown promise as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the effect of single doses of MDMA on responses to an acute psychosocial stressor has not been tested. Objectives In this study, we sought to test the effects of MDMA on responses to stress in healthy adults using a public speaking task. We hypothesized that the drug would reduce responses to the stressful task. Methods Volunteers (N = 39) were randomly assigned to receive placebo (N = 13), 0.5 mg/kg MDMA (N = 13), or 1.0 mg/kg MDMA (N = 13) during a stress and a no-stress session. Dependent measures included subjective reports of drug effects and emotional responses to the task, as well as salivary cortisol, heart rate, and blood pressure. Results The stress task produced its expected increase in physiological responses (cortisol, heart rate) and subjective ratings of stress in all three groups, and MDMA produced its expected subjective and physiological effects. MDMA alone increased ratings of subjective stress, heart rate, and saliva cortisol concentrations, but contrary to our hypothesis, it did not moderate responses to the Trier Social Stress Test. Conclusions Despite its efficacy in PTSD and anxiety, MDMA did not reduce either the subjective or objective responses to stress in this controlled study. The conditions under which MDMA relieves responses to negative events or memories remain to be determined. PMID:28432376

  9. Natural variation reveals relationships between pre-stress carbohydrate nutritional status and subsequent responses to xenobiotic and oxidative stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

    PubMed Central

    Ramel, Fanny; Sulmon, Cécile; Gouesbet, Gwenola; Couée, Ivan

    2009-01-01

    Background Soluble sugars are involved in responses to stress, and act as signalling molecules that activate specific or hormone cross-talk transduction pathways. Thus, exogenous sucrose treatment efficiently induces tolerance to the herbicide atrazine in Arabidopsis thaliana plantlets, at least partially through large-scale modifications of expression of stress-related genes. Methods Availability of sugars in planta for stress responses is likely to depend on complex dynamics of soluble sugar accumulation, sucrose–starch partition and organ allocation. The question of potential relationships between endogenous sugar levels and stress responses to atrazine treatment was investigated through analysis of natural genetic accessions of A. thaliana. Parallel quantitative and statistical analysis of biochemical parameters and of stress-sensitive physiological traits was carried out on a set of 11 accessions. Key Results Important natural variation was found between accessions of A. thaliana in pre-stress shoot endogenous sugar levels and responses of plantlets to subsequent atrazine stress. Moreover, consistent trends and statistically significant correlations were detected between specific endogenous sugar parameters, such as the pre-stress end of day sucrose level in shoots, and physiological markers of atrazine tolerance. Conclusions These significant relationships between endogenous carbohydrate metabolism and stress response therefore point to an important integration of carbon nutritional status and induction of stress tolerance in plants. The specific correlation between pre-stress sucrose level and greater atrazine tolerance may reflect adaptive mechanisms that link sucrose accumulation, photosynthesis-related stress and sucrose induction of stress defences. PMID:19789177

  10. Natural variation reveals relationships between pre-stress carbohydrate nutritional status and subsequent responses to xenobiotic and oxidative stress in Arabidopsis thaliana.

    PubMed

    Ramel, Fanny; Sulmon, Cécile; Gouesbet, Gwenola; Couée, Ivan

    2009-12-01

    Soluble sugars are involved in responses to stress, and act as signalling molecules that activate specific or hormone cross-talk transduction pathways. Thus, exogenous sucrose treatment efficiently induces tolerance to the herbicide atrazine in Arabidopsis thaliana plantlets, at least partially through large-scale modifications of expression of stress-related genes. Availability of sugars in planta for stress responses is likely to depend on complex dynamics of soluble sugar accumulation, sucrose-starch partition and organ allocation. The question of potential relationships between endogenous sugar levels and stress responses to atrazine treatment was investigated through analysis of natural genetic accessions of A. thaliana. Parallel quantitative and statistical analysis of biochemical parameters and of stress-sensitive physiological traits was carried out on a set of 11 accessions. Important natural variation was found between accessions of A. thaliana in pre-stress shoot endogenous sugar levels and responses of plantlets to subsequent atrazine stress. Moreover, consistent trends and statistically significant correlations were detected between specific endogenous sugar parameters, such as the pre-stress end of day sucrose level in shoots, and physiological markers of atrazine tolerance. These significant relationships between endogenous carbohydrate metabolism and stress response therefore point to an important integration of carbon nutritional status and induction of stress tolerance in plants. The specific correlation between pre-stress sucrose level and greater atrazine tolerance may reflect adaptive mechanisms that link sucrose accumulation, photosynthesis-related stress and sucrose induction of stress defences.

  11. Transcriptional analysis of different stress response genes in Escherichia coli strains subjected to sodium chloride and lactic acid stress.

    PubMed

    Peng, Silvio; Stephan, Roger; Hummerjohann, Jörg; Tasara, Taurai

    2014-12-01

    Survival of Escherichia coli in food depends on its ability to adapt against encountered stress typically involving induction of stress response genes. In this study, the transcriptional induction of selected acid (cadA, speF) and salt (kdpA, proP, proW, otsA, betA) stress response genes was investigated among five E. coli strains, including three Shiga toxin-producing strains, exposed to sodium chloride or lactic acid stress. Transcriptional induction upon lactic acid stress exposure was similar in all but one E. coli strain, which lacked the lysine decarboxylase gene cadA. In response to sodium chloride stress exposure, proW and otsA were similarly induced, while significant differences were observed between the E. coli strains in induction of kdpA, proP and betA. The kdpA and betA genes were significantly induced in four and three strains, respectively, whereas one strain did not induce these genes. The proP gene was only induced in two E. coli strains. Interestingly, transcriptional induction differences in response to sodium chloride stress exposure were associated with survival phenotypes observed for the E. coli strains in cheese as the E. coli strain lacking significant induction in three salt stress response genes investigated also survived poorly compared to the other E. coli strains in cheese. © 2014 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Heart rate response to post-learning stress predicts memory consolidation.

    PubMed

    Larra, Mauro F; Schulz, André; Schilling, Thomas M; Ferreira de Sá, Diana S; Best, Daniel; Kozik, Bartlomiej; Schächinger, Hartmut

    2014-03-01

    Stressful experiences are often well remembered, an effect that has been explained by beta-adrenergic influences on memory consolidation. Here, we studied the impact of stress induced heart rate (HR) responses on memory consolidation in a post-learning stress paradigm. 206 male and female participants saw 52 happy and angry faces immediately before being exposed to the Cold Pressor Test or a non-stressful control procedure. Memory for the faces and their respective expression was tested twice, after 30 min and on the next day. High HR responders (in comparison to low HR responders as well as to the non-stressful control group) showed enhanced recognition memory one day after learning. Our results show that beta-adrenergic activation elicited shortly after learning enhances memory consolidation and that the stress induced HR response is a predictor for this effect. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Characterization of the physiological stress response in lingcod

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Milston, R.H.; Davis, M.W.; Parker, S.J.; Olla, B.L.; Clements, S.; Schreck, C.B.

    2006-01-01

    The goal of this study was to describe the duration and magnitude of the physiological stress response in lingcod Ophiodon elongatus after exposure to brief handling and sublethal air stressors. The response to these stressors was determined during a 24-h recovery period by measuring concentrations of plasma cortisol, lactate, glucose, sodium, and potassium. Lingcod were subjected to brief handling followed by either a 15-min or a 45-min air stressor in the laboratory. After the 15-min stressor, an increase in cortisol or glucose could not be detected until after 5 min of recovery. Peak concentrations were measured after 30 min for cortisol and after 60 min for glucose and lactate. Glucose and lactate had returned to basal levels after 12 h, whereas cortisol did not return to basal levels until after 24 h of recovery. Immediately following a 45-min air stressor, all measured parameters were significantly elevated over levels in prestressor control fish. Cortisol concentrations tended to increase and reached a measured peak after 8 h of recovery, whereas glucose and lactate reached a measured peak after 1 h of recovery. Cortisol and lactate returned to basal levels within 24 h. Glucose, however, remained elevated even after 24 h of recovery. Plasma ions initially increased during the first hour of recovery, and the concentrations then declined to a level below that measured in control fish for the remainder of the 24-h recovery period. In addition, we evaluated the effect of fish size on the stress response. There was no significant difference between the stress response of smaller (41-49-cm [total length] and larger (50-67-cm) lingcod after 45 min air exposure. In general, both the magnitude and duration of the primary and secondary stress responses in lingcod are comparable to those of salmonids. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2006.

  14. Social evaluative threat with verbal performance feedback alters neuroendocrine response to stress.

    PubMed

    Phan, Jenny M; Schneider, Ekaterina; Peres, Jeremy; Miocevic, Olga; Meyer, Vanessa; Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A

    2017-11-01

    Laboratory stress tasks such as the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) have provided a key piece to the puzzle for how psychosocial stress impacts the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, other stress-responsive biomarkers, and ultimately wellbeing. These tasks are thought to work through biopsychosocial processes, specifically social evaluative threat and the uncontrollability heighten situational demands. The present study integrated an experimental modification to the design of the TSST to probe whether additional social evaluative threat, via negative verbal feedback about speech performance, can further alter stress reactivity in 63 men and women. This TSST study confirmed previous findings related to stress reactivity and stress recovery but extended this literature in several ways. First, we showed that additional social evaluative threat components, mid-task following the speech portion of the TSST, were still capable of enhancing the psychosocial stressor. Second, we considered stress-reactive hormones beyond cortisol to include dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and testosterone, and found these hormones were also stress-responsive, and their release was coupled with one another. Third, we explored whether gain- and loss-framing incentive instructions, meant to influence performance motivation by enhancing the personal relevance of task performance, impacted hormonal reactivity. Results showed that each hormone was stress reactive and further had different responses to the modified TSST compared to the original TSST. Beyond the utility of showing how the TSST can be modified with heightened social evaluative threat and incentive-framing instructions, this study informs about how these three stress-responsive hormones have differential responses to the demands of a challenge and a stressor. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. A review of factors influencing the stress response in Australian marsupials

    PubMed Central

    Hing, Stephanie; Narayan, Edward; Thompson, R. C. Andrew; Godfrey, Stephanie

    2014-01-01

    Many Australian marsupials are threatened species. In order to manage in situ and ex situ populations effectively, it is important to understand how marsupials respond to threats. Stress physiology (the study of the response of animals to challenging stimuli), a key approach in conservation physiology, can be used to characterize the physiological response of wildlife to threats. We reviewed the literature on the measurement of glucocorticoids (GCs), endocrine indicators of stress, in order to understand the stress response to conservation-relevant stressors in Australian marsupials and identified 29 studies. These studies employed a range of methods to measure GCs, with faecal glucocorticoid metabolite enzyme immunoassay being the most common method. The main stressors considered in studies of marsupials were capture and handling. To date, the benefits of stress physiology have yet to be harnessed fully in marsupial conservation. Despite a theoretical base dating back to the 1960s, GCs have only been used to understand how 21 of the 142 extant species of Australian marsupial respond to stressors. These studies include merely six of the 60 marsupial species of conservation concern (IUCN Near Threatened to Critically Endangered). Furthermore, the fitness consequences of stress for Australian marsupials are rarely examined. Individual and species differences in the physiological stress response also require further investigation, because significant species-specific variations in GC levels in response to stressors can shed light on why some individuals or species are more vulnerable to stress factors while others appear more resilient. This review summarizes trends, knowledge gaps and future research directions for stress physiology research in Australian marsupial conservation. PMID:27293648

  16. Self-esteem levels and cardiovascular and inflammatory responses to acute stress.

    PubMed

    O'Donnell, Katie; Brydon, Lena; Wright, Caroline E; Steptoe, Andrew

    2008-11-01

    Acute mental stress tests have helped to clarify the pathways through which psychosocial factors are linked to disease risk. This methodology is now being used to investigate potentially protective psychosocial factors. We investigated whether global self-esteem might buffer cardiovascular and inflammatory responses to acute stress. One hundred and one students completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) were recorded for 5 min periods at baseline, during two mental stress tasks, (a speech and a color-word task) and 10, 25 and 40 min into a recovery period. Plasma levels of tumor-necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) were assessed at baseline, immediately post-stress and after 45 min recovery. Repeated measures analysis of variance demonstrated that heart rate levels were lower across all time points in those with high self-esteem, although heart rate reactivity to stress was not related to self-esteem. There were no differences in baseline HRV, TNF-alpha, IL-6 or IL-1Ra. Multiple linear regressions revealed that greater self-esteem was associated with a smaller reduction in heart rate variability during the speech task, but not the color-word task. Greater self-esteem was associated with smaller TNF-alpha and IL-1Ra responses immediately following acute stress and smaller IL-1Ra responses at 45 min post-stress. In conclusion, global self-esteem is associated with lower heart rate and attenuated HRV and inflammatory responses to acute stress. These responses could be processes through which self-esteem protects against the development of disease.

  17. De Novo Transcriptional Analysis of Alfalfa in Response to Saline-Alkaline Stress.

    PubMed

    An, Yi-Min; Song, Li-Li; Liu, Ying-Rui; Shu, Yong-Jun; Guo, Chang-Hong

    2016-01-01

    Saline-alkaline stress, caused by high levels of harmful carbonate salts and high soil pH, is a major abiotic stress that affects crop productivity. Alfalfa is a widely cultivated perennial forage legume with some tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, especially to saline-alkaline stress. To elucidate the mechanism underlying plant saline-alkaline tolerance, we conducted transcriptome analysis of whole alfalfa seedlings treated with saline-alkaline solutions for 0 day (control), 1 day (short-term treatment), and 7 days (long-term treatment) using ion torrent sequencing technology. A transcriptome database dataset of 53,853 unigenes was generated, and 2,286 and 2,233 genes were differentially expressed in the short-term and long-term treatment, respectively. Gene ontology analysis revealed 14 highly enriched pathways and demonstrated the differential response of metabolic pathways between the short-term and long-term treatment. The expression levels of 109 and 96 transcription factors were significantly altered significantly after 1 day and 7 days of treatment, respectively. Specific responses of peroxidase, flavonoids, and the light pathway component indicated that the antioxidant capacity was one of the central mechanisms of saline-alkaline stress tolerance response in alfalfa. Among the 18 differentially expressed genes examined by real time PCR, the expression levels of eight genes, including inositol transporter, DNA binding protein, raffinose synthase, ferritin, aldo/keto reductase, glutathione S-transferase, xyloglucan endotrans glucosylase, and a NAC transcription factor, exhibited different patterns in response to saline and alkaline stress. The expression levels of the NAC transcription factor and glutathione S-transferase were altered significantly under saline stress and saline-alkaline stress; they were upregulated under saline-alkaline stress and downregulated under salt stress. Physiology assays showed an increased concentration of reactive oxygen

  18. De Novo Transcriptional Analysis of Alfalfa in Response to Saline-Alkaline Stress

    PubMed Central

    An, Yi-Min; Song, Li-Li; Liu, Ying-Rui; Shu, Yong-Jun; Guo, Chang-Hong

    2016-01-01

    Saline-alkaline stress, caused by high levels of harmful carbonate salts and high soil pH, is a major abiotic stress that affects crop productivity. Alfalfa is a widely cultivated perennial forage legume with some tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, especially to saline-alkaline stress. To elucidate the mechanism underlying plant saline-alkaline tolerance, we conducted transcriptome analysis of whole alfalfa seedlings treated with saline-alkaline solutions for 0 day (control), 1 day (short-term treatment), and 7 days (long-term treatment) using ion torrent sequencing technology. A transcriptome database dataset of 53,853 unigenes was generated, and 2,286 and 2,233 genes were differentially expressed in the short-term and long-term treatment, respectively. Gene ontology analysis revealed 14 highly enriched pathways and demonstrated the differential response of metabolic pathways between the short-term and long-term treatment. The expression levels of 109 and 96 transcription factors were significantly altered significantly after 1 day and 7 days of treatment, respectively. Specific responses of peroxidase, flavonoids, and the light pathway component indicated that the antioxidant capacity was one of the central mechanisms of saline-alkaline stress tolerance response in alfalfa. Among the 18 differentially expressed genes examined by real time PCR, the expression levels of eight genes, including inositol transporter, DNA binding protein, raffinose synthase, ferritin, aldo/keto reductase, glutathione S-transferase, xyloglucan endotrans glucosylase, and a NAC transcription factor, exhibited different patterns in response to saline and alkaline stress. The expression levels of the NAC transcription factor and glutathione S-transferase were altered significantly under saline stress and saline-alkaline stress; they were upregulated under saline-alkaline stress and downregulated under salt stress. Physiology assays showed an increased concentration of reactive oxygen

  19. Anion channels: master switches of stress responses.

    PubMed

    Roelfsema, M Rob G; Hedrich, Rainer; Geiger, Dietmar

    2012-04-01

    During stress, plant cells activate anion channels and trigger the release of anions across the plasma membrane. Recently, two new gene families have been identified that encode major groups of anion channels. The SLAC/SLAH channels are characterized by slow voltage-dependent activation (S-type), whereas ALMT genes encode rapid-activating channels (R-type). Both S- and R-type channels are stimulated in guard cells by the stress hormone ABA, which leads to stomatal closure. Besides their role in ABA-dependent stomatal movement, anion channels are also activated by biotic stress factors such as microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs). Given that anion channels occur throughout the plant kingdom, they are likely to serve a general function as master switches of stress responses. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Transposon integration enhances expression of stress response genes.

    PubMed

    Feng, Gang; Leem, Young-Eun; Levin, Henry L

    2013-01-01

    Transposable elements possess specific patterns of integration. The biological impact of these integration profiles is not well understood. Tf1, a long-terminal repeat retrotransposon in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, integrates into promoters with a preference for the promoters of stress response genes. To determine the biological significance of Tf1 integration, we took advantage of saturated maps of insertion activity and studied how integration at hot spots affected the expression of the adjacent genes. Our study revealed that Tf1 integration did not reduce gene expression. Importantly, the insertions activated the expression of 6 of 32 genes tested. We found that Tf1 increased gene expression by inserting enhancer activity. Interestingly, the enhancer activity of Tf1 could be limited by Abp1, a host surveillance factor that sequesters transposon sequences into structures containing histone deacetylases. We found the Tf1 promoter was activated by heat treatment and, remarkably, only genes that themselves were induced by heat could be activated by Tf1 integration, suggesting a synergy of Tf1 enhancer sequence with the stress response elements of target promoters. We propose that the integration preference of Tf1 for the promoters of stress response genes and the ability of Tf1 to enhance the expression of these genes co-evolved to promote the survival of cells under stress.

  1. Transposon integration enhances expression of stress response genes

    PubMed Central

    Feng, Gang; Leem, Young-Eun; Levin, Henry L.

    2013-01-01

    Transposable elements possess specific patterns of integration. The biological impact of these integration profiles is not well understood. Tf1, a long-terminal repeat retrotransposon in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, integrates into promoters with a preference for the promoters of stress response genes. To determine the biological significance of Tf1 integration, we took advantage of saturated maps of insertion activity and studied how integration at hot spots affected the expression of the adjacent genes. Our study revealed that Tf1 integration did not reduce gene expression. Importantly, the insertions activated the expression of 6 of 32 genes tested. We found that Tf1 increased gene expression by inserting enhancer activity. Interestingly, the enhancer activity of Tf1 could be limited by Abp1, a host surveillance factor that sequesters transposon sequences into structures containing histone deacetylases. We found the Tf1 promoter was activated by heat treatment and, remarkably, only genes that themselves were induced by heat could be activated by Tf1 integration, suggesting a synergy of Tf1 enhancer sequence with the stress response elements of target promoters. We propose that the integration preference of Tf1 for the promoters of stress response genes and the ability of Tf1 to enhance the expression of these genes co-evolved to promote the survival of cells under stress. PMID:23193295

  2. Effect of acute psychological stress on response inhibition: An event-related potential study.

    PubMed

    Qi, Mingming; Gao, Heming; Liu, Guangyuan

    2017-04-14

    This study aimed to investigate the effect of acute psychological stress on response inhibition and its electrophysiological correlates using a dual-task paradigm. Acute stress was induced by a primary task (mental arithmetic task), which consisted of a stress block and a control block. Response inhibition was measured using a secondary task (Go/NoGo task). In each trial, a Go/NoGo stimulus was presented immediately after the mental arithmetic task. The results revealed increased subjective stress and negative affect for the stress relative to control block, suggesting that the mental arithmetic task triggered a reliable stress response. ERPs locked to the Go/NoGo stimuli revealed that decreased P2 and increased N2 components were evoked for the stress block compared to the control block. These results demonstrated that acute psychological stress alters the response inhibition process by reducing the early selective attention process and enhancing the cognitive control process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Plant responsiveness to root–root communication of stress cues

    PubMed Central

    Falik, Omer; Mordoch, Yonat; Ben-Natan, Daniel; Vanunu, Miriam; Goldstein, Oron; Novoplansky, Ariel

    2012-01-01

    Background and Aims Phenotypic plasticity is based on the organism's ability to perceive, integrate and respond to multiple signals and cues informative of environmental opportunities and perils. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that plants are able to adapt to imminent threats by perceiving cues emitted from their damaged neighbours. Here, the hypothesis was tested that unstressed plants are able to perceive and respond to stress cues emitted from their drought- and osmotically stressed neighbours and to induce stress responses in additional unstressed plants. Methods Split-root Pisum sativum, Cynodon dactylon, Digitaria sanguinalis and Stenotaphrum secundatum plants were subjected to osmotic stress or drought while sharing one of their rooting volumes with an unstressed neighbour, which in turn shared its other rooting volume with additional unstressed neighbours. Following the kinetics of stomatal aperture allowed testing for stress responses in both the stressed plants and their unstressed neighbours. Key Results In both P. sativum plants and the three wild clonal grasses, infliction of osmotic stress or drought caused stomatal closure in both the stressed plants and in their unstressed neighbours. While both continuous osmotic stress and drought induced prolonged stomatal closure and limited acclimation in stressed plants, their unstressed neighbours habituated to the stress cues and opened their stomata 3–24 h after the beginning of stress induction. Conclusions The results demonstrate a novel type of plant communication, by which plants might be able to increase their readiness to probable future osmotic and drought stresses. Further work is underway to decipher the identity and mode of operation of the involved communication vectors and to assess the potential ecological costs and benefits of emitting and perceiving drought and osmotic stress cues under various ecological scenarios. PMID:22408186

  4. Ontogeny of the stress response in chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Feist, G.; Schreck, C.B.

    2001-01-01

    Whole body concentrations of cortisol were determined via radioimmunoassay in chinook salmon, Onchorynchus tshawytscha, during early development in both stressed and non-stressed fish to determine when the corticosteroidogenic stress response first appeared. Progeny from both pooled and individual females were examined to determine if differences existed in offspring from different females. Levels of cortisol were low in eyed eggs, increased at hatch, decreased 2 weeks later and then remained constant thereafter. Differences in cortisol between stressed and control fish were found 1 week after hatch and persisted for the remainder of the study. The magnitude of the stress response, or relative amount of cortisol produced, generally increased from the time when it was first detected, but a decrease in the ability to elicit cortisol was seen 4 weeks after hatching. Cortisol content of separate progeny from two individual females showed a similar pattern to that seen in pooled eggs. Our results indicate that chinook salmon are capable of producing cortisol following a stressful event approximately 1 week after the time of hatching. The decrease in endogenous cortisol content seen 2 weeks after hatching, and the decrease in the magnitude of the stress response seen 4 weeks after hatching may be comparable to developmental events documented in mammals where corticosteroid synthesis is inhibited to neutralize possible detrimental effects of these hormones during critical periods of development.

  5. Revisiting the Relationship between Transposable Elements and the Eukaryotic Stress Response.

    PubMed

    Horváth, Vivien; Merenciano, Miriam; González, Josefa

    2017-11-01

    A relationship between transposable elements (TEs) and the eukaryotic stress response was suggested in the first publications describing TEs. Since then, it has often been assumed that TEs are activated by stress, and that this activation is often beneficial for the organism. In recent years, the availability of new high-throughput experimental techniques has allowed further interrogation of the relationship between TEs and stress. By reviewing the recent literature, we conclude that although there is evidence for a beneficial effect of TE activation under stress conditions, the relationship between TEs and the eukaryotic stress response is quite complex. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Are karrikins involved in plant abiotic stress responses?

    PubMed

    Li, Weiqiang; Tran, Lam-Son Phan

    2015-09-01

    Recent reports have shown that strigolactones play a positive role in plant responses to drought and salt stress through MAX2 (More Axillary Growth 2). Increasing evidence suggests that MAX2 is also involved in karrikin signaling, raising the question whether karrikins play any role in plant adaptation to abiotic stresses. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Linking physiological and cellular responses to thermal stress: β-adrenergic blockade reduces the heat shock response in fish.

    PubMed

    Templeman, Nicole M; LeBlanc, Sacha; Perry, Steve F; Currie, Suzanne

    2014-08-01

    When faced with stress, animals use physiological and cellular strategies to preserve homeostasis. We were interested in how these high-level stress responses are integrated at the level of the whole animal. Here, we investigated the capacity of the physiological stress response, and specifically the β-adrenergic response, to affect the induction of the cellular heat shock proteins, HSPs, following a thermal stress in vivo. We predicted that blocking β-adrenergic stimulation during an acute heat stress in the whole animal would result in reduced levels of HSPs in red blood cells (RBCs) of rainbow trout compared to animals where adrenergic signaling remained intact. We first determined that a 1 h heat shock at 25 °C in trout acclimated to 13 °C resulted in RBC adrenergic stimulation as determined by a significant increase in cell swelling, a hallmark of the β-adrenergic response. A whole animal injection with the β2-adrenergic antagonist, ICI-118,551, successfully reduced this heat-induced RBC swelling. The acute heat shock caused a significant induction of HSP70 in RBCs of 13 °C-acclimated trout as well as a significant increase in plasma catecholamines. When heat-shocked fish were treated with ICI-118,551, we observed a significant attenuation of the HSP70 response. We conclude that circulating catecholamines influence the cellular heat shock response in rainbow trout RBCs, demonstrating physiological/hormonal control of the cellular stress response.

  8. Boechera Species Exhibit Species-Specific Responses to Combined Heat and High Light Stress

    PubMed Central

    Gallas, Genna; Waters, Elizabeth R.

    2015-01-01

    As sessile organisms, plants must be able to complete their life cycle in place and therefore tolerance to abiotic stress has had a major role in shaping biogeographical patterns. However, much of what we know about plant tolerance to abiotic stresses is based on studies of just a few plant species, most notably the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. In this study we examine natural variation in the stress responses of five diverse Boechera (Brassicaceae) species. Boechera plants were exposed to basal and acquired combined heat and high light stress. Plant response to these stresses was evaluated based on chlorophyll fluorescence measurements, induction of leaf chlorosis, and gene expression. Many of the Boechera species were more tolerant to heat and high light stress than A. thaliana. Gene expression data indicates that two important marker genes for stress responses: APX2 (Ascorbate peroxidase 2) and HsfA2 (Heat shock transcription factor A2) have distinct species-specific expression patterns. The findings of species-specific responses and tolerance to stress indicate that stress pathways are evolutionarily labile even among closely related species. PMID:26030823

  9. Stretching the Stress Boundary: Linking Air Pollution Health Effects to a Neurohormonal Stress Response

    EPA Science Inventory

    Inhaled pollutants produce effects in virtually all organ systems in our body and have been linked to chronic diseases including hypertension, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s and diabetes. A neurohormonal stress response (referred here as a systemic response produced by activation ...

  10. Prenatal Stress, Prematurity, and Asthma.

    PubMed

    Medsker, Brock; Forno, Erick; Simhan, Hyagriv; Celedón, Juan C

    2015-12-01

    Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting millions of children in the United States and worldwide. Prematurity is a risk factor for asthma, and certain ethnic or racial minorities such as Puerto Ricans and non-Hispanic blacks are disproportionately affected by both prematurity and asthma. In this review, we examine current evidence to support maternal psychosocial stress as a putative link between prematurity and asthma, while also focusing on disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and immune responses as potential underlying mechanisms for stress-induced "premature asthma." Prenatal stress may cause not only abnormalities in the HPA axis but also epigenetic changes in the fetal glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1), leading to impaired glucocorticoid metabolism. Moreover, maternal stress can alter fetal cytokine balance, favoring TH2 (allergic) immune responses characteristic of atopic asthma: interleukin 6 (IL-6), which has been associated with premature labor, can promote TH2 responses by stimulating production of IL-4 and IL-13. Given a link among stress, prematurity, and asthma, future research should include birth cohorts aimed at confirming and better characterizing "premature asthma." If confirmed, clinical trials of prenatal maternal stress reduction would be warranted to reduce the burden of these common comorbidities. While awaiting the results of such studies, sound policies to prevent domestic and community violence (eg, from firearms) are justified, not only by public safety but also by growing evidence of detrimental effects of violence-induced stress on psychiatric and somatic health.

  11. Prenatal stress, prematurity and asthma

    PubMed Central

    Medsker, Brock; Forno, Erick; Simhan, Hyagriv; Celedón, Juan C.

    2016-01-01

    Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting millions of children in the U.S. and worldwide. Prematurity is a risk factor for asthma, and certain ethnic or racial minorities such as Puerto Ricans and non-Hispanic Blacks are disproportionately affected by both prematurity and asthma. In this review, we examine current evidence to support maternal psychosocial stress as a putative link between prematurity and asthma, while also focusing on disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and immune responses as potential underlying mechanisms for stress-induced “premature asthma”. Prenatal stress may not only cause abnormalities in the HPA axis but also epigenetic changes in the fetal glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1), leading to impaired glucocorticoid metabolism. Moreover, maternal stress can alter fetal cytokine balance, favoring Th2 (allergic) immune responses characteristic of atopic asthma: IL-6, which has been associated with premature labor, can promote Th2 responses by stimulating production of IL-4 and IL-13. Given a link among stress, prematurity, and asthma, future research should include birth cohorts aimed at confirming and better characterizing “premature asthma”. If confirmed, clinical trials of prenatal maternal stress reduction would be warranted to reduce the burden of these common co-morbidities. While awaiting the results of such studies, sound policies to prevent domestic and community violence (e.g. from firearms) are justified, not only by public safety but also by growing evidence of detrimental effects of violence-induced stress on psychiatric and somatic health. PMID:26676148

  12. Cardiac Vagal Control and Depressive Symptoms in Response to Negative Emotional Stress.

    PubMed

    Tonhajzerova, I; Visnovcova, Z; Mestanikova, A; Jurko, A; Mestanik, M

    We aimed to study complex cardiovagal control using heart rate variability (HRV), linear and nonlinear analyses at rest and during negative emotional stress in healthy students with varying depressive symptoms. ECG recording in 20 students was performed at baseline, negative emotional stress, and recovery period. The HRV parameters evaluated were the following: RR interval, spectral power in high-frequency band (HF-HRV), and symbolic dynamics index 2LV%. The subjects were divided into two groups based on the score of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) - normal mood (BDI: 0.6 ± 0.2) and mild mood disturbance (BDI: 14.3 ± 1.4). We found significantly lower logHF-HRV during emotional stress in mild mood disturbance compared with normal mood (p = 0.047). No significant differences were found in the remaining parameters. We conclude that negative emotional stress attenuated the cardiovagal control during mood disturbance, which points to discrete abnormalities in the neurocardiac reflex system associated with depressive symptoms. Hampered cardiovagal control could represent a potential pathomechanism leading to depression-linked cardiovascular complications.

  13. Persistent response of Fanconi anemia haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells to oxidative stress.

    PubMed

    Li, Yibo; Amarachintha, Surya; Wilson, Andrew F; Li, Xue; Du, Wei

    2017-06-18

    Oxidative stress is considered as an important pathogenic factor in many human diseases including Fanconi anemia (FA), an inherited bone marrow failure syndrome with extremely high risk of leukemic transformation. Members of the FA protein family are involved in DNA damage and other cellular stress responses. Loss of FA proteins renders cells hypersensitive to oxidative stress and cancer transformation. However, how FA cells respond to oxidative DNA damage remains unclear. By using an in vivo stress-response mouse strain expressing the Gadd45β-luciferase transgene, we show here that haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from mice deficient for the FA gene Fanca or Fancc persistently responded to oxidative stress. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that accumulation of unrepaired DNA damage, particularly in oxidative damage-sensitive genes, was responsible for the long-lasting response in FA HSPCs. Furthermore, genetic correction of Fanca deficiency almost completely abolished the persistent oxidative stress-induced G 2 /M arrest and DNA damage response in vivo. Our study suggests that FA pathway is an integral part of a versatile cellular mechanism by which HSPCs respond to oxidative stress.

  14. Plasma genetic and genomic abnormalities predict treatment response and clinical outcome in advanced prostate cancer.

    PubMed

    Xia, Shu; Kohli, Manish; Du, Meijun; Dittmar, Rachel L; Lee, Adam; Nandy, Debashis; Yuan, Tiezheng; Guo, Yongchen; Wang, Yuan; Tschannen, Michael R; Worthey, Elizabeth; Jacob, Howard; See, William; Kilari, Deepak; Wang, Xuexia; Hovey, Raymond L; Huang, Chiang-Ching; Wang, Liang

    2015-06-30

    Liquid biopsies, examinations of tumor components in body fluids, have shown promise for predicting clinical outcomes. To evaluate tumor-associated genomic and genetic variations in plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and their associations with treatment response and overall survival, we applied whole genome and targeted sequencing to examine the plasma cfDNAs derived from 20 patients with advanced prostate cancer. Sequencing-based genomic abnormality analysis revealed locus-specific gains or losses that were common in prostate cancer, such as 8q gains, AR amplifications, PTEN losses and TMPRSS2-ERG fusions. To estimate tumor burden in cfDNA, we developed a Plasma Genomic Abnormality (PGA) score by summing the most significant copy number variations. Cox regression analysis showed that PGA scores were significantly associated with overall survival (p < 0.04). After androgen deprivation therapy or chemotherapy, targeted sequencing showed significant mutational profile changes in genes involved in androgen biosynthesis, AR activation, DNA repair, and chemotherapy resistance. These changes may reflect the dynamic evolution of heterozygous tumor populations in response to these treatments. These results strongly support the feasibility of using non-invasive liquid biopsies as potential tools to study biological mechanisms underlying therapy-specific resistance and to predict disease progression in advanced prostate cancer.

  15. Viscoelastic Lithosphere Response and Stress Memory of Tectonic Force History (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kusznir, N. J.

    2009-12-01

    While great attention is often paid to the details of creep deformation mechanisms, brittle failure and their compositional controls when predicting the response of lithosphere to tectonic forces, the lithosphere’s elastic properties are usually neglected; a viscous rheology alone is often used to predict the resulting distribution of stress with depth or to determine lithosphere strength. While this may simplify geodynamic modelling of lithosphere response to tectonic processes, the omission of the elastic properties can often give misleading or false predictions. The addition of the elastic properties of lithosphere material in the form of a visco-elastic rheology results is a fundamentally different lithosphere response. This difference can be illustrated by examining the application of horizontal tectonic force to a section of lithosphere incorporating the brittle-visco-elastic response of each infinitesimal lithosphere layer with temperature and stress dependent viscous rheology. The transient response of a visco-elastic lithosphere to a constant applied tectonic force and the resulting distribution of stress with depth are substantially different from that predicted by a viscous lithosphere model, with the same lithosphere composition and temperature structure, subjected to a constant lateral strain rate. For visco-elastic lithosphere subject to an applied horizontal tectonic force, viscous creep in the lower crust and mantle leads to stress decay in these regions and to stress amplification in the upper lithosphere through stress redistribution. Cooling of lithosphere with a visco-elastic rheology results in thermal stresses which, as a consequence of stress dissipation by creep and brittle failure, results in a complex and sometimes counter-intuitive distribution of stress with depth. This can be most clearly illustrated for the cooling of oceanic lithosphere, however similar or more complex behaviour can be expected to occur for continental lithosphere

  16. Proportionate Responses to Life Events Influence Clinicians' Judgments of Psychological Abnormality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Nancy S.; Paulus, Daniel J.; Gonzalez, Jeffrey S.; Khalife, Danielle

    2012-01-01

    Psychological abnormality is a fundamental concept in the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" ("DSM-IV-TR"; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) and in all clinical evaluations. How do practicing clinical psychologists use the context of life events to judge the abnormality of a person's current behaviors? The appropriate…

  17. Does spending time outdoors reduce stress? A review of real-time stress response to outdoor environments

    Treesearch

    Michelle C. Kondo; Sara F. Jacoby; Eugenia C. South

    2018-01-01

    Everyday environmental conditions impact human health. One mechanism underlying this relationship is the experience of stress. Through systematic review of published literature, we explore how stress has been measured in real-time non-laboratory studies of stress responses to deliberate exposure to outdoor environments. The types of exposures evaluated in this review...

  18. Qualitative Development of the PROMIS® Pediatric Stress Response Item Banks

    PubMed Central

    Gardner, William; Pajer, Kathleen; Riley, Anne W.; Forrest, Christopher B.

    2013-01-01

    Objective To describe the qualitative development of the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) Pediatric Stress Response item banks. Methods Stress response concepts were specified through a literature review and interviews with content experts, children, and parents. A library comprising 2,677 items derived from 71 instruments was developed. Items were classified into conceptual categories; new items were written and redundant items were removed. Items were then revised based on cognitive interviews (n = 39 children), readability analyses, and translatability reviews. Results 2 pediatric Stress Response sub-domains were identified: somatic experiences (43 items) and psychological experiences (64 items). Final item pools cover the full range of children’s stress experiences. Items are comprehensible among children aged ≥8 years and ready for translation. Conclusions Child- and parent-report versions of the item banks assess children’s somatic and psychological states when demands tax their adaptive capabilities. PMID:23124904

  19. Systems Biology Analysis of Zymomonas mobilis ZM4 Ethanol Stress Responses

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Shihui; Pan, Chongle; Tschaplinski, Timothy J.; Hurst, Gregory B.; Engle, Nancy L.; Zhou, Wen; Dam, PhuongAn; Xu, Ying; Rodriguez, Miguel; Dice, Lezlee; Johnson, Courtney M.; Davison, Brian H.; Brown, Steven D.

    2013-01-01

    Background Zymomonas mobilis ZM4 is a capable ethanologenic bacterium with high ethanol productivity and ethanol tolerance. Previous studies indicated that several stress-related proteins and changes in the ZM4 membrane lipid composition may contribute to ethanol tolerance. However, the molecular mechanisms of its ethanol stress response have not been elucidated fully. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, ethanol stress responses were investigated using systems biology approaches. Medium supplementation with an initial 47 g/L (6% v/v) ethanol reduced Z. mobilis ZM4 glucose consumption, growth rate and ethanol productivity compared to that of untreated controls. A proteomic analysis of early exponential growth identified about one thousand proteins, or approximately 55% of the predicted ZM4 proteome. Proteins related to metabolism and stress response such as chaperones and key regulators were more abundant in the early ethanol stress condition. Transcriptomic studies indicated that the response of ZM4 to ethanol is dynamic, complex and involves many genes from all the different functional categories. Most down-regulated genes were related to translation and ribosome biogenesis, while the ethanol-upregulated genes were mostly related to cellular processes and metabolism. Transcriptomic data were used to update Z. mobilis ZM4 operon models. Furthermore, correlations among the transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolic data were examined. Among significantly expressed genes or proteins, we observe higher correlation coefficients when fold-change values are higher. Conclusions Our study has provided insights into the responses of Z. mobilis to ethanol stress through an integrated “omics” approach for the first time. This systems biology study elucidated key Z. mobilis ZM4 metabolites, genes and proteins that form the foundation of its distinctive physiology and its multifaceted response to ethanol stress. PMID:23874800

  20. Carotid baroreflex responsiveness in heat-stressed humans

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Crandall, C. G.

    2000-01-01

    The effects of whole body heating on human baroreflex function are relatively unknown. The purpose of this project was to identify whether whole body heating reduces the maximal slope of the carotid baroreflex. In 12 subjects, carotid-vasomotor and carotid-cardiac baroreflex responsiveness were assessed in normothermia and during whole body heating. Whole body heating increased sublingual temperature (from 36.4 +/- 0.1 to 37.4 +/- 0.1 degrees C, P < 0.01) and increased heart rate (from 59 +/- 3 to 83 +/- 3 beats/min, P < 0. 01), whereas mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) was slightly decreased (from 88 +/- 2 to 83 +/- 2 mmHg, P < 0.01). Carotid-vasomotor and carotid-cardiac responsiveness were assessed by identifying the maximal gain of MAP and heart rate to R wave-triggered changes in carotid sinus transmural pressure. Whole body heating significantly decreased the responsiveness of the carotid-vasomotor baroreflex (from -0.20 +/- 0.02 to -0.13 +/- 0.02 mmHg/mmHg, P < 0.01) without altering the responsiveness of the carotid-cardiac baroreflex (from -0.40 +/- 0.05 to -0.36 +/- 0.02 beats x min(-1) x mmHg(-1), P = 0.21). Carotid-vasomotor and carotid-cardiac baroreflex curves were shifted downward and upward, respectively, to accommodate the decrease in blood pressure and increase in heart rate that accompanied the heat stress. Moreover, the operating point of the carotid-cardiac baroreflex was shifted closer to threshold (P = 0.02) by the heat stress. Reduced carotid-vasomotor baroreflex responsiveness, coupled with a reduction in the functional reserve for the carotid baroreflex to increase heart rate during a hypotensive challenge, may contribute to increased susceptibility to orthostatic intolerance during a heat stress.

  1. Dynamic release and clearance of circulating microparticles during cardiac stress.

    PubMed

    Augustine, Daniel; Ayers, Lisa V; Lima, Eduardo; Newton, Laura; Lewandowski, Adam J; Davis, Esther F; Ferry, Berne; Leeson, Paul

    2014-01-03

    Microparticles are cell-derived membrane vesicles, relevant to a range of biological responses and known to be elevated in cardiovascular disease. To investigate microparticle release during cardiac stress and how this response differs in those with vascular disease. We measured a comprehensive panel of circulating cell-derived microparticles by a standardized flow cytometric protocol in 119 patients referred for stress echocardiography. Procoagulant, platelet, erythrocyte, and endothelial but not leukocyte, granulocyte, or monocyte-derived microparticles were elevated immediately after a standardized dobutamine stress echocardiogram and decreased after 1 hour. Twenty-five patients developed stress-induced wall motion abnormalities suggestive of myocardial ischemia. They had similar baseline microparticle levels to those who did not develop ischemia, but, interestingly, their microparticle levels did not change during stress. Furthermore, no stress-induced increase was observed in those without inducible ischemia but with a history of vascular disease. Fourteen patients subsequently underwent coronary angiography. A microparticle rise during stress echocardiography had occurred only in those with normal coronary arteries. Procoagulant, platelet, erythrocyte, and endothelial microparticles are released during cardiac stress and then clear from the circulation during the next hour. This stress-induced rise seems to be a normal physiological response that is diminished in those with vascular disease.

  2. Unraveling uranium induced oxidative stress related responses in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. Part II: responses in the leaves and general conclusions.

    PubMed

    Vanhoudt, Nathalie; Cuypers, Ann; Horemans, Nele; Remans, Tony; Opdenakker, Kelly; Smeets, Karen; Bello, Daniel Martinez; Havaux, Michel; Wannijn, Jean; Van Hees, May; Vangronsveld, Jaco; Vandenhove, Hildegarde

    2011-06-01

    The cellular redox balance seems an important modulator under heavy metal stress. While for other heavy metals these processes are well studied, oxidative stress related responses are also known to be triggered under uranium stress but information remains limited. This study aimed to further unravel the mechanisms by which plants respond to uranium stress. Seventeen-day-old Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings, grown on a modified Hoagland solution under controlled conditions, were exposed to 0, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 μM uranium for 1, 3 and 7 days. While in Part I of this study oxidative stress related responses in the roots were discussed, this second Part II discusses oxidative stress related responses in the leaves and general conclusions drawn from the results of the roots and the leaves will be presented. As several responses were already visible following 1 day exposure, when uranium concentrations in the leaves were negligible, a root-to-shoot signaling system was suggested in which plastids could be important sensing sites. While lipid peroxidation, based on the amount of thiobarbituric acid reactive compounds, was observed after exposure to 100 μM uranium, affecting membrane structure and function, a transient concentration dependent response pattern was visible for lipoxygenase initiated lipid peroxidation. This transient character of uranium stress responses in leaves was emphasized by results of lipoxygenase (LOX2) and antioxidative enzyme transcript levels, enzyme capacities and glutathione concentrations both in time as with concentration. The ascorbate redox balance seemed an important modulator of uranium stress responses in the leaves as in addition to the previous transient responses, the total ascorbate concentration and ascorbate/dehydroascorbate redox balance increased in a concentration and time dependent manner. This could represent either a slow transient response or a stable increase with regard to plant acclimation to uranium stress. Copyright

  3. The Ascorbate-glutathione-α-tocopherol Triad in Abiotic Stress Response

    PubMed Central

    Szarka, András; Tomasskovics, Bálint; Bánhegyi, Gábor

    2012-01-01

    The life of any living organism can be defined as a hurdle due to different kind of stresses. As with all living organisms, plants are exposed to various abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, extreme temperatures and chemical toxicity. These primary stresses are often interconnected, and lead to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants, which are highly reactive and toxic and cause damage to proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and DNA, which ultimately results in oxidative stress. Stress-induced ROS accumulation is counteracted by enzymatic antioxidant systems and non-enzymatic low molecular weight metabolites, such as ascorbate, glutathione and α-tocopherol. The above mentioned low molecular weight antioxidants are also capable of chelating metal ions, reducing thus their catalytic activity to form ROS and also scavenge them. Hence, in plant cells, this triad of low molecular weight antioxidants (ascorbate, glutathione and α-tocopherol) form an important part of abiotic stress response. In this work we are presenting a review of abiotic stress responses connected to these antioxidants. PMID:22605990

  4. Does the prognostic value of dobutamine stress echocardiography differ among different age groups?

    PubMed

    Bernheim, Alain M; Kittipovanonth, Maytinee; Takahashi, Paul Y; Gharacholou, S Michael; Scott, Christopher G; Pellikka, Patricia A

    2011-04-01

    Age is associated with reduced exercise capacity and greater prevalence of coronary artery disease. Whether the prognostic information obtained from dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE), a stress test commonly used for patients unable to perform an exercise test, provides differential information based on age is not well known. We studied 6,655 consecutive patients referred for DSE. Patients were divided into 3 age groups: (1) <60 years (n = 1,389), (2) 60 to 74 years (n = 2,978), and (3) ≥75 years (n = 2,288). Mean follow-up was 5.5 ± 2.8 years. End points included all-cause mortality and cardiac events, including myocardial infarction and late (>3 months) coronary revascularization. Peak stress wall motion score index was an independent predictor of cardiac events in all age groups (<60 years: hazard ratio [HR] 1.14, P = .02; 60-74 years: HR 1.70, P < .0001; ≥75 years: HR 1.10, P = .006). In patients ≥75 years, peak wall motion score index (HR 1.10, P < .0001) and abnormal left ventricular end-systolic volume response (HR 1.25, P = .03) were independent predictors of death. In patients aged 60 to 74 years, abnormal left ventricular end-systolic volume response (HR 1.43, P = .0003) was independently related to death, whereas in patients <60 years, the echocardiographic data assessed during stress were not a predictor. Dobutamine stress echocardiography provided independent information predictive of cardiac events among all age groups and death in patients ≥60 years. However, among patients <60 years, stress-induced echocardiographic abnormalities were not independently associated with mortality. Comorbidities, which have precluded exercise testing, may be most relevant in predicting mortality in patients <60 years undergoing DSE. Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Fibromyalgia: a stress disorder? Piecing the biopsychosocial puzzle together.

    PubMed

    Van Houdenhove, Boudewijn; Egle, Ulrich T

    2004-01-01

    Fibromyalgia (FM) is a controversial syndrome, characterised by persistent widespread pain, abnormal pain sensitivity and additional symptoms such as fatigue and sleep disturbance. The syndrome largely overlaps with other functional somatic disorders, particularly chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Although the exact aetiology and pathogenesis of FM are still unknown, it has been suggested that stress may play a key role in the syndrome. This article first reviews the function of the stress response system, placing special emphasis on the relationships between adverse life experiences, stress regulation and pain-processing mechanisms, and summarising the evidence for a possible aetiopathogenetic role of stress in FM. Finally, an integrative biopsychosocial model that conceptualizes FM as a stress disorder is proposed, and the clinical and research implications of the model are discussed.

  6. The effectiveness of airline pilot training for abnormal events.

    PubMed

    Casner, Stephen M; Geven, Richard W; Williams, Kent T

    2013-06-01

    To evaluate the effectiveness of airline pilot training for abnormal in-flight events. Numerous accident reports describe situations in which pilots responded to abnormal events in ways that were different from what they had practiced many times before. One explanation for these missteps is that training and testing for these skills have become a highly predictable routine for pilots who arrive to the training environment well aware of what to expect. Under these circumstances, pilots get plentiful practice in responding to abnormal events but may get little practice in recognizing them and deciding which responses to offer. We presented 18 airline pilots with three abnormal events that are required during periodic training and testing. Pilots were presented with each event under the familiar circumstances used during training and also under less predictable circumstances as they might occur during flight. When presented in the routine ways seen during training, pilots gave appropriate responses and showed little variability. However, when the abnormal events were presented unexpectedly, pilots' responses were less appropriate and showed great variability from pilot to pilot. The results suggest that the training and testing practices used in airline training may result in rote-memorized skills that are specific to the training situation and that offer modest generalizability to other situations. We recommend a more complete treatment of abnormal events that allows pilots to practice recognizing the event and choosing and recalling the appropriate response. The results will aid the improvement of existing airline training practices.

  7. Global Transcriptional Responses to Osmotic, Oxidative, and Imipenem Stress Conditions in Pseudomonas putida.

    PubMed

    Bojanovič, Klara; D'Arrigo, Isotta; Long, Katherine S

    2017-04-01

    Bacteria cope with and adapt to stress by modulating gene expression in response to specific environmental cues. In this study, the transcriptional response of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 to osmotic, oxidative, and imipenem stress conditions at two time points was investigated via identification of differentially expressed mRNAs and small RNAs (sRNAs). A total of 440 sRNA transcripts were detected, of which 10% correspond to previously annotated sRNAs, 40% to novel intergenic transcripts, and 50% to novel transcripts antisense to annotated genes. Each stress elicits a unique response as far as the extent and dynamics of the transcriptional changes. Nearly 200 protein-encoding genes exhibited significant changes in all stress types, implicating their participation in a general stress response. Almost half of the sRNA transcripts were differentially expressed under at least one condition, suggesting possible functional roles in the cellular response to stress conditions. The data show a larger fraction of differentially expressed sRNAs than of mRNAs with >5-fold expression changes. The work provides detailed insights into the mechanisms through which P. putida responds to different stress conditions and increases understanding of bacterial adaptation in natural and industrial settings. IMPORTANCE This study maps the complete transcriptional response of P. putida KT2440 to osmotic, oxidative, and imipenem stress conditions at short and long exposure times. Over 400 sRNA transcripts, consisting of both intergenic and antisense transcripts, were detected, increasing the number of identified sRNA transcripts in the strain by a factor of 10. Unique responses to each type of stress are documented, including both the extent and dynamics of the gene expression changes. The work adds rich detail to previous knowledge of stress response mechanisms due to the depth of the RNA sequencing data. Almost half of the sRNAs exhibit significant expression changes under at least one

  8. Global Transcriptional Responses to Osmotic, Oxidative, and Imipenem Stress Conditions in Pseudomonas putida

    PubMed Central

    Bojanovič, Klara; D'Arrigo, Isotta

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Bacteria cope with and adapt to stress by modulating gene expression in response to specific environmental cues. In this study, the transcriptional response of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 to osmotic, oxidative, and imipenem stress conditions at two time points was investigated via identification of differentially expressed mRNAs and small RNAs (sRNAs). A total of 440 sRNA transcripts were detected, of which 10% correspond to previously annotated sRNAs, 40% to novel intergenic transcripts, and 50% to novel transcripts antisense to annotated genes. Each stress elicits a unique response as far as the extent and dynamics of the transcriptional changes. Nearly 200 protein-encoding genes exhibited significant changes in all stress types, implicating their participation in a general stress response. Almost half of the sRNA transcripts were differentially expressed under at least one condition, suggesting possible functional roles in the cellular response to stress conditions. The data show a larger fraction of differentially expressed sRNAs than of mRNAs with >5-fold expression changes. The work provides detailed insights into the mechanisms through which P. putida responds to different stress conditions and increases understanding of bacterial adaptation in natural and industrial settings. IMPORTANCE This study maps the complete transcriptional response of P. putida KT2440 to osmotic, oxidative, and imipenem stress conditions at short and long exposure times. Over 400 sRNA transcripts, consisting of both intergenic and antisense transcripts, were detected, increasing the number of identified sRNA transcripts in the strain by a factor of 10. Unique responses to each type of stress are documented, including both the extent and dynamics of the gene expression changes. The work adds rich detail to previous knowledge of stress response mechanisms due to the depth of the RNA sequencing data. Almost half of the sRNAs exhibit significant expression changes under at least

  9. Sympathoneural and Adrenomedullary Responses to Mental Stress

    PubMed Central

    Carter, Jason R.; Goldstein, David S.

    2017-01-01

    This concept-based review provides historical perspectives and updates about sympathetic noradrenergic and sympathetic adrenergic responses to mental stress. The topic of this review has incited perennial debate, because of disagreements over definitions, controversial inferences, and limited availability of relevant measurement tools. The discussion begins appropriately with Cannon's "homeostasis" and his pioneering work in the area. This is followed by mental stress as a scientific idea and the relatively new notions of allostasis and allostatic load. Experimental models of mental stress in rodents and humans are discussed, with particular attention to ethical constraints in humans. Sections follow on sympathoneural to mental stress, reactivity of catecholamine systems, clinical pathophysiologic states, and the cardiovascular reactivity hypothesis. Future advancement of the field will require integrative approaches and coordinated efforts between physiologists and psychologists on this interdisciplinary topic. PMID:25589266

  10. Transcriptome Profiling of Watermelon Root in Response to Short-Term Osmotic Stress

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Yongchao; Mo, Yanling; Yang, Xiaozheng; Zhang, Haifei; Wang, Yongqi; Li, Hao; Wei, Chunhua; Zhang, Xian

    2016-01-01

    Osmotic stress adversely affects the growth, fruit quality and yield of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai). Increasing the tolerance of watermelon to osmotic stress caused by factors such as high salt and water deficit is an effective way to improve crop survival in osmotic stress environments. Roots are important organs in water absorption and are involved in the initial response to osmosis stress; however, few studies have examined the underlying mechanism of tolerance to osmotic stress in watermelon roots. For better understanding of this mechanism, the inbred watermelon accession M08, which exhibits relatively high tolerance to water deficits, was treated with 20% polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000. The root samples were harvested at 6 h after PEG treatment and untreated samples were used as controls. Transcriptome analyses were carried out by Illumina RNA sequencing. A total of 5246 differentially expressed genes were identified. Gene ontology enrichment and biochemical pathway analyses of these 5246 genes showed that short-term osmotic stress affected osmotic adjustment, signal transduction, hormone responses, cell division, cell cycle and ribosome, and M08 may repress root growth to adapt osmotic stress. The results of this study describe the watermelon root transcriptome under osmotic stress and propose new insight into watermelon root responses to osmotic stress at the transcriptome level. Accordingly, these results allow us to better understand the molecular mechanisms of watermelon in response to drought stress and will facilitate watermelon breeding projects to improve drought tolerance. PMID:27861528

  11. BLISTER Regulates Polycomb-Target Genes, Represses Stress-Regulated Genes and Promotes Stress Responses in Arabidopsis thaliana.

    PubMed

    Kleinmanns, Julia A; Schatlowski, Nicole; Heckmann, David; Schubert, Daniel

    2017-01-01

    HIGHLIGHTS The PRC2 interacting protein BLISTER likely acts downstream of PRC2 to silence Polycomb target genes and is a key regulator of specific stress responses in Arabidopsis . Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are key epigenetic regulators of development. The highly conserved Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) represses thousands of target genes by trimethylating H3K27 (H3K27me3). Plant specific PcG components and functions are largely unknown, however, we previously identified the plant-specific protein BLISTER (BLI) as a PRC2 interactor. BLI regulates PcG target genes and promotes cold stress resistance. To further understand the function of BLI , we analyzed the transcriptional profile of bli-1 mutants. Approximately 40% of the up-regulated genes in bli are PcG target genes, however, bli-1 mutants did not show changes in H3K27me3 levels at all tested genes, indicating that BLI regulates PcG target genes downstream of or in parallel to PRC2. Interestingly, a significant number of BLI regulated H3K27me3 target genes is regulated by the stress hormone absciscic acid (ABA). We further reveal an overrepresentation of genes responding to abiotic stresses such as drought, high salinity, or heat stress among the up-regulated genes in bli mutants. Consistently, bli mutants showed reduced desiccation stress tolerance. We conclude that the PRC2 associated protein BLI is a key regulator of stress-responsive genes in Arabidopsis : it represses ABA-responsive PcG target genes, likely downstream of PRC2, and promotes resistance to several stresses such as cold and drought.

  12. Models and Methods to Investigate Acute Stress Responses in Cattle

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Yi; Arsenault, Ryan; Napper, Scott; Griebel, Philip

    2015-01-01

    There is a growing appreciation within the livestock industry and throughout society that animal stress is an important issue that must be addressed. With implications for animal health, well-being, and productivity, minimizing animal stress through improved animal management procedures and/or selective breeding is becoming a priority. Effective management of stress, however, depends on the ability to identify and quantify the effects of various stressors and determine if individual or combined stressors have distinct biological effects. Furthermore, it is critical to determine the duration of stress-induced biological effects if we are to understand how stress alters animal production and disease susceptibility. Common stress models used to evaluate both psychological and physical stressors in cattle are reviewed. We identify some of the major gaps in our knowledge regarding responses to specific stressors and propose more integrated methodologies and approaches to measuring these responses. These approaches are based on an increased knowledge of both the metabolic and immune effects of stress. Finally, we speculate on how these findings may impact animal agriculture, as well as the potential application of large animal models to understanding human stress. PMID:26633525

  13. Gender differences in acculturation, stress, and salivary cortisol response among former Soviet immigrants.

    PubMed

    Nicholson, Lisa M; Miller, Arlene Michaels; Schwertz, Dorie; Sorokin, Olga

    2013-06-01

    Post-immigration adaptation is characterized by chronic and acute acculturative stressors. Salivary cortisol is a commonly used hormonal marker of stress, but few studies have investigated its use as an indicator of acculturative stress and adjustment in immigrants. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among predictors of adjustment (environmental and language mastery), self-reported stress outcomes (depressive symptoms, perceived stress, alienation), and salivary cortisol response in immigrants from the former Soviet Union. The sample included 137 married men and women aged 42-80 who lived in the U.S. for 1-13 years. Results indicated that while men and women had similar values for cortisol response, relationships among adjustment measures, stress outcomes, and cortisol differed by gender. Among men, environmental mastery significantly reduced depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and cortisol response. Among women, environmental mastery also reduced depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and alienation, but language mastery increased cortisol response and decreased alienation.

  14. Memory responses of jasmonic acid-associated Arabidopsis genes to a repeated dehydration stress.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ning; Staswick, Paul E; Avramova, Zoya

    2016-11-01

    Dehydration stress activates numerous genes co-regulated by diverse signaling pathways. Upon repeated exposures, however, a subset of these genes does not respond maintaining instead transcription at their initial pre-stressed levels ('revised-response' genes). Most of these genes are involved in jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis, JA-signaling and JA-mediated stress responses. How these JA-associated genes are regulated to provide different responses to similar dehydration stresses is an enigma. Here, we investigate molecular mechanisms that contribute to this transcriptional behavior. The memory-mechanism is stress-specific: one exposure to dehydration stress or to abscisic acid (ABA) is required to prevent transcription in the second. Both ABA-mediated and JA-mediated pathways are critical for the activation of these genes, but the two signaling pathways interact differently during a single or multiple encounters with dehydration stress. Synthesis of JA during the first (S1) but not the second dehydration stress (S2) accounts for the altered transcriptional responses. We propose a model for these memory responses, wherein lack of MYC2 and of JA synthesis in S2 is responsible for the lack of expression of downstream genes. The similar length of the memory displayed by different memory-type genes suggests biological relevance for transcriptional memory as a gene-regulating mechanism during recurring bouts of drought. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Small Airway Dysfunction and Abnormal Exercise Responses

    PubMed Central

    Petsonk, Edward L.; Stansbury, Robert C.; Beeckman-Wagner, Lu-Ann; Long, Joshua L.; Wang, Mei Lin

    2016-01-01

    Rationale Coal mine dust exposure can cause symptoms and loss of lung function from multiple mechanisms, but the roles of each disease process are not fully understood. Objectives We investigated the implications of small airway dysfunction for exercise physiology among a group of workers exposed to coal mine dust. Methods Twenty coal miners performed spirometry, first breathing air and then helium-oxygen, single-breath diffusing capacity, and computerized chest tomography, and then completed cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Measurements and Main Results Six participants meeting criteria for small airway dysfunction were compared with 14 coal miners who did not. At submaximal workload, miners with small airway dysfunction used a higher proportion of their maximum voluntary ventilation and had higher ventilatory equivalents for both O2 and CO2. Regression modeling indicated that inefficient ventilation was significantly related to small airway dysfunction but not to FEV1 or diffusing capacity. At the end of exercise, miners with small airway dysfunction had 27% lower O2 consumption. Conclusions Small airway abnormalities may be associated with important inefficiency of exercise ventilation. In dust-exposed individuals with only mild abnormalities on resting lung function tests or chest radiographs, cardiopulmonary exercise testing may be important in defining causes of exercise intolerance. PMID:27073987

  16. Stress Transmission in Granular Packings: Localization and Cooperative Response

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramola, Kabir

    We develop a framework for stress transmission in two dimensional granular media that respects vector force balance at the microscopic level. For a packing of grains interacting via pairwise contact forces, we introduce local gauge degrees of freedom that determine the response of the system to external perturbations. This allows us to construct unique force-balanced solutions that determine the change in contact forces as a response to external stress. By mapping this response to diffusion in the underlying contact network, we show that this naturally leads to spatial localization of forces. We present numerical evidence for stress localization using exact diagonalization studies of network Laplacians associated with soft disk packings. We use this formalism to characterize the deviation from elastic behaviour as the amount of disorder in the underlying network is varied. We discuss generalizations to systems with large friction between grains and other networks that display topological disorder. This work has been supported by NSF-DMR 1409093 and the W. M. Keck Foundation.

  17. Hormonal contraception use alters stress responses and emotional memory.

    PubMed

    Nielsen, Shawn E; Segal, Sabrina K; Worden, Ian V; Yim, Ilona S; Cahill, Larry

    2013-02-01

    Emotionally arousing material is typically better remembered than neutral material. Since norepinephrine and cortisol interact to modulate emotional memory, sex-related influences on stress responses may be related to sex differences in emotional memory. Two groups of healthy women - one naturally cycling (NC women, n=42) and one using hormonal contraceptives (HC women, n=36) - viewed emotionally arousing and neutral images. Immediately after, they were assigned to Cold Pressor Stress (CPS) or a control procedure. One week later, participants received a surprise free recall test. Saliva samples were collected and later assayed for salivary alpha-amylase (biomarker for norepinephrine) and cortisol. Compared to NC women, HC women exhibited significantly blunted stress hormone responses to the images and CPS. Recall of emotional images differed between HC and NC women depending on noradrenergic and cortisol responses. These findings may have important implications for understanding the neurobiology of emotional memory disorders, especially those that disproportionately affect women. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  18. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (Parp-1)-deficient mice demonstrate abnormal antibody responses

    PubMed Central

    Ambrose, Helen E; Willimott, Shaun; Beswick, Richard W; Dantzer, Françoise; de Murcia, Josiane Ménissier; Yelamos, José; Wagner, Simon D

    2009-01-01

    Poly(ADP-ribosylation) of acceptor proteins is an epigenetic modification involved in DNA strand break repair, recombination and transcription. Here we provide evidence for the involvement of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (Parp-1) in antibody responses. Parp-1−/− mice had increased numbers of T cells and normal numbers of total B cells. Marginal zone B cells were mildly reduced in number, and numbers of follicular B cells were preserved. There were abnormal levels of basal immunoglobulins, with reduced levels of immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a) and increased levels of IgA and IgG2b. Analysis of specific antibody responses showed that T cell-independent responses were normal but T cell-dependent responses were markedly reduced. Germinal centres were normal in size and number. In vitro purified B cells from Parp-1−/− mice proliferated normally and showed normal IgM secretion, decreased switching to IgG2a but increased IgA secretion. Collectively our results demonstrate that Parp-1 has essential roles in normal T cell-dependent antibody responses and the regulation of isotype expression. We speculate that Parp-1 forms a component of the protein complex involved in resolving the DNA double-strand breaks that occur during class switch recombination. PMID:18778284

  19. Behaviour during transportation predicts stress response and lower airway contamination in horses

    PubMed Central

    Raidal, Sharanne L.; Knight, Peter; Celi, Pietro; Jeffcott, Leo; Muscatello, Gary

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed to document the effects of an eight hour journey on behavioural, clinical, haematological, environmental and respiratory parameters, and to identify possible associations between factors. Twelve horses underwent clinical examination, respiratory endoscopy with tracheal wash (TW) aspiration, and collection of venous and arterial blood before (BJ) and after the journey (AJ). TW were submitted for conventional quantitative bacteriological evaluation and genetic microbiome analyses. Behaviour was assessed in stables prior to transportation and throughout the journey. Transportation caused mild, but significant, effects on fluid and electrolyte balance and an acute phase response, characterized by neutrophilia, hyperfibrinogenaemia and hyperglobulinaemia. The proportion of neutrophils in TW, tracheal mucus and TW bacterial concentration was increased AJ, with preferential replication of Pasteurellaceae. Horse behaviour en route predicted clinical and respiratory outcomes. The frequency of stress related behaviours was greatest in the first hour of the journey, and balance-related behaviours were most common in the final hour of the journey. Horses which lowered their heads less frequently en route and showed more stress-related behaviours had higher physiological stress (serum cortisol and heart rate on arrival), increased tracheal mucus and inflammation scores, and higher TW bacterial concentration AJ (P<0.05). Six horses with abnormal lung auscultation AJ proved to have had higher tracheal inflammation scores at preloading (P = 0.017), an overall higher concentration of bacteria in their TW (P = 0.013), and an increased percentage of neutrophils in TW at five days AJ (P = 0.003) in comparison to the other horses. While transport-related health problems are multifactorial, clinical examination, including auscultation and endoscopic inspection of the lower respiratory tract before and after journey, and behavioural observation en route may identify

  20. Affective stress responses during leisure time: Validity evaluation of a modified version of the Stress-Energy Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Hadžibajramović, Emina; Ahlborg, Gunnar; Håkansson, Carita; Lundgren-Nilsson, Åsa; Grimby-Ekman, Anna

    2015-12-01

    Psychosocial stress at work is one of the most important factors behind increasing sick-leave rates. In addition to work stressors, it is important to account for non-work-related stressors when assessing stress responses. In this study, a modified version of the Stress-Energy Questionnaire (SEQ), the SEQ during leisure time (SEQ-LT) was introduced for assessing the affective stress response during leisure time. The aim of this study was to investigate the internal construct validity of the SEQ-LT. A second aim was to define the cut-off points for the scales, which could indicate high and low levels of leisure-time stress and energy, respectively. Internal construct validity of the SEQ-LT was evaluated using a Rasch analysis. We examined the unidimensionality and other psychometric properties of the scale by the fit to the Rasch model. A criterion-based approach was used for classification into high and low stress/energy levels. The psychometric properties of the stress and energy scales of the SEQ-LT were satisfactory, having accommodated for local dependency. The cut-off point for low stress was proposed to be in the interval between 2.45 and 3.02 on the Rasch metric score; while for high stress, it was between 3.65 and 3.90. The suggested cut-off points for the low and high energy levels were values between 1.73-1.97 and 2.66-3.08, respectively. The stress and energy scale of the SEQ-LT satisfied the measurement criteria defined by the Rasch analysis and it provided a useful tool for non-work-related assessment of stress responses. We provide guidelines on how to interpret the scale values. © 2015 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

  1. Early life adversity influences stress response association with smoking relapse.

    PubMed

    al'Absi, Mustafa; Lemieux, Andrine; Westra, Ruth; Allen, Sharon

    2017-11-01

    We examined the hypothesis that stress-related blunting of cortisol in smokers is particularly pronounced in those with a history of severe life adversity. The two aims of this study were first to examine hormonal, craving, and withdrawal symptoms during ad libitum smoking and after the first 24 h of abstinence in smokers who experienced high or low levels of adversity. Second, we sought to examine the relationship between adversity and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) hormones to predict relapse during the first month of a smoking cessation attempt. Hormonal and self-report measures were collected from 103 smokers (49 women) during ad libitum smoking and after the first 24 h of abstinence. HPA hormones were measured during baseline rest and in response to acute stress in both conditions. All smokers were interested in smoking cessation, and we prospectively used stress response measures to predict relapse during the first 4 weeks of the smoking cessation attempt. The results showed that high adversity was associated with higher distress and smoking withdrawal symptoms. High level of early life adversity was associated with elevated HPA activity, which was found in both salivary and plasma cortisol. Enhanced adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stress response was evident in high-adversity but not in low-adversity relapsers. This study demonstrated that early life adversity is associated with stress-related HPA responses. The study also demonstrated that, among smokers who experienced a high level of life adversity, heightened ACTH and cortisol responses were linked with increased risk for smoking relapse.

  2. Ezrin Inhibition Up-regulates Stress Response Gene Expression*

    PubMed Central

    Çelik, Haydar; Bulut, Gülay; Han, Jenny; Graham, Garrett T.; Minas, Tsion Z.; Conn, Erin J.; Hong, Sung-Hyeok; Pauly, Gary T.; Hayran, Mutlu; Li, Xin; Özdemirli, Metin; Ayhan, Ayşe; Rudek, Michelle A.; Toretsky, Jeffrey A.; Üren, Aykut

    2016-01-01

    Ezrin is a member of the ERM (ezrin/radixin/moesin) family of proteins that links cortical cytoskeleton to the plasma membrane. High expression of ezrin correlates with poor prognosis and metastasis in osteosarcoma. In this study, to uncover specific cellular responses evoked by ezrin inhibition that can be used as a specific pharmacodynamic marker(s), we profiled global gene expression in osteosarcoma cells after treatment with small molecule ezrin inhibitors, NSC305787 and NSC668394. We identified and validated several up-regulated integrated stress response genes including PTGS2, ATF3, DDIT3, DDIT4, TRIB3, and ATF4 as novel ezrin-regulated transcripts. Analysis of transcriptional response in skin and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from NSC305787-treated mice compared with a control group revealed that, among those genes, the stress gene DDIT4/REDD1 may be used as a surrogate pharmacodynamic marker of ezrin inhibitor compound activity. In addition, we validated the anti-metastatic effects of NSC305787 in reducing the incidence of lung metastasis in a genetically engineered mouse model of osteosarcoma and evaluated the pharmacokinetics of NSC305787 and NSC668394 in mice. In conclusion, our findings suggest that cytoplasmic ezrin, previously considered a dormant and inactive protein, has important functions in regulating gene expression that may result in down-regulation of stress response genes. PMID:27137931

  3. The modified gait abnormality rating scale in patients with a conversion disorder: a reliability and responsiveness study.

    PubMed

    Vandenberg, Justin M; George, Deanna R; O'Leary, Andrea J; Olson, Lindsay C; Strassburg, Kaitlyn R; Hollman, John H

    2015-01-01

    Individuals with conversion disorder have neurologic symptoms that are not identified by an underlying organic cause. Often the symptoms manifest as gait disturbances. The modified gait abnormality rating scale (GARS-M) may be useful for quantifying gait abnormalities in these individuals. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability, responsiveness and concurrent validity of GARS-M scores in individuals with conversion disorder. Data from 27 individuals who completed a rehabilitation program were included in this study. Pre- and post-intervention videos were obtained and walking speed was measured. Five examiners independently evaluated gait performance according to the GARS-M criteria. Inter- and intrarater reliability of GARS-M scores were estimated with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Responsiveness was estimated with the minimum detectable change (MDC). Pre- to post-treatment changes in GARS-M scores were analyzed with a dependent t-test. The correlation between GARS-M scores and walking speed was analyzed to assess concurrent validity. GARS-M scores were quantified with good-to-excellent inter- (ICC = 0.878) and intrarater reliability (ICC = 0.989). The MDC was 2 points. Mean GARS-M scores decreased from 7 ± 5 at baseline to 1 ± 2 at discharge (t26 = 7.411, p < 0.001) and 85% of patients improved beyond the MDC. Furthermore, GARS-M scores and walking speed measurements were moderately correlated (r = -0.582, p = 0.004), indicating that the GARS-M has acceptable concurrent validity. Our findings provide evidence that the GARS-M scores are reliable, valid and responsive for quantifying gait abnormalities in patients with conversion disorder. GARS-M scores provide objective measures upon which treatment effects can be assessed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Assessment of a "stress" responsive-set in the Composite Mood Adjective Check List.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1971-04-01

    The effects of response sets to emphasize the appearance of stress in Composite Mood Adjective Check List (CMACL) records was investigated. Responses of 79 subjects asked to simulate stress, and 80 subjects asked to simulate stress in a subtle manner...

  5. Conditioned stress prevents cue-primed cocaine reinstatement only in stress-responsive rats.

    PubMed

    Hadad, Natalie A; Wu, Lizhen; Hiller, Helmut; Krause, Eric G; Schwendt, Marek; Knackstedt, Lori A

    2016-07-01

    Neurobiological mechanisms underlying comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cocaine use disorder (CUD) are unknown. We aimed to develop an animal model of PTSD + CUD to examine the neurobiology underlying cocaine-seeking in the presence of PTSD comorbidity. Rats were exposed to cat urine once for 10-minutes and tested for anxiety-like behaviors one week later. Subsequently, rats underwent long-access (LgA) cocaine self-administration and extinction training. Rats were re-exposed to the trauma context and then immediately tested for cue-primed reinstatement of cocaine-seeking. Plasma and brains were collected afterwards for corticosterone assays and real-time qPCR analysis. Urine-exposed (UE; n = 23) and controls not exposed to urine (Ctrl; n = 11) did not differ in elevated plus maze behavior, but UE rats displayed significantly reduced habituation of the acoustic startle response (ASR) relative to Ctrl rats. A median split of ASR habituation scores was used to classify stress-responsive rats. UE rats (n = 10) self-administered more cocaine on Day 1 of LgA than control rats (Ctrl + Coc; n = 8). Re-exposure to the trauma context prevented cocaine reinstatement only in stress-responsive rats. Ctrl + Coc rats had lower plasma corticosterone concentrations than Ctrls, and decreased gene expression of corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) and Glcci1 in the hippocampus. Rats that self-administered cocaine displayed greater CRH expression in the amygdala that was independent of urine exposure. While we did not find that cat urine exposure induced a PTSD-like phenotype in our rats, the present study underscores the need to separate stressed rats into cohorts based on anxiety-like behavior in order to study individual vulnerability to PTSD + CUD.

  6. Ruminant Nutrition Symposium: ruminant production and metabolic responses to heat stress.

    PubMed

    Baumgard, L H; Rhoads, R P

    2012-06-01

    Heat stress compromises efficient animal production by marginalizing nutrition, management, and genetic selection efforts to maximize performance endpoints. Modifying farm infrastructure has yielded modest success in mitigating heat stress-related losses, yet poor production during the summer remains arguably the costliest issue facing livestock producers. Reduced output (e.g., milk yield and muscle growth) during heat stress was traditionally thought to result from decreased nutrient intake (i.e., a classic biological response shared by all animals during environmental-induced hyperthermia). Our recent observations have begun to challenge this belief and indicate heat-stressed animals employ novel homeorhetic strategies to direct metabolic and fuel selection priorities independently of nutrient intake or energy balance. Alterations in systemic physiology support a shift in carbohydrate metabolism, evident by increased basal and stimulated circulating insulin concentrations. Perhaps most intriguing given the energetic shortfall of the heat-stressed animal is the apparent lack of basal adipose tissue mobilization coupled with a reduced responsiveness to lipolytic stimuli. Thus, the heat stress response markedly alters postabsorptive carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism independently of reduced feed intake through coordinated changes in fuel supply and utilization by multiple tissues. Interestingly, the systemic, cellular, and molecular changes appear conserved amongst different species and physiological states. Ultimately, these changes result in the reprioritization of fuel selection during heat stress, which appears to be primarily responsible for reduced ruminant animal productivity during the warm summer months.

  7. Additional oxidative stress reroutes the global response of Aspergillus fumigatus to iron depletion.

    PubMed

    Kurucz, Vivien; Krüger, Thomas; Antal, Károly; Dietl, Anna-Maria; Haas, Hubertus; Pócsi, István; Kniemeyer, Olaf; Emri, Tamás

    2018-05-10

    Aspergillus fumigatus has to cope with a combination of several stress types while colonizing the human body. A functional interplay between these different stress responses can increase the chances of survival for this opportunistic human pathogen during the invasion of its host. In this study, we shed light on how the H 2 O 2 -induced oxidative stress response depends on the iron available to this filamentous fungus, using transcriptomic analysis, proteomic profiles, and growth assays. The applied H 2 O 2 treatment, which induced only a negligible stress response in iron-replete cultures, deleteriously affected the fungus under iron deprivation. The majority of stress-induced changes in gene and protein expression was not predictable from data coming from individual stress exposure and was only characteristic for the combination of oxidative stress plus iron deprivation. Our experimental data suggest that the physiological effects of combined stresses and the survival of the fungus highly depend on fragile balances between economization of iron and production of essential iron-containing proteins. One observed strategy was the overproduction of iron-independent antioxidant proteins to combat oxidative stress during iron deprivation, e.g. the upregulation of superoxide dismutase Sod1, the thioredoxin reductase Trr1, and the thioredoxin orthologue Afu5g11320. On the other hand, oxidative stress induction overruled iron deprivation-mediated repression of several genes. In agreement with the gene expression data, growth studies underlined that in A. fumigatus iron deprivation aggravates oxidative stress susceptibility. Our data demonstrate that studying stress responses under separate single stress conditions is not sufficient to understand how A. fumigatus adapts in a complex and hostile habitat like the human body. The combinatorial stress of iron depletion and hydrogen peroxide caused clear non-additive effects upon the stress response of A. fumigatus. Our data

  8. Genome-wide analysis identifies chickpea (Cicer arietinum) heat stress transcription factors (Hsfs) responsive to heat stress at the pod development stage.

    PubMed

    Chidambaranathan, Parameswaran; Jagannadham, Prasanth Tej Kumar; Satheesh, Viswanathan; Kohli, Deshika; Basavarajappa, Santosh Halasabala; Chellapilla, Bharadwaj; Kumar, Jitendra; Jain, Pradeep Kumar; Srinivasan, R

    2018-05-01

    The heat stress transcription factors (Hsfs) play a prominent role in thermotolerance and eliciting the heat stress response in plants. Identification and expression analysis of Hsfs gene family members in chickpea would provide valuable information on heat stress responsive Hsfs. A genome-wide analysis of Hsfs gene family resulted in the identification of 22 Hsf genes in chickpea in both desi and kabuli genome. Phylogenetic analysis distinctly separated 12 A, 9 B, and 1 C class Hsfs, respectively. An analysis of cis-regulatory elements in the upstream region of the genes identified many stress responsive elements such as heat stress elements (HSE), abscisic acid responsive element (ABRE) etc. In silico expression analysis showed nine and three Hsfs were also expressed in drought and salinity stresses, respectively. Q-PCR expression analysis of Hsfs under heat stress at pod development and at 15 days old seedling stage showed that CarHsfA2, A6, and B2 were significantly upregulated in both the stages of crop growth and other four Hsfs (CarHsfA2, A6a, A6c, B2a) showed early transcriptional upregulation for heat stress at seedling stage of chickpea. These subclasses of Hsfs identified in this study can be further evaluated as candidate genes in the characterization of heat stress response in chickpea.

  9. The role of thyroid hormones in stress response of fish.

    PubMed

    Peter, M C Subhash

    2011-06-01

    Thyroxine (T(4)) and triiodothyronine (T(3)), the principal thyroid hormones (THs) secreted from the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, produce a plethora of physiologic actions in fish. The diverse actions of THs in fishes are primarily due to the sensitivity of thyroid axis to many physical, chemical and biological factors of both intrinsic and extrinsic origins. The regulation of THs homeostasis becomes more complex due to extrathyroidal deiodination pathways by which the delivery of biologically active T(3) to target cells has been controlled. As primary stress hormones and the end products of hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) and brain-sympathetic-chromaffin (BSC) axes, cortisol and adrenaline exert its actions on its target tissues where it promote and integrate osmotic and metabolic competence. Despite possessing specific osmoregulatory and metabolic actions at cellular and whole-body levels, THs may fine-tune these processes in accordance with the actions of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Evidences are presented that THs can modify the pattern and magnitude of stress response in fishes as it modifies either its own actions or the actions of stress hormones. In addition, multiple lines of evidence indicate that hypothalamic and pituitary hormones of thyroid and interrenal axes can interact with each other which in turn may regulate THs/cortisol-mediated actions. Even though it is hard to define these interactions, the magnitude of stress response in fish has been shown to be modified by the changes in the status of THs, pointing to its functional relationship with endocrine stress axes particularly with the interrenal axis. The fine-tuned mechanism that operates in fish during stressor-challenge drives the THs to play both fundamental and modulator roles in stress response by controlling osmoregulation and metabolic regulation. A major role of THs in stress response is thus evident in fish. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights

  10. Experimental Evaluation of Grid Support Enabled PV Inverter Response to Abnormal Grid Conditions: Preprint

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nelson, Austin; Martin, Gregory; Hurtt, James

    As revised interconnection standards for grid-tied photovoltaic (PV) inverters address new advanced grid support functions (GSFs), there is increasing interest in inverter performance in the case of abnormal grid conditions. The growth of GSF-enabled inverters has outpaced the industry standards that define their operation, although recently published updates to UL1741 with Supplement SA define test conditions for GSFs such as volt-var control, frequency-watt control, and volt-age/frequency ride-through, among others. A comparative experimental evaluation has been completed on four commercially available, three-phase PV inverters in the 24.0-39.8 kVA power range on their GSF capability and the effect on abnormal grid conditionmore » response. This study examines the impact particular GSF implementations have on run-on times during islanding conditions, peak voltages in load rejection overvoltage scenarios, and peak currents during single-phase and three-phase fault events for individual inverters. This report reviews comparative test data, which shows that GSFs have little impact on the metrics of interest in most tests cases.« less

  11. Absence of response: a study of nurses' experience of stress in the workplace.

    PubMed

    Olofsson, Brita; Bengtsson, Claire; Brink, Eva

    2003-09-01

    It has become clear that nursing is a high-risk occupation with regards to stress-related diseases. In this study, we were interested in nurses' experiences of stress and the emotions arising from stress at work. Results showed that nurses experienced negative stress which was apparently related to the social environment in which they worked. Four nurses were interviewed. The method used was grounded theory. Analysis of the interviews singled out absence of response as the core category. Recurring stressful situations obviously caused problems for the nurses in their daily work. Not only did they lack responses from their supervisors, they also experienced emotions of frustration, powerlessness, hopelessness and inadequacy, which increased the general stress experienced at work. Our conclusion is that the experience of absence of response leads to negative stress in nurses.

  12. Persistent response of Fanconi anemia haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells to oxidative stress

    PubMed Central

    Wilson, Andrew F.; Li, Xue

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Oxidative stress is considered as an important pathogenic factor in many human diseases including Fanconi anemia (FA), an inherited bone marrow failure syndrome with extremely high risk of leukemic transformation. Members of the FA protein family are involved in DNA damage and other cellular stress responses. Loss of FA proteins renders cells hypersensitive to oxidative stress and cancer transformation. However, how FA cells respond to oxidative DNA damage remains unclear. By using an in vivo stress-response mouse strain expressing the Gadd45β-luciferase transgene, we show here that haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from mice deficient for the FA gene Fanca or Fancc persistently responded to oxidative stress. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that accumulation of unrepaired DNA damage, particularly in oxidative damage-sensitive genes, was responsible for the long-lasting response in FA HSPCs. Furthermore, genetic correction of Fanca deficiency almost completely abolished the persistent oxidative stress-induced G2/M arrest and DNA damage response in vivo. Our study suggests that FA pathway is an integral part of a versatile cellular mechanism by which HSPCs respond to oxidative stress. PMID:28475398

  13. Roads are associated with a blunted stress response in a North American pit viper.

    PubMed

    Owen, Dustin A S; Carter, Evin T; Holding, Matthew L; Islam, Kamal; Moore, Ignacio T

    2014-06-01

    Whereas numerous studies have examined roads as anthropogenic stressors in birds and mammals, comparatively few studies have been undertaken on reptiles. We investigated plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels at baseline and following 30min of restraint stress in free-ranging copperhead snakes (Agkistrodon contortrix) captured within the forest interior or while in contact with public roads. There was no difference in baseline CORT levels between snakes in the forest and on roads. Copperheads responded to restraint stress by increasing plasma levels of CORT; however snakes on roads exhibited a lower CORT stress response compared to forest snakes. Additionally, among snakes captured on roads there was a negative association between road traffic and baseline CORT, stressed CORT, and the magnitude of the CORT response. Our results suggest that roads are associated with a blunted stress response in copperheads. Reduced stress responses may be indicative of acclimation, the inhibited ability to mount a stress response in the face of prolonged chronic stress, or that road environments select for individuals with lower CORT responsiveness. Either scenario could result in increased road mortality if snakes do not perceive roads as a potential threat. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Analysis of Brassica oleracea early stage abiotic stress responses reveals tolerance in multiple crop types and for multiple sources of stress.

    PubMed

    Beacham, Andrew M; Hand, Paul; Pink, David Ac; Monaghan, James M

    2017-12-01

    Brassica oleracea includes a number of important crop types such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and kale. Current climate conditions and weather patterns are causing significant losses in these crops, meaning that new cultivars with improved tolerance of one or more abiotic stress types must be sought. In this study, genetically fixed B. oleracea lines belonging to a Diversity Fixed Foundation Set (DFFS) were assayed for their response to seedling stage-imposed drought, flood, salinity, heat and cold stress. Significant (P ≤ 0.05) variation in stress tolerance response was found for each stress, for each of four measured variables (relative fresh weight, relative dry weight, relative leaf number and relative plant height). Lines tolerant to multiple stresses were found to belong to several different crop types. There was no overall correlation between the responses to the different stresses. Abiotic stress tolerance was identified in multiple B. oleracea crop types, with some lines exhibiting resistance to multiple stresses. For each stress, no one crop type appeared significantly more or less tolerant than others. The results are promising for the development of more environmentally robust lines of different B. oleracea crops by identifying tolerant material and highlighting the relationship between responses to different stresses. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  15. Wall Thickness, Pulmonary Hypertension, and Diastolic Filling Abnormalities Predict Response to Postoperative Biventricular Pacing

    PubMed Central

    Brusen, Robin M.; Hahn, Rebecca; Cabreriza, Santos E.; Cheng, Bin; Wang, Daniel Y.; Truong, Wanda; Spotnitz, Henry M.

    2017-01-01

    Objective Post-cardiopulmonary bypass biventricular pacing improves hemodynamics but without clearly defined predictors of response. Based on preclinical studies and prior observations, it was suspected that diastolic dysfunction or pulmonary hypertension is predictive of hemodynamic benefit. Design Randomized controlled study of temporary biventricular pacing after cardiopulmonary bypass. Setting Single-center study at university-affiliated tertiary care hospital. Interventions Patients who underwent bypass with pre-operative ejection fraction ≤40% and QRS duration ≥100 ms or double-valve surgery were enrolled. At 3 time points between separation from bypass and postoperative day 1, pacing delays were varied to optimize hemodynamics. Participants Data from 43 patients were analyzed. Measurements and Main Results Cardiac output and arterial pressure were measured under no pacing, atrial pacing, and biventricular pacing. Preoperative echocardiograms and pulmonary artery catheterizations were reviewed, and measures of both systolic and diastolic function were compared to hemodynamic response. Early after separation, improvement in cardiac output was positively correlated with pulmonary vascular resistance (R2 = 0.97, p < 0.001), ventricle wall thickness (R2 = 0.72, p = 0.002)), and E/e′, a measure of abnormal diastolic ventricular filling velocity (R2 = 0.56, p = 0.04). Similar trends were seen with mean arterial pressure. QRS duration and ejection fraction did not correlate significantly with improvements in hemodynamics. Conclusions There may be an effect of biventricular pacing related to amelioration of abnormal diastolic filling patterns rather than electrical resynchronization in the postoperative state. PMID:25998068

  16. A review of research trends in physiological abnormalities in autism spectrum disorders: immune dysregulation, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and environmental toxicant exposures

    PubMed Central

    Rossignol, D A; Frye, R E

    2012-01-01

    Recent studies have implicated physiological and metabolic abnormalities in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other psychiatric disorders, particularly immune dysregulation or inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and environmental toxicant exposures (‘four major areas'). The aim of this study was to determine trends in the literature on these topics with respect to ASD. A comprehensive literature search from 1971 to 2010 was performed in these four major areas in ASD with three objectives. First, publications were divided by several criteria, including whether or not they implicated an association between the physiological abnormality and ASD. A large percentage of publications implicated an association between ASD and immune dysregulation/inflammation (416 out of 437 publications, 95%), oxidative stress (all 115), mitochondrial dysfunction (145 of 153, 95%) and toxicant exposures (170 of 190, 89%). Second, the strength of evidence for publications in each area was computed using a validated scale. The strongest evidence was for immune dysregulation/inflammation and oxidative stress, followed by toxicant exposures and mitochondrial dysfunction. In all areas, at least 45% of the publications were rated as providing strong evidence for an association between the physiological abnormalities and ASD. Third, the time trends in the four major areas were compared with trends in neuroimaging, neuropathology, theory of mind and genetics (‘four comparison areas'). The number of publications per 5-year block in all eight areas was calculated in order to identify significant changes in trends. Prior to 1986, only 12 publications were identified in the four major areas and 51 in the four comparison areas (42 for genetics). For each 5-year period, the total number of publications in the eight combined areas increased progressively. Most publications (552 of 895, 62%) in the four major areas were published in the last 5 years (2006–2010). Evaluation

  17. A role for SR proteins in plant stress responses.

    PubMed

    Duque, Paula

    2011-01-01

    Members of the SR (serine/arginine-rich) protein gene family are key players in the regulation of alternative splicing, an important means of generating proteome diversity and regulating gene expression. In plants, marked changes in alternative splicing are induced by a wide variety of abiotic stresses, suggesting a role for this highly versatile gene regulation mechanism in the response to environmental cues. In support of this notion, the expression of plant SR proteins is stress-regulated at multiple levels, with environmental signals controlling their own alternative splicing patterns, phosphorylation status and subcellular distribution. Most importantly, functional links between these RNA-binding proteins and plant stress tolerance are beginning to emerge, including a role in the regulation of abscisic acid (ABA) signaling. Future identification of the physiological mRNA targets of plant SR proteins holds much promise for the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying their role in the response to abiotic stress.

  18. A role for SR proteins in plant stress responses

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Members of the SR (serine/arginine-rich) protein gene family are key players in the regulation of alternative splicing, an important means of generating proteome diversity and regulating gene expression. In plants, marked changes in alternative splicing are induced by a wide variety of abiotic stresses, suggesting a role for this highly versatile gene regulation mechanism in the response to environmental cues. In support of this notion, the expression of plant SR proteins is stress-regulated at multiple levels, with environmental signals controlling their own alternative splicing patterns, phosphorylation status and subcellular distribution. Most importantly, functional links between these RNA-binding proteins and plant stress tolerance are beginning to emerge, including a role in the regulation of abscisic acid (ABA) signaling. Future identification of the physiological mRNA targets of plant SR proteins holds much promise for the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying their role in the response to abiotic stress. PMID:21258207

  19. Sepsis: Multiple Abnormalities, Heterogeneous Responses, and Evolving Understanding

    PubMed Central

    Iskander, Kendra N.; Osuchowski, Marcin F.; Stearns-Kurosawa, Deborah J.; Kurosawa, Shinichiro; Stepien, David; Valentine, Catherine

    2013-01-01

    Sepsis represents the host's systemic inflammatory response to a severe infection. It causes substantial human morbidity resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Despite decades of intense research, the basic mechanisms still remain elusive. In either experimental animal models of sepsis or human patients, there are substantial physiological changes, many of which may result in subsequent organ injury. Variations in age, gender, and medical comorbidities including diabetes and renal failure create additional complexity that influence the outcomes in septic patients. Specific system-based alterations, such as the coagulopathy observed in sepsis, offer both potential insight and possible therapeutic targets. Intracellular stress induces changes in the endoplasmic reticulum yielding misfolded proteins that contribute to the underlying pathophysiological changes. With these multiple changes it is difficult to precisely classify an individual's response in sepsis as proinflammatory or immunosuppressed. This heterogeneity also may explain why most therapeutic interventions have not improved survival. Given the complexity of sepsis, biomarkers and mathematical models offer potential guidance once they have been carefully validated. This review discusses each of these important factors to provide a framework for understanding the complex and current challenges of managing the septic patient. Clinical trial failures and the therapeutic interventions that have proven successful are also discussed. PMID:23899564

  20. Contingent self-worth moderates the relationship between school stressors and psychological stress responses.

    PubMed

    Ishizu, Kenichiro

    2017-04-01

    This study examined the moderating role of contingent self-worth on the relationships between school stressors and psychological stress responses among Japanese adolescents. A total of 371 Japanese junior high school students (184 boys and 187 girls, M age  = 12.79 years, SD = 0.71) completed the Japanese version of the Self-Worth Contingency Questionnaire and a mental health checklist at two points separated by a two-month interval. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were then used to determine whether contingent self-worth moderated the relationship between school stressors and psychological stress responses. The results indicated that, when psychological stress responses were controlled for at Time 1, contingent self-worth did not predict the psychological stress responses at Time 2. However, a two-way interaction between contingent self-worth and stressors was found to significantly influence psychological stress responses, thus indicating that stressors had a stronger impact on psychological stress responses among those with high contingent self-worth compared to those with low contingent self-worth. Copyright © 2017 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Chronic stress exposure decreases the cortisol awakening response in healthy young men.

    PubMed

    Duan, Hongxia; Yuan, Yiran; Zhang, Liang; Qin, Shaozheng; Zhang, Kan; Buchanan, Tony W; Wu, Jianhui

    2013-11-01

    Academic examination is a major stressor for students in China. Investigation of stress-sensitive endocrine responses to major examination stress serves as a good model of naturalistic chronic psychological stress in an otherwise healthy population. The cortisol awakening response (CAR) is an endocrine marker of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis in response to stress. However, it remains unknown how chronic examination stress impacts the CAR in a young healthy population To exclude the influence of sex effects on hormone level, the CAR and psychological stress responses were assessed on two consecutive workdays in 42 male participants during their preparations for the Chinese National Postgraduate Entrance Exam (NPEE) and 21 non-exam, age-matched male comparisons. On each day, four saliva samples were collected immediately after awakening, 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 60 minutes after awakening. The waking level (S1), the increase within 30 minutes after awakening (R30), the area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg), and the area under the curve with respect to increase (AUCi) were used to quantify the CAR. Psychological stress and anxiety were assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, respectively. Male participants in the exam group had greater perceived stress and anxiety scores relatibe to the non-exam group. Both R30 and AUCi in the exam group were significantly lower than the comparison group and this effect was most pronounced for participants with high levels of perceived stress in the exam group. Perceived stress and anxiety levels were negatively correlated with both R30 and AUCi. Chronic examination stress can lead to the decrease of CAR in healthy young men, possibly due to reduced HPA axis activity under long-term sustained stress.

  2. Nonpathologizing trauma interventions in abnormal psychology courses.

    PubMed

    Hoover, Stephanie M; Luchner, Andrew F; Pickett, Rachel F

    2016-01-01

    Because abnormal psychology courses presuppose a focus on pathological human functioning, nonpathologizing interventions within these classes are particularly powerful and can reach survivors, bystanders, and perpetrators. Interventions are needed to improve the social response to trauma on college campuses. By applying psychodynamic and feminist multicultural theory, instructors can deliver nonpathologizing interventions about trauma and trauma response within these classes. We recommend class-based interventions with the following aims: (a) intentionally using nonpathologizing language, (b) normalizing trauma responses, (c) subjectively defining trauma, (d) challenging secondary victimization, and (e) questioning the delineation of abnormal and normal. The recommendations promote implications for instructor self-reflection, therapy interventions, and future research.

  3. Musculo-Skeletal Abnormalities in Patients with Marfan Syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Al Kaissi, Ali; Zwettler, Elisabeth; Ganger, Rudolf; Schreiner, Simone; Klaushofer, Klaus; Grill, Franz

    2013-01-01

    Background A leptosomic body type is tall and thin with long hands. Marfanoid features may be familial in nature or pathological, as occurs in congenital contractual arachnodactyly (Beal’s syndrome) and Shprintzen-Goldberg syndrome mimicking some of the changes of Marfan syndrome, although not accompanied by luxation of lens and dissecting aneurysm of aorta. Methods In this article we collected eight patients who were consistent with the diagnosis of Marfan syndrome via phenotypic and genotypic characterization. Results Our patients manifested a constellation of variable presentations of musculo-skeletal abnormalities ranging from developmental dysplasia of the hip, protrusio acetabuli, leg length inequality, patellar instability, scoliosis, to early onset osteoarthritis. Each abnormality has been treated accordingly. Conclusion This is the first paper which includes the diagnosis and the management of the associated musculo-skeletal abnormalities in patients with Marfan syndrome, stressing that patients with Marfan syndrome are exhibiting great variability in the natural history and the severity of musculo-skeletal abnormalities. PMID:23399831

  4. Exposure to Stressful Environments: Strategy of Adaptive Responses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Farhi, Leon E.

    1991-01-01

    Any new natural environment may generate a number of stresses (such as hypoxia, water lack, and heat exposure), each of which can produce strains in more than a single organ system. Every strain may in turn stimulate the body to adapt in multiple ways. Nevertheless, a general strategy of the various adaptive responses emerges when the challenges are divided into three groups. The first category includes conditions that affect the supply of essential molecules, while the second is made up by those stresses that prevent the body from regulating properly the output of waste products, such as CO2 and heat. In both classes, there is a small number of responses, similar in principle, regardless of the specific situation. The third unit is created by environments that disrupt body transport systems. Problems may arise when there is a conflict between two stresses requiring conflicting adaptive changes. An alternative to adaptation, creation of micro-environment, is often favored by the animal.

  5. Role of various hormones in photosynthetic responses of green plants under environmental stresses.

    PubMed

    Poonam; Bhardwaj, Renu; Kaur, Ravdeep; Bali, Shagun; Kaur, Parminder; Sirhindi, Geetika; Thukral, Ashwani K; Ohri, Puja; Vig, Adarsh P

    2015-01-01

    Environmental stress includes adverse factors like water deficit, high salinity, enhanced temperature and heavy metals etc. These stresses alter the normal growth and metabolic processes of plants including photosynthesis. Major photosynthetic responses under various stresses include inhibition of photosystems (I and II), changes in thylakoid complexes, decreased photosynthetic activity and modifications in structure and functions of chloroplasts etc. Various defense mechanisms are triggered inside the plants in response to these stresses that are regulated by plant hormones or plant growth regulators. These phytohormones include abscisic acid, auxins, cytokinins, ethylene, brassinosteroids, jasmonates and salicylic acid etc. The present review focuses on stress protective effects of plants hormones on the photosynthetic responses.

  6. Chronic Stress Impairs Prefrontal Cortex-Dependent Response Inhibition and Spatial Working Memory

    PubMed Central

    Mika, Agnieszka; Mazur, Gabriel J.; Hoffman, Ann N.; Talboom, Joshua S.; Bimonte-Nelson, Heather A.; Sanabria, Federico; Conrad, Cheryl D.

    2012-01-01

    Chronic stress leads to neurochemical and structural alterations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) that correspond to deficits in PFC-mediated behaviors. The present study examined the effects of chronic restraint stress on response inhibition (using a response-withholding task, fixed-minimum interval schedule of reinforcement, or FMI), and working memory (using a radial arm water maze, RAWM). Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were first trained on the RAWM and subsequently trained on FMI. Following acquisition of FMI, rats were assigned to a restraint stress (6h/d/28d in wire mesh restrainers) or control condition. Immediately after chronic stress, rats were tested on FMI and subsequently on RAWM. FMI results suggest that chronic stress reduces response inhibition capacity and motivation to initiate the task on selective conditions when food reward was not obtained on the preceding trial. RAWM results suggest that chronic stress produces transient deficits in working memory without altering previously consolidated reference memory. Behavioral measures from FMI failed to correlate with metrics from RAWM except for one in which changes in FMI timing precision negatively correlated with changes in RAWM working memory errors for the controls, a finding that was not observed following chronic stress. Fisher’s r to z transformation revealed no significant differences between control and stress with correlation coefficients. These findings are the first to show that chronic stress impairs both response inhibition and working memory, two behaviors that have never been direct compared within the same animals following chronic stress, using FMI, an appetitive task, and RAWM, a non-appetitive task. PMID:22905921

  7. Relationship between the Onset of Depression and Stress Response Measured by the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire among Japanese Employees: A Cohort Study

    PubMed Central

    Wada, Keiko; Sairenchi, Toshimi; Haruyama, Yasuo; Taneichi, Hiromi; Ishikawa, Yumiko; Muto, Takashi

    2013-01-01

    Background The proportion of Japanese workers experiencing intense worry or stress during working life is in excess of 60%, and the incidence of psychiatric disorders and suicide due to psychological burden from work duties is increasing. To confirm whether the stress response measured by the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) can identify risk for depression, a cohort study was conducted to evaluate whether the stress response measured by BJSQ was associated with the onset of depression. Methods A total of 1,810 participants aged 20–70 years in 2005 completed the stress response of the BJSQ and were followed-up until August, 2007 by examining sick pay records. Depression was defined by a description in sick pay records that included “depression” or “depressive symptoms” as a reason for sick leave according to a physician's medical certificate. The participants were divided into quartiles (Ql, Q2, Q3, and Q4) according to the total stress response score of BJSQ at baseline. Furthermore, the participants were divided into a higher score category (Q4) and a lower score category (Q1–Q3). Risk ratios of the stress response of the BJSQ for onset of depression were calculated using a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model. Results Among 1,810 participants, 14 developed depression during a mean of 1.8 years of follow-up. The risk ratio was 2.96 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04–8.42, p for trend = 0.002) when the higher stress response score category of BJSQ was compared with the low stress response score category for sick leave due to depression. After adjusting for gender, age, marital status, and having children, the risk ratios were similar to no adjustment. Conclusions These findings suggest that the stress response measured by the BJSQ can demonstrate risk for the onset of depression. PMID:23424656

  8. Emotional coping response to hassles and stress experienced in wilderness settings

    Treesearch

    Rudy M. Schuster; W. E. Hammitt

    2003-01-01

    Stress/coping theory was used to understand recreationists' appraisal of stressful situations, coping processes, and the outcomes of the process. Specifically, stress was conceptualized as hassles in recreation settings. Specifically, the objective of this paper was to discuss the emotion focused coping response of visitors to stress encountered while on a...

  9. Stress and cortisol responses in men: differences according to facial symmetry.

    PubMed

    Borráz-León, Javier I; Cerda-Molina, Ana Lilia; Mayagoitia-Novales, Lilian

    2017-11-01

    Stress response is associated with increased activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis. Chronic stress-induced elevation in cortisol may alter its own negative regulation with multiple long-term consequences for physical and psychological health. One of the most reliable physical traits associated with mental, apparent physical health, and competitiveness is the degree of facial fluctuating asymmetry. However, to our knowledge there are no studies regarding the relationship between cortisol levels, facial symmetry and male competitiveness, and how cortisol changes after a stressful test depending on these traits. Here, a group of 100 college men were photographed to obtain their facial asymmetry levels. They then, answered the perceived stress scale and the intrasexual competition test and donated two saliva samples (pre-and post-test sample) to measure the change in their cortisol levels after a stressful test. We found that basal cortisol levels were positively correlated with both perceived stress and competitiveness, but not with facial fluctuating asymmetry. Cortisol levels increased in most symmetrical men after a short stressful test, but it decreased in most asymmetrical men. The results suggest differences in endocrine responses according to facial fluctuating asymmetry in men and how these responses could be related to the maintenance of social status.

  10. Posttraumatic stress responses in bereaved children after the Oklahoma City bombing.

    PubMed

    Pfefferbaum, B; Nixon, S J; Tucker, P M; Tivis, R D; Moore, V L; Gurwitch, R H; Pynoos, R S; Geis, H K

    1999-11-01

    To investigate the responses of middle and high school students exposed to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing across a spectrum of loss. A questionnaire measuring exposure, personal consequences, initial response, and current posttraumatic stress and other symptoms was administered to 3,218 students 7 weeks after the explosion. More than one third of the sample knew someone killed in the explosion. Bereaved youths were more likely than nonbereaved peers to report immediate symptoms of arousal and fear, changes in their home and school environment, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Retrospective measures of initial arousal and fear predicted posttraumatic stress symptoms at 7 weeks. The results support the literature addressing the role of initial response in posttraumatic stress symptom development. The study raises concern about the impact of television, and traumatized youths' reactivity to it, in the aftermath of disaster.

  11. Default mode network abnormalities in posttraumatic stress disorder: A novel network-restricted topology approach.

    PubMed

    Akiki, Teddy J; Averill, Christopher L; Wrocklage, Kristen M; Scott, J Cobb; Averill, Lynnette A; Schweinsburg, Brian; Alexander-Bloch, Aaron; Martini, Brenda; Southwick, Steven M; Krystal, John H; Abdallah, Chadi G

    2018-08-01

    Disruption in the default mode network (DMN) has been implicated in numerous neuropsychiatric disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, studies have largely been limited to seed-based methods and involved inconsistent definitions of the DMN. Recent advances in neuroimaging and graph theory now permit the systematic exploration of intrinsic brain networks. In this study, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), diffusion MRI, and graph theoretical analyses to systematically examine the DMN connectivity and its relationship with PTSD symptom severity in a cohort of 65 combat-exposed US Veterans. We employed metrics that index overall connectivity strength, network integration (global efficiency), and network segregation (clustering coefficient). Then, we conducted a modularity and network-based statistical analysis to identify DMN regions of particular importance in PTSD. Finally, structural connectivity analyses were used to probe whether white matter abnormalities are associated with the identified functional DMN changes. We found decreased DMN functional connectivity strength to be associated with increased PTSD symptom severity. Further topological characterization suggests decreased functional integration and increased segregation in subjects with severe PTSD. Modularity analyses suggest a spared connectivity in the posterior DMN community (posterior cingulate, precuneus, angular gyrus) despite overall DMN weakened connections with increasing PTSD severity. Edge-wise network-based statistical analyses revealed a prefrontal dysconnectivity. Analysis of the diffusion networks revealed no alterations in overall strength or prefrontal structural connectivity. DMN abnormalities in patients with severe PTSD symptoms are characterized by decreased overall interconnections. On a finer scale, we found a pattern of prefrontal dysconnectivity, but increased cohesiveness in the posterior DMN community and relative sparing

  12. The relationship of abnormal foot pronation to hallux abducto valgus--a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Ross, F D

    1986-08-01

    Abnormal foot mechanics is the most common cause of hallux abducto valgus. To date no quantitative data regarding the relationship between abnormal foot mechanics and the degree of hallux abducto valgus has been presented. An outline of the abnormal foot mechanics responsible for hallux abducto valgus is described along with a technique for measuring the extent of abnormal function. A common intrinsic abnormality responsible for hallux abducto valgus is described along with its diagnosis and orthotic treatment.

  13. Effects of opioid- and non-opioid analgesics on responses to psychosocial stress in humans.

    PubMed

    Bershad, Anya K; Miller, Melissa A; Norman, Greg J; de Wit, Harriet

    2018-06-01

    Both preclinical and clinical evidence suggests that the endogenous opioid system is involved in responses to stress. For example, in animal models opioid agonists reduce isolation distress whereas opioid antagonists increase isolation distress. We recently reported that the mixed mu agonist and kappa antagonist buprenorphine dampened responses to acute psychosocial stress in humans. Now we extend this to study the effects of a pure mu-opioid agonist, hydromorphone, and a non-opioid analgesic, acetaminophen, on response to social stress. We compared the effect of hydromorphone (2 and 4 mg), acetaminophen (1000 mg) to a placebo using a between subject design. Healthy adult volunteers were randomly assigned to receive placebo (N = 13), 2 mg hydromorphone (N = 12), 4 mg hydromorphone (N = 12), or 1000 mg acetaminophen (paracetamol; N = 13) under double-blind conditions before undergoing a stress task or a control task on two separate sessions. The stress task, consisting of a standardized speaking task and the non-stressful control task were presented in counterbalanced order. Dependent measures included mood ratings, subjective appraisal of the stress (or no-stress) task, salivary cortisol, pupil diameter, heart rate, and blood pressure. The stress task produced its expected increase in heart rate, blood pressure, salivary cortisol, pupil diameter, and subjective ratings of anxiety and negative mood. Hydromorphone dose-dependently dampened cortisol responses to stress, and decreased ratings of how "challenging" participants found the task. Acetaminophen did not affect physiological responses, but, like hydromorphone, decreased ratings of how "challenging" the task was. The hydromorphone results support the idea that the mu-opioid system is involved in physiological responses to acute stress in humans, in line with results from preclinical studies. The non-opioid analgesic acetaminophen did not dampen physiological responses, but did reduce

  14. Age differences in emotional responses to daily stress: The role of timing, severity, and global perceived stress

    PubMed Central

    Scott, Stacey B.; Sliwinski, Martin J.; Blanchard Fields, Fredda

    2013-01-01

    Research on age differences in emotional responses to daily stress has produced inconsistent findings. Guided by recent theoretical advances in aging theory (Charles, 2010) that emphasize the importance of context for predicting when and how age is related to affective well-being, the current study examined age differences in emotional responses to everyday stressors. The present study examines how three contextual features (e.g., timing of exposure, stressor severity, global perceived stress [GPS]) moderate age differences in emotional experience in an ecological momentary assessment study of adults aged 18–81 (N=190). Results indicated older adults’ negative affect (NA) was less affected by exposure to recent stressors than younger adults, but that there were no age differences in the effects of stressor exposure three to six hours afterward. Higher levels of GPS predicted amplified NA responses to daily stress, and controlling for GPS eliminated age differences in NA responses to stressors. No age differences in NA responses as a function of stressor severity were observed. In contrast, older age was associated with less of a decrease in PA when exposed to recent stressors or with more severe recent stressors. There were no age differences in the effect of previous stressor exposure or severity on PA, nor any interactions between momentary or previous stress and GPS on PA. Together, these results support the notion that chronic stress plays a central role in emotional experience in daily life. Implications of these results for emotion theories of aging are discussed. PMID:24364410

  15. Epigenetic events in plant male germ cell heat stress responses.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yuanyuan; Müller, Florian; Rieu, Ivo; Winter, Peter

    2016-06-01

    A review on pollen epigenetics. Plants grow in an ever-changing environment and are used to environmental fluctuations such as high and low temperatures during their life cycles. To cope with adverse conditions, plants have evolved intricate short-term and long-term mechanisms to respond and adapt to external stresses. The plant's ability to respond to stresses largely depends on its capacity to modulate the transcriptome rapidly and specifically. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, chromatin dynamics and small RNAs, play an essential role in the regulation of stress-responsive gene expression. Stress-related covalent modifications of DNA and histones can be passed on during mitosis and meiosis to the next generation and provide a memory that enables the plant and even its offspring to adopt better to a subsequent stress. Plant reproduction, in particular pollen development, is the most stress-sensitive process in the life cycle of the organism. In particular, developmental stages around the meiotic and mitotic divisions are the most vulnerable. In this review, we highlight the current understanding of epigenetic mechanisms involved in pollen development and speculate on their roles in pollen heat stress response.

  16. WRKY Proteins: Signaling and Regulation of Expression during Abiotic Stress Responses

    PubMed Central

    Banerjee, Aditya

    2015-01-01

    WRKY proteins are emerging players in plant signaling and have been thoroughly reported to play important roles in plants under biotic stress like pathogen attack. However, recent advances in this field do reveal the enormous significance of these proteins in eliciting responses induced by abiotic stresses. WRKY proteins act as major transcription factors, either as positive or negative regulators. Specific WRKY factors which help in the expression of a cluster of stress-responsive genes are being targeted and genetically modified to induce improved abiotic stress tolerance in plants. The knowledge regarding the signaling cascade leading to the activation of the WRKY proteins, their interaction with other proteins of the signaling pathway, and the downstream genes activated by them are altogether vital for justified targeting of the WRKY genes. WRKY proteins have also been considered to generate tolerance against multiple abiotic stresses with possible roles in mediating a cross talk between abiotic and biotic stress responses. In this review, we have reckoned the diverse signaling pattern and biological functions of WRKY proteins throughout the plant kingdom along with the growing prospects in this field of research. PMID:25879071

  17. WRKY proteins: signaling and regulation of expression during abiotic stress responses.

    PubMed

    Banerjee, Aditya; Roychoudhury, Aryadeep

    2015-01-01

    WRKY proteins are emerging players in plant signaling and have been thoroughly reported to play important roles in plants under biotic stress like pathogen attack. However, recent advances in this field do reveal the enormous significance of these proteins in eliciting responses induced by abiotic stresses. WRKY proteins act as major transcription factors, either as positive or negative regulators. Specific WRKY factors which help in the expression of a cluster of stress-responsive genes are being targeted and genetically modified to induce improved abiotic stress tolerance in plants. The knowledge regarding the signaling cascade leading to the activation of the WRKY proteins, their interaction with other proteins of the signaling pathway, and the downstream genes activated by them are altogether vital for justified targeting of the WRKY genes. WRKY proteins have also been considered to generate tolerance against multiple abiotic stresses with possible roles in mediating a cross talk between abiotic and biotic stress responses. In this review, we have reckoned the diverse signaling pattern and biological functions of WRKY proteins throughout the plant kingdom along with the growing prospects in this field of research.

  18. Lymphocyte responses to stress in postpartum women: relationship to vagal tone.

    PubMed

    Redwine, L S; Altemus, M; Leong, Y M; Carter, C S

    2001-04-01

    Although women spend their lives in various phases of the reproductive cycle, including menstrual, pregnancy, postpartum, lactation and menopause, few studies have examined immune responses to stress in women as a function of events associated with reproduction. The objective of this study was to evaluate differential effects of breastfeeding (n = 16), bottlefeeding (n = 10) and non-postpartum (n = 10) status on lymphocyte responses to stressful tasks (public speaking and mental arithmetic). To measure cellular immune responses, lymphocyte proliferation to plant lectins, poke weed mitogen (PWM) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA) were used. The autonomic measures, heart rate, vagal tone, blood pressure and the hormones of the HPA axis, ACTH and cortisol, were measured and their possible roles in mediating lymphocyte proliferation responses were examined. Recently parturient women who were breastfeeding or bottlefeeding had attenuated stress-induced change in lymphocyte responses to PWM compared with non-postpartum women, tested in the follicular phase of their cycle (P < 0.05). Also, lymphocyte responses to PHA were higher in the breastfeeding group compared with non-postpartum controls (P < 0.05). Regression analyses revealed that an index of cardiac vagal tone, but not other autonomic or endocrine measures, was positively predictive of lymphocyte proliferation to PWM. To summarize, these findings suggest that lactation and parturition can influence lymphocyte proliferation and that activity in the vagal system may influence lymphocyte responses to stress.

  19. Abiotic stress responses in plants: roles of calmodulin-regulated proteins.

    PubMed

    Virdi, Amardeep S; Singh, Supreet; Singh, Prabhjeet

    2015-01-01

    Intracellular changes in calcium ions (Ca(2+)) in response to different biotic and abiotic stimuli are detected by various sensor proteins in the plant cell. Calmodulin (CaM) is one of the most extensively studied Ca(2+)-sensing proteins and has been shown to be involved in transduction of Ca(2+) signals. After interacting with Ca(2+), CaM undergoes conformational change and influences the activities of a diverse range of CaM-binding proteins. A number of CaM-binding proteins have also been implicated in stress responses in plants, highlighting the central role played by CaM in adaptation to adverse environmental conditions. Stress adaptation in plants is a highly complex and multigenic response. Identification and characterization of CaM-modulated proteins in relation to different abiotic stresses could, therefore, prove to be essential for a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Various studies have revealed involvement of CaM in regulation of metal ions uptake, generation of reactive oxygen species and modulation of transcription factors such as CAMTA3, GTL1, and WRKY39. Activities of several kinases and phosphatases have also been shown to be modulated by CaM, thus providing further versatility to stress-associated signal transduction pathways. The results obtained from contemporary studies are consistent with the proposed role of CaM as an integrator of different stress signaling pathways, which allows plants to maintain homeostasis between different cellular processes. In this review, we have attempted to present the current state of understanding of the role of CaM in modulating different stress-regulated proteins and its implications in augmenting abiotic stress tolerance in plants.

  20. Interaction between Nitrogen and Phosphate Stress Responses in Sinorhizobium meliloti

    DOE PAGES

    Hagberg, Kelly L.; Yurgel, Svetlana N.; Mulder, Monika; ...

    2016-11-30

    Bacteria have developed various stress response pathways to improve their assimilation and allocation of limited nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphate. While both the nitrogen stress response (NSR) and phosphate stress response (PSR) have been studied individually, there are few experiments reported that characterize effects of multiple stresses on one or more pathways in Sinorhizobium meliloti, a facultatively symbiotic, nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The PII proteins, GlnB and GlnK, regulate the NSR activity, but analysis of global transcription changes in a PII deficient mutant suggest that the S. meliloti PII proteins may also regulate the PSR. PII double deletion mutants grow verymore » slowly and pseudoreversion of the slow growth phenotype is common. In order to understand this phenomenon better, transposon mutants were isolated that had a faster growing phenotype. One mutation was in phoB, the response regulator for a two component regulatory system that is important in the PSR. phoB::Tn5 mutants had different phenotypes in the wild type compared to a PII deficient background. This led to the hypothesis that phosphate stress affects the NSR and conversely, that nitrogen stress affects the PSR. These results show that phosphate availability affects glutamine synthetase activity and expression, which are often used as indicators of NSR activity, but that nitrogen availability did not affect alkaline phosphatase activity and expression, which are indicators of PSR activity. Finally, we conclude that the NSR is co-regulated by nitrogen and phosphate, whereas the PSR does not appear to be co-regulated by nitrogen in addition to its known phosphate regulation.« less

  1. Interaction between Nitrogen and Phosphate Stress Responses in Sinorhizobium meliloti

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hagberg, Kelly L.; Yurgel, Svetlana N.; Mulder, Monika

    Bacteria have developed various stress response pathways to improve their assimilation and allocation of limited nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphate. While both the nitrogen stress response (NSR) and phosphate stress response (PSR) have been studied individually, there are few experiments reported that characterize effects of multiple stresses on one or more pathways in Sinorhizobium meliloti, a facultatively symbiotic, nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The PII proteins, GlnB and GlnK, regulate the NSR activity, but analysis of global transcription changes in a PII deficient mutant suggest that the S. meliloti PII proteins may also regulate the PSR. PII double deletion mutants grow verymore » slowly and pseudoreversion of the slow growth phenotype is common. In order to understand this phenomenon better, transposon mutants were isolated that had a faster growing phenotype. One mutation was in phoB, the response regulator for a two component regulatory system that is important in the PSR. phoB::Tn5 mutants had different phenotypes in the wild type compared to a PII deficient background. This led to the hypothesis that phosphate stress affects the NSR and conversely, that nitrogen stress affects the PSR. These results show that phosphate availability affects glutamine synthetase activity and expression, which are often used as indicators of NSR activity, but that nitrogen availability did not affect alkaline phosphatase activity and expression, which are indicators of PSR activity. Finally, we conclude that the NSR is co-regulated by nitrogen and phosphate, whereas the PSR does not appear to be co-regulated by nitrogen in addition to its known phosphate regulation.« less

  2. Vitamin B12-responsive neuropathies: A case series.

    PubMed

    Solomon, Lawrence R

    2016-05-01

    Neuropathies often accompany vitamin B12 deficiency. Since many neuropathies are linked to oxidative stress and since B12 has both antioxidant and neurotrophic properties, B12 may also be effective treatment in non-deficient subjects. Thus, the characteristics and predictors of B12-responsive neuropathies and their relationship to disorders associated with increased oxidative stress (oxidant risks) were examined. Retrospective review of 78 subjects with neurological abnormalities treated with B12 and evaluated by the measurement of B12 and the B12-dependent metabolites, methylmalonic acid (MMA), and homocysteine. Sixty-five subjects had neurological improvement (83%), including 35 with other known causes of neuropathy. Only two responders had B12-responsive macrocytosis. Pretherapy B12, MMA, and homocysteine values were normal in 72, 33 and 54% of responders, with all three normal in 23%. Moreover, B12 therapy did not significantly decrease elevated MMA and homocysteine levels in 20 and 37%, respectively, of responders tested but did decrease both metabolites in 75% of evaluable non-responders. At least one oxidant risk was present in 41 of the 46 responders with normal B12 levels (89%). Oral therapy was effective, but parenteral B12 improved responses in four subjects. B12-responsive neuropathies are thus (1) common even when confounding disorders are present; (2) dissociated from the presence of hematological abnormalities; (3) dissociated from the presence of B12-responsive metabolical abnormalities; and (4) associated with the presence of oxidant risks when B12 levels are normal. Since no predictors of responses to B12 therapy were identified, empiric trials with parenteral B12 should be considered in appropriate subjects.

  3. Evolution and Ontogeny of Stress Response to Social Challenges in the Human Child

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flinn, Mark V.

    2006-01-01

    The stress response systems of the human child are highly sensitive to social challenges. Because stress hormones can have negative developmental and health consequences, this presents an evolutionary paradox: Why would natural selection have favored mechanisms that elevate stress hormone levels in response to psychosocial stimuli? Two…

  4. Understanding abiotic stress tolerance mechanisms in soybean: a comparative evaluation of soybean response to drought and flooding stress.

    PubMed

    Mutava, Raymond N; Prince, Silvas Jebakumar K; Syed, Naeem Hasan; Song, Li; Valliyodan, Babu; Chen, Wei; Nguyen, Henry T

    2015-01-01

    Many sources of drought and flooding tolerance have been identified in soybean, however underlying molecular and physiological mechanisms are poorly understood. Therefore, it is important to illuminate different plant responses to these abiotic stresses and understand the mechanisms that confer tolerance. Towards this goal we used four contrasting soybean (Glycine max) genotypes (PI 567690--drought tolerant, Pana--drought susceptible, PI 408105A--flooding tolerant, S99-2281--flooding susceptible) grown under greenhouse conditions and compared genotypic responses to drought and flooding at the physiological, biochemical, and cellular level. We also quantified these variations and tried to infer their role in drought and flooding tolerance in soybean. Our results revealed that different mechanisms contribute to reduction in net photosynthesis under drought and flooding stress. Under drought stress, ABA and stomatal conductance are responsible for reduced photosynthetic rate; while under flooding stress, accumulation of starch granules played a major role. Drought tolerant genotypes PI 567690 and PI 408105A had higher plastoglobule numbers than the susceptible Pana and S99-2281. Drought stress increased the number and size of plastoglobules in most of the genotypes pointing to a possible role in stress tolerance. Interestingly, there were seven fibrillin proteins localized within the plastoglobules that were up-regulated in the drought and flooding tolerant genotypes PI 567690 and PI 408105A, respectively, but down-regulated in the drought susceptible genotype Pana. These results suggest a potential role of Fibrillin proteins, FBN1a, 1b and 7a in soybean response to drought and flooding stress. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  5. Enterovirus Control of Translation and RNA Granule Stress Responses.

    PubMed

    Lloyd, Richard E

    2016-03-30

    Enteroviruses such as poliovirus (PV) and coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) have evolved several parallel strategies to regulate cellular gene expression and stress responses to ensure efficient expression of the viral genome. Enteroviruses utilize their encoded proteinases to take over the cellular translation apparatus and direct ribosomes to viral mRNAs. In addition, viral proteinases are used to control and repress the two main types of cytoplasmic RNA granules, stress granules (SGs) and processing bodies (P-bodies, PBs), which are stress-responsive dynamic structures involved in repression of gene expression. This review discusses these processes and the current understanding of the underlying mechanisms with respect to enterovirus infections. In addition, the review discusses accumulating data suggesting linkage exists between RNA granule formation and innate immune sensing and activation.

  6. Expression of Multiple Stress Response Genes by Escherichia Coli Under Modeled Reduced Gravity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vukanti, Raja; Leff, Laura G.

    2012-09-01

    Bacteria, in response to changes in their environment, quickly regulate gene expression; hence, transcriptional profiling has been widely used to characterize bacterial responses to various environmental conditions. In this study, we used clinorotation to grow bacteria under low-sedimentation, -shear, and -turbulence conditions (referred to as modeled reduced gravity, MRG, below) which profoundly impacts bacteria including causing elevated resistance to multiple environmental stresses. To explore potential mechanisms behind the multiple stress resistance response to MRG, we assessed expression levels of E. coli genes, using reverse transcription followed by real-time-PCR, involved in specific stress and general stress responses under MRG and normal gravity (NG) in nutritionally rich and minimal media, and during exponential and stationary phases of growth. In addition, growth rates as well as physico-chemical parameters of culture media were examined. Over-expression of stress response genes (csiD, cstA, katE, otsA, treA) occurred under MRG compared to NG controls, but only during the later stages of growth in rich medium demonstrating that bacterial response to MRG varies with growth-medium and -phase. At stationary phase in rich medium under MRG and NG, E. coli had similar growth rates (based on rRNA-leader abundance) and yields (cell mass and numbers); this coupled, with observations of simultaneous induction of starvation response genes (csiD and cstA) suggests the multiple stress resistance phenotype under MRG could be attributable to microzones of nutrient unavailability around cells. Overall, in rich medium, the response resembled the general stress response (GSR) that E. coli develops during stationary phase of growth. Along these same lines, induction of genes coding for GSR was reversed by improving nutritional conditions under MRG. The reversal of GSR under MRG suggests that the multiple stress response exhibited is not specific to MRG but may result

  7. Normal and abnormal human vestibular ocular function

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peterka, R. J.; Black, F. O.

    1986-01-01

    The major motivation of this research is to understand the role the vestibular system plays in sensorimotor interactions which result in spatial disorientation and motion sickness. A second goal was to explore the range of abnormality as it is reflected in quantitative measures of vestibular reflex responses. The results of a study of vestibular reflex measurements in normal subjects and preliminary results in abnormal subjects are presented in this report. Statistical methods were used to define the range of normal responses, and determine age related changes in function.

  8. Systems biology meets stress ecology: linking molecular and organismal stress responses in Daphnia magna

    PubMed Central

    Heckmann, Lars-Henrik; Sibly, Richard M; Connon, Richard; Hooper, Helen L; Hutchinson, Thomas H; Maund, Steve J; Hill, Christopher J; Bouetard, Anthony; Callaghan, Amanda

    2008-01-01

    Background Ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been designed to interrupt eicosanoid metabolism in mammals, but little is known of how they affect nontarget organisms. Here we report a systems biology study that simultaneously describes the transcriptomic and phenotypic stress responses of the model crustacean Daphnia magna after exposure to ibuprofen. Results Our findings reveal intriguing similarities in the mode of action of ibuprofen between vertebrates and invertebrates, and they suggest that ibuprofen has a targeted impact on reproduction at the molecular, organismal, and population level in daphnids. Microarray expression and temporal real-time quantitative PCR profiles of key genes suggest early ibuprofen interruption of crustacean eicosanoid metabolism, which appears to disrupt signal transduction affecting juvenile hormone metabolism and oogenesis. Conclusion Combining molecular and organismal stress responses provides a guide to possible chronic consequences of environmental stress for population health. This could improve current environmental risk assessment by providing an early indication of the need for higher tier testing. Our study demonstrates the advantages of a systems approach to stress ecology, in which Daphnia will probably play a major role. PMID:18291039

  9. Stress- and glucocorticoid-induced priming of neuroinflammatory responses: potential mechanisms of stress-induced vulnerability to drugs of abuse.

    PubMed

    Frank, Matthew G; Watkins, Linda R; Maier, Steven F

    2011-06-01

    Stress and stress-induced glucocorticoids (GCs) sensitize drug abuse behavior as well as the neuroinflammatory response to a subsequent pro-inflammatory challenge. Stress also predisposes or sensitizes individuals to develop substance abuse. There is an emerging evidence that glia and glia-derived neuroinflammatory mediators play key roles in the development of drug abuse. Drugs of abuse such as opioids, psychostimulants, and alcohol induce neuroinflammatory mediators such as pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. interleukin (IL)-1β), which modulate drug reward, dependence, and tolerance as well as analgesic properties. Drugs of abuse may directly activate microglial and astroglial cells via ligation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), which mediate the innate immune response to pathogens as well as xenobiotic agents (e.g. drugs of abuse). The present review focuses on understanding the immunologic mechanism(s) whereby stress primes or sensitizes the neuroinflammatory response to drugs of abuse and explores whether stress- and GC-induced sensitization of neuroimmune processes predisposes individuals to drug abuse liability and the role of neuroinflammatory mediators in the development of drug addiction. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Dominance relationships in Syrian hamsters modulate neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to social stress.

    PubMed

    Dulka, Brooke N; Koul-Tiwari, Richa; Grizzell, J Alex; Harvey, Marquinta L; Datta, Subimal; Cooper, Matthew A

    2018-06-22

    Stress is a well-known risk factor for psychopathology and rodent models of social defeat have strong face, etiological, construct and predictive validity for these conditions. Syrian hamsters are highly aggressive and territorial, but after an acute social defeat experience they become submissive and no longer defend their home territory, even from a smaller, non-aggressive intruder. This defeat-induced change in social behavior is called conditioned defeat (CD). We have shown that dominant hamsters show increased neural activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) following social defeat stress and exhibit a reduced CD response at social interaction testing compared to subordinates. Although the vmPFC can inhibit the neuroendocrine stress response, it is unknown whether dominants and subordinates differ in stress-induced activity of the extended hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Here, we show that, following acute social defeat, dominants exhibit decreased submissive and defensive behavior compared to subordinates but do not differ from subordinates or social status controls (SSCs) in defeat-induced cortisol concentrations. Furthermore, both dominants and SSCs show greater corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA expression in the basolateral/central amygdala compared to subordinates, while there was no effect of social status on CRH mRNA expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus or bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Overall, status-dependent differences in the CD response do not appear linked to changes in stress-induced cortisol concentrations or CRH gene expression, which is consistent with the view that stress resilience is not a lack of a physiological stress response but the addition of stress coping mechanisms. Lay summary Dominant hamsters show resistance to the behavioral effects of acute social defeat compared to subordinates, but it is unclear whether social status modulates the neuroendocrine stress response

  11. MOF maintains transcriptional programs regulating cellular stress response

    PubMed Central

    Sheikh, B N; Bechtel-Walz, W; Lucci, J; Karpiuk, O; Hild, I; Hartleben, B; Vornweg, J; Helmstädter, M; Sahyoun, A H; Bhardwaj, V; Stehle, T; Diehl, S; Kretz, O; Voss, A K; Thomas, T; Manke, T; Huber, T B; Akhtar, A

    2016-01-01

    MOF (MYST1, KAT8) is the major H4K16 lysine acetyltransferase (KAT) in Drosophila and mammals and is essential for embryonic development. However, little is known regarding the role of MOF in specific cell lineages. Here we analyze the differential role of MOF in proliferating and terminally differentiated tissues at steady state and under stress conditions. In proliferating cells, MOF directly binds and maintains the expression of genes required for cell cycle progression. In contrast, MOF is dispensable for terminally differentiated, postmitotic glomerular podocytes under physiological conditions. However, in response to injury, MOF is absolutely critical for podocyte maintenance in vivo. Consistently, we detect defective nuclear, endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi structures, as well as presence of multivesicular bodies in vivo in podocytes lacking Mof following injury. Undertaking genome-wide expression analysis of podocytes, we uncover several MOF-regulated pathways required for stress response. We find that MOF, along with the members of the non-specific lethal but not the male-specific lethal complex, directly binds to genes encoding the lysosome, endocytosis and vacuole pathways, which are known regulators of podocyte maintenance. Thus, our work identifies MOF as a key regulator of cellular stress response in glomerular podocytes. PMID:26387537

  12. MOF maintains transcriptional programs regulating cellular stress response.

    PubMed

    Sheikh, B N; Bechtel-Walz, W; Lucci, J; Karpiuk, O; Hild, I; Hartleben, B; Vornweg, J; Helmstädter, M; Sahyoun, A H; Bhardwaj, V; Stehle, T; Diehl, S; Kretz, O; Voss, A K; Thomas, T; Manke, T; Huber, T B; Akhtar, A

    2016-05-01

    MOF (MYST1, KAT8) is the major H4K16 lysine acetyltransferase (KAT) in Drosophila and mammals and is essential for embryonic development. However, little is known regarding the role of MOF in specific cell lineages. Here we analyze the differential role of MOF in proliferating and terminally differentiated tissues at steady state and under stress conditions. In proliferating cells, MOF directly binds and maintains the expression of genes required for cell cycle progression. In contrast, MOF is dispensable for terminally differentiated, postmitotic glomerular podocytes under physiological conditions. However, in response to injury, MOF is absolutely critical for podocyte maintenance in vivo. Consistently, we detect defective nuclear, endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi structures, as well as presence of multivesicular bodies in vivo in podocytes lacking Mof following injury. Undertaking genome-wide expression analysis of podocytes, we uncover several MOF-regulated pathways required for stress response. We find that MOF, along with the members of the non-specific lethal but not the male-specific lethal complex, directly binds to genes encoding the lysosome, endocytosis and vacuole pathways, which are known regulators of podocyte maintenance. Thus, our work identifies MOF as a key regulator of cellular stress response in glomerular podocytes.

  13. Alprazolam treatment immediately after stress exposure interferes with the normal HPA-stress response and increases vulnerability to subsequent stress in an animal model of PTSD.

    PubMed

    Matar, Michael A; Zohar, Joseph; Kaplan, Zeev; Cohen, Hagit

    2009-04-01

    In light of clinical reports suggesting that early benzodiazepine administration interferes with long-term recovery from traumatic stress, a prospective animal model for PTSD was employed to assess the short- and long-term effects of a brief course of alprazolam following stress exposure. Animals exposed to stress were treated either 1 h or 7 days later with alprazolam or vehicle for 3-days. Outcome measures included behavior in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and acoustic startle response (ASR) tests 30 days after initial exposure and freezing behavior upon exposure to a trauma-cue on day 31. One group was repeatedly exposed to the triggering trauma shortly before and after treatment and assessed as above. Circulating corticosterone levels were assessed 4 h after initiation of alprazolam and post-treatment. Pre-set cut-off behavioral criteria classified exposed animals according to their EPM and ASR response-patterns into 'extreme', 'minimal,' or 'partial' behavioral response for analysis of prevalence rates. Immediate alprazolam treatment was effective in alleviating anxiety at day 4. No observable anxiolytic effects remained at day 30. Immediate alprazolam also resulted in significantly greater freezing response to trauma-cue exposure and in extreme responses to double-exposure. Corticosterone levels were significantly suppressed by alprazolam during treatment and rebounded after cessation. A brief course of alprazolam in the immediate aftermath of stress-exposure is associated with less favorable responses to additional stress-exposure later on. Alprazolam was associated with a significant attenuation of the HPA-response, suggesting a possible link between initial HPA-axis response disruption and the subsequent unfavorable outcomes.

  14. Seasonal heat stress affects adipose tissue proteome toward enrichment of the Nrf2-mediated oxidative stress response in late-pregnant dairy cows.

    PubMed

    Zachut, M; Kra, G; Livshitz, L; Portnick, Y; Yakoby, S; Friedlander, G; Levin, Y

    2017-03-31

    Environmental heat stress and metabolic stress during transition from late gestation to lactation are main factors limiting production in dairy cattle, and there is a complex interaction between them. Many proteins expressed in adipose tissue are involved in metabolic responses to stress. We aimed to investigate the effects of seasonal heat stress on adipose proteome in late-pregnant cows, and to identify biomarkers of heat stress. Late pregnant cows during summer heat stress (S, n=18), or during the winter season (W, n=12) were used. Subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies sampled 14days prepartum from S (n=10) and W (n=8) were analyzed by intensity-based, label-free, quantitative shotgun proteomics (nano-LC-MS/MS). Plasma concentrations of malondialdehyde and cortisol were higher in S than in W cows. Proteomic analysis revealed that 107/1495 proteins were differentially abundant in S compared to W (P<0.05 and fold change of at least ±1.5). Top canonical pathways in S vs. W adipose were Nrf2-mediated oxidative stress response, acute-phase response, and FXR/RXR and LXR/RXR activation. Novel biomarkers of heat stress in adipose tissue were found. These findings indicate that seasonal heat stress has a unique effect on adipose tissue in late-pregnant cows. This work shows that seasonal heat stress increases plasma concentrations of the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde and cortisol in transition dairy cows. As many proteins expressed in the adipose tissue are involved in metabolic responses to stress, we investigated the effects of heat stress on the proteome of adipose tissue from late-pregnant cows during summer or winter seasons. We demonstrated that heat stress enriches several stress-related pathways, such as the Nrf2-mediated oxidative stress response and the acute-phase response in adipose tissues. Thus, environmental heat stress has a unique effect on adipose tissue in late-pregnant cows, as part of the regulatory adaptations to chronic heat load during

  15. Ezrin Inhibition Up-regulates Stress Response Gene Expression.

    PubMed

    Çelik, Haydar; Bulut, Gülay; Han, Jenny; Graham, Garrett T; Minas, Tsion Z; Conn, Erin J; Hong, Sung-Hyeok; Pauly, Gary T; Hayran, Mutlu; Li, Xin; Özdemirli, Metin; Ayhan, Ayşe; Rudek, Michelle A; Toretsky, Jeffrey A; Üren, Aykut

    2016-06-17

    Ezrin is a member of the ERM (ezrin/radixin/moesin) family of proteins that links cortical cytoskeleton to the plasma membrane. High expression of ezrin correlates with poor prognosis and metastasis in osteosarcoma. In this study, to uncover specific cellular responses evoked by ezrin inhibition that can be used as a specific pharmacodynamic marker(s), we profiled global gene expression in osteosarcoma cells after treatment with small molecule ezrin inhibitors, NSC305787 and NSC668394. We identified and validated several up-regulated integrated stress response genes including PTGS2, ATF3, DDIT3, DDIT4, TRIB3, and ATF4 as novel ezrin-regulated transcripts. Analysis of transcriptional response in skin and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from NSC305787-treated mice compared with a control group revealed that, among those genes, the stress gene DDIT4/REDD1 may be used as a surrogate pharmacodynamic marker of ezrin inhibitor compound activity. In addition, we validated the anti-metastatic effects of NSC305787 in reducing the incidence of lung metastasis in a genetically engineered mouse model of osteosarcoma and evaluated the pharmacokinetics of NSC305787 and NSC668394 in mice. In conclusion, our findings suggest that cytoplasmic ezrin, previously considered a dormant and inactive protein, has important functions in regulating gene expression that may result in down-regulation of stress response genes. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  16. Emerging trends in the functional genomics of the abiotic stress response in crop plants.

    PubMed

    Vij, Shubha; Tyagi, Akhilesh K

    2007-05-01

    Plants are exposed to different abiotic stresses, such as water deficit, high temperature, salinity, cold, heavy metals and mechanical wounding, under field conditions. It is estimated that such stress conditions can potentially reduce the yield of crop plants by more than 50%. Investigations of the physiological, biochemical and molecular aspects of stress tolerance have been conducted to unravel the intrinsic mechanisms developed during evolution to mitigate against stress by plants. Before the advent of the genomics era, researchers primarily used a gene-by-gene approach to decipher the function of the genes involved in the abiotic stress response. However, abiotic stress tolerance is a complex trait and, although large numbers of genes have been identified to be involved in the abiotic stress response, there remain large gaps in our understanding of the trait. The availability of the genome sequences of certain important plant species has enabled the use of strategies, such as genome-wide expression profiling, to identify the genes associated with the stress response, followed by the verification of gene function by the analysis of mutants and transgenics. Certain components of both abscisic acid-dependent and -independent cascades involved in the stress response have already been identified. Information originating from the genome-wide analysis of abiotic stress tolerance will help to provide an insight into the stress-responsive network(s), and may allow the modification of this network to reduce the loss caused by stress and to increase agricultural productivity.

  17. Directional abnormalities of vestibular and optokinetic responses in cerebellar disease

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walker, M. F.; Zee, D. S.; Shelhamer, M. J. (Principal Investigator)

    1999-01-01

    Directional abnormalities of vestibular and optokinetic responses in patients with cerebellar degeneration are reported. Three-axis magnetic search-coil recordings of the eye and head were performed in eight cerebellar patients. Among these patients, examples of directional cross-coupling were found during (1) high-frequency, high-acceleration head thrusts; (2) constant-velocity chair rotations with the head fixed; (3) constant-velocity optokinetic stimulation; and (4) following repetitive head shaking. Cross-coupling during horizontal head thrusts consisted of an inappropriate upward eye-velocity component. In some patients, sustained constant-velocity yaw-axis chair rotations produced a mixed horizontal-torsional nystagmus and/or an increase in the baseline vertical slow-phase velocity. Following horizontal head shaking, some patients showed an increase in the slow-phase velocity of their downbeat nystagmus. These various forms of cross-coupling did not necessarily occur to the same degree in a given patient; this suggests that different mechanisms may be responsible. It is suggested that cross-coupling during head thrusts may reflect a loss of calibration of brainstem connections involved in the direct vestibular pathways, perhaps due to dysfunction of the flocculus. Cross-coupling during constant-velocity rotations and following head shaking may result from a misorientation of the angular eye-velocity vector in the velocity-storage system. Finally, responses to horizontal optokinetic stimulation included an inappropriate torsional component in some patients. This suggests that the underlying organization of horizontal optokinetic tracking is in labyrinthine coordinates. The findings are also consistent with prior animal-lesion studies that have shown a role for the vestibulocerebellum in the control of the direction of the VOR.

  18. Human Cardiovascular Responses to Passive Heat Stress

    PubMed Central

    Crandall, Craig G.; Wilson, Thad E.

    2016-01-01

    Heat stress increases human morbidity and mortality compared to normothermic conditions. Many occupations, disease states, as well as stages of life are especially vulnerable to the stress imposed on the cardiovascular system during exposure to hot ambient conditions. This review focuses on the cardiovascular responses to heat stress that are necessary for heat dissipation. To accomplish this regulatory feat requires complex autonomic nervous system control of the heart and various vascular beds. For example, during heat stress cardiac output increases up to twofold, by increases in heart rate and an active maintenance of stroke volume via increases in inotropy in the presence of decreases in cardiac preload. Baroreflexes retain the ability to regulate blood pressure in many, but not all, heat stress conditions. Central hypovolemia is another cardiovascular challenge brought about by heat stress, which if added to a subsequent central volumetric stress, such as hemorrhage, can be problematic and potentially dangerous, as syncope and cardiovascular collapse may ensue. These combined stresses can compromise blood flow and oxygenation to important tissues such as the brain. It is notable that this compromised condition can occur at cardiac outputs that are adequate during normothermic conditions but are inadequate in heat because of the increased systemic vascular conductance associated with cutaneous vasodilation. Understanding the mechanisms within this complex regulatory system will allow for the development of treatment recommendations and countermeasures to reduce risks during the ever-increasing frequency of severe heat events that are predicted to occur. PMID:25589263

  19. Chronic stress impairs prefrontal cortex-dependent response inhibition and spatial working memory.

    PubMed

    Mika, Agnieszka; Mazur, Gabriel J; Hoffman, Ann N; Talboom, Joshua S; Bimonte-Nelson, Heather A; Sanabria, Federico; Conrad, Cheryl D

    2012-10-01

    Chronic stress leads to neurochemical and structural alterations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) that correspond to deficits in PFC-mediated behaviors. The present study examined the effects of chronic restraint stress on response inhibition (using a response-withholding task, the fixed-minimum interval schedule of reinforcement, or FMI), and working memory (using a radial arm water maze, RAWM). Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were first trained on the RAWM and subsequently trained on FMI. After acquisition of FMI, rats were assigned to a restraint stress (6h/d/28d in wire mesh restrainers) or control condition. Immediately after chronic stress, rats were tested on FMI and subsequently on RAWM. FMI results suggest that chronic stress reduces response inhibition capacity and motivation to initiate the task on selective conditions when sucrose reward was not obtained on the preceding trial. RAWM results suggest that chronic stress produces transient deficits in working memory without altering previously consolidated reference memory. Behavioral measures from FMI failed to correlate with metrics from RAWM except for one in which changes in FMI timing imprecision negatively correlated with changes in RAWM working memory errors for the controls, a finding that was not observed following chronic stress. Fisher's r-to-z transformation revealed no significant differences between control and stress groups with correlation coefficients. These findings are the first to show that chronic stress impairs both response inhibition and working memory, two behaviors that have never been directly compared within the same animals after chronic stress, using FMI, an appetitive task, and RAWM, a nonappetitive task. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

  20. Association of fatigue with emotional-eating behavior and the response to mental stress in food intake in a young adult population.

    PubMed

    Yoshikawa, Takahiro; Tanaka, Masaaki; Ishii, Akira; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi

    2014-01-01

    Fatigue is a common complaint among young adults. We investigated whether eating behaviors are associated with fatigue in this population. The participants consisted of 117 healthy students attending Osaka City University. They completed questionnaires assessing fatigue and eating behaviors. To identify the factors associated with the prevalence of fatigue, multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for gender was performed. The Emotional Eating subscale score of the Japanese version of Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire Revised 21-item and stress response in food intake (large decrease vs. no change) were positively associated with the prevalence of fatigue assessed by the Japanese version of the Chalder Fatigue Scale. The finding suggests that emotional eating and decrease in amount of food intake under mental stress were associated with fatigue in healthy young adults. Our findings may help to clarify the mechanisms underlying fatigue-eating coupling as well as the etiology of diseases related to abnormal eating behavior.

  1. Monocyte recruitment to endothelial cells in response to oscillatory shear stress

    PubMed Central

    Hsiai, Tzung K.; Cho, Sung K.; Wong, Pak K.; Ing, Mike; Salazar, Adler; Sevanian, Alex; Navab, Mohamad; Demer, Linda L.; Ho, Chih-Ming

    2014-01-01

    Leukocyte recruitment to endothelial cells is a critical event in inflammatory responses. The spatial, temporal gradients of shear stress, topology, and outcome of cellular interactions that underlie these responses have so far been inferred from static imaging of tissue sections or studies of statically cultured cells. In this report, we developed micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors, comparable to a single endothelial cell (EC) in size, to link real-time shear stress with monocyte/EC binding kinetics in a complex flow environment, simulating the moving and unsteady separation point at the arterial bifurcation with high spatial and temporal resolution. In response to oscillatory shear stress (τ) at ± 2.6 dyn/cm2 at a time-averaged shear stress (τave) = 0 and 0.5 Hz, individual monocytes displayed unique to-and-fro trajectories undergoing rolling, binding, and dissociation with other monocyte, followed by solid adhesion on EC. Our study quantified individual monocyte/EC binding kinetics in terms of displacement and velocity profiles. Oscillatory flow induces up-regulation of adhesion molecules and cytokines to mediate monocyte/EC interactions over a dynamic range of shear stress ± 2.6 dyn/cm2 (P= 0.50, n= 10).—Hsiai, T. K., Cho, S. K., Wong, P. K., Ing, M., Salazar, A., Sevanian, A., Navab, M., Demer, L. L., Ho, C.-M. Monocyte recruitment to endothelial cells in response to oscillatory shear stress. FASEB J. 17, 1648–1657 (2003) PMID:12958171

  2. The Contribution of Deficits in Emotional Clarity to Stress Responses and Depression

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flynn, Megan; Rudolph, Karen D.

    2010-01-01

    This research investigated the contribution of deficits in emotional clarity to children's socioemotional adjustment. Specifically, this study examined the proposal that deficits in emotional clarity are associated with maladaptive interpersonal stress responses, and that maladaptive interpersonal stress responses act as a mechanism linking…

  3. Losing the sugar coating: potential impact of perineuronal net abnormalities on interneurons in schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Berretta, Sabina; Pantazopoulos, Harry; Markota, Matej; Brown, Christopher; Batzianouli, Eleni T

    2015-09-01

    Perineuronal nets (PNNs) were shown to be markedly altered in subjects with schizophrenia. In particular, decreases of PNNs have been detected in the amygdala, entorhinal cortex and prefrontal cortex. The formation of these specialized extracellular matrix (ECM) aggregates during postnatal development, their functions, and association with distinct populations of GABAergic interneurons, bear great relevance to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. PNNs gradually mature in an experience-dependent manner during late stages of postnatal development, overlapping with the prodromal period/age of onset of schizophrenia. Throughout adulthood, PNNs regulate neuronal properties, including synaptic remodeling, cell membrane compartmentalization and subsequent regulation of glutamate receptors and calcium channels, and susceptibility to oxidative stress. With the present paper, we discuss evidence for PNN abnormalities in schizophrenia, the potential functional impact of such abnormalities on inhibitory circuits and, in turn, cognitive and emotion processing. We integrate these considerations with results from recent genetic studies showing genetic susceptibility for schizophrenia associated with genes encoding for PNN components, matrix-regulating molecules and immune system factors. Notably, the composition of PNNs is regulated dynamically in response to factors such as fear, reward, stress, and immune response. This regulation occurs through families of matrix metalloproteinases that cleave ECM components, altering their functions and affecting plasticity. Several metalloproteinases have been proposed as vulnerability factors for schizophrenia. We speculate that the physiological process of PNN remodeling may be disrupted in schizophrenia as a result of interactions between matrix remodeling processes and immune system dysregulation. In turn, these mechanisms may contribute to the dysfunction of GABAergic neurons. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  4. An efficient chronic unpredictable stress protocol to induce stress-related responses in C57BL/6 mice.

    PubMed

    Monteiro, Susana; Roque, Susana; de Sá-Calçada, Daniela; Sousa, Nuno; Correia-Neves, Margarida; Cerqueira, João José

    2015-01-01

    Exposure to chronic stress can have broad effects on health ranging from increased predisposition for neuropsychiatric disorders to deregulation of immune responses. The chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) protocol has been widely used to study the impact of stress exposure in several animal models and consists in the random, intermittent, and unpredictable exposure to a variety of stressors during several weeks. CUS has consistently been shown to induce behavioral and immunological alterations typical of the chronic stress-response. Unfortunately C57BL/6 mice, one of the most widely used mouse strains, due to the great variety of genetically modified lines, seem to be resistant to the commonly used 4-week-long CUS protocol. The definition of an alternative CUS protocol allowing the use of C57BL/6 mice in chronic stress experiments is a need. Here, we show that by extending the CUS protocol to 8 weeks is possible to induce a chronic stress-response in C57BL/6 mice, as revealed by abrogated body weight gain, increased adrenals weight, and an overactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis with increased levels of serum corticosterone. Moreover, we also observed stress-associated behavioral alterations, including the potentiation of anxious-like and depressive-like behaviors and a reduction of exploratory behavior, as well as subtle stress-related changes in the cell population of the thymus and of the spleen. The present protocol for C57BL/6 mice consistently triggers the spectrum of CUS-induced changes observed in rats and, thus, will be highly useful to researchers that need to use this particular mouse strain as an animal model of neuropsychiatric disorders and/or immune deregulation related to CUS.

  5. A Single-Domain Response Regulator Functions as an Integrating Hub To Coordinate General Stress Response and Development in Alphaproteobacteria

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT The alphaproteobacterial general stress response is governed by a conserved partner-switching mechanism that is triggered by phosphorylation of the response regulator PhyR. In the model organism Caulobacter crescentus, PhyR was proposed to be phosphorylated by the histidine kinase PhyK, but biochemical evidence in support of such a role of PhyK is missing. Here, we identify a single-domain response regulator, MrrA, that is essential for general stress response activation in C. crescentus. We demonstrate that PhyK does not function as a kinase but accepts phosphoryl groups from MrrA and passes them on to PhyR, adopting the role of a histidine phosphotransferase. MrrA is phosphorylated by at least six histidine kinases that likely serve as stress sensors. MrrA also transfers phosphate to LovK, a histidine kinase involved in C. crescentus holdfast production and attachment, which also negatively regulates the general stress response. We show that LovK together with the response regulator LovR acts as a phosphate sink to redirect phosphate flux away from the PhyKR branch. In agreement with the biochemical data, an mrrA mutant is unable to activate the general stress response and shows a hyperattachment phenotype, which is linked to decreased expression of the major holdfast inhibitory protein HfiA. We propose that MrrA serves as a central phosphorylation hub that coordinates the general stress response with C. crescentus development and other adaptive behaviors. The characteristic bow-tie architecture of this phosphorylation network with MrrA as the central knot may expedite the evolvability and species-specific niche adaptation of this group of bacteria. PMID:29789370

  6. Activation of Brain Somatostatin Signaling Suppresses CRF Receptor-Mediated Stress Response.

    PubMed

    Stengel, Andreas; Taché, Yvette F

    2017-01-01

    Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is the hallmark brain peptide triggering the response to stress and mediates-in addition to the stimulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis-other hormonal, behavioral, autonomic and visceral components. Earlier reports indicate that somatostatin-28 injected intracerebroventricularly counteracts the acute stress-induced ACTH and catecholamine release. Mounting evidence now supports that activation of brain somatostatin signaling exerts a broader anti-stress effect by blunting the endocrine, autonomic, behavioral (with a focus on food intake) and visceral gastrointestinal motor responses through the involvement of distinct somatostatin receptor subtypes.

  7. Abiotic stress responses in plants: roles of calmodulin-regulated proteins

    PubMed Central

    Virdi, Amardeep S.; Singh, Supreet; Singh, Prabhjeet

    2015-01-01

    Intracellular changes in calcium ions (Ca2+) in response to different biotic and abiotic stimuli are detected by various sensor proteins in the plant cell. Calmodulin (CaM) is one of the most extensively studied Ca2+-sensing proteins and has been shown to be involved in transduction of Ca2+ signals. After interacting with Ca2+, CaM undergoes conformational change and influences the activities of a diverse range of CaM-binding proteins. A number of CaM-binding proteins have also been implicated in stress responses in plants, highlighting the central role played by CaM in adaptation to adverse environmental conditions. Stress adaptation in plants is a highly complex and multigenic response. Identification and characterization of CaM-modulated proteins in relation to different abiotic stresses could, therefore, prove to be essential for a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Various studies have revealed involvement of CaM in regulation of metal ions uptake, generation of reactive oxygen species and modulation of transcription factors such as CAMTA3, GTL1, and WRKY39. Activities of several kinases and phosphatases have also been shown to be modulated by CaM, thus providing further versatility to stress-associated signal transduction pathways. The results obtained from contemporary studies are consistent with the proposed role of CaM as an integrator of different stress signaling pathways, which allows plants to maintain homeostasis between different cellular processes. In this review, we have attempted to present the current state of understanding of the role of CaM in modulating different stress-regulated proteins and its implications in augmenting abiotic stress tolerance in plants. PMID:26528296

  8. A new link between stress response and nucleolar function during pollen development in Arabidopsis mediated by AtREN1 protein.

    PubMed

    Reňák, David; Gibalová, Antónia; Solcová, Katarzyna; Honys, David

    2014-03-01

    Heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs) are involved in multiple aspects of stress response and plant growth. However, their role during male gametophyte development is largely unknown, although the generative phase is the most sensitive and critical period in the plant life cycle. Based on a wide screen of T-DNA mutant lines, we identified the atren1 mutation (restricted to nucleolus1) in early male gametophytic gene At1g77570, which has the closest homology to HSFA5 gene, the member of a heat shock transcription factor (HSF) gene family. The mutation causes multiple defects in male gametophyte development in both structure and function. Because the mutation disrupts an early acting (AtREN1) gene, these pollen phenotype abnormalities appear from bicellular pollen stage to pollen maturation. Moreover, the consequent progamic phase is compromised as well as documented by pollen germination defects and limited transmission via male gametophyte. In addition, atren1/- plants are defective in heat stress (HS) response and produce notably higher proportion of aberrant pollen grains. AtREN1 protein is targeted specifically to the nucleolus that, together with the increased size of the nucleolus in atren1 pollen, suggests that it is likely to be involved in ribosomal RNA biogenesis or other nucleolar functions. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Gene Expression Dynamics Accompanying the Sponge Thermal Stress Response.

    PubMed

    Guzman, Christine; Conaco, Cecilia

    2016-01-01

    Marine sponges are important members of coral reef ecosystems. Thus, their responses to changes in ocean chemistry and environmental conditions, particularly to higher seawater temperatures, will have potential impacts on the future of these reefs. To better understand the sponge thermal stress response, we investigated gene expression dynamics in the shallow water sponge, Haliclona tubifera (order Haplosclerida, class Demospongiae), subjected to elevated temperature. Using high-throughput transcriptome sequencing, we show that these conditions result in the activation of various processes that interact to maintain cellular homeostasis. Short-term thermal stress resulted in the induction of heat shock proteins, antioxidants, and genes involved in signal transduction and innate immunity pathways. Prolonged exposure to thermal stress affected the expression of genes involved in cellular damage repair, apoptosis, signaling and transcription. Interestingly, exposure to sublethal temperatures may improve the ability of the sponge to mitigate cellular damage under more extreme stress conditions. These insights into the potential mechanisms of adaptation and resilience of sponges contribute to a better understanding of sponge conservation status and the prediction of ecosystem trajectories under future climate conditions.

  10. Osmotic stress response in the wine yeast Dekkera bruxellensis.

    PubMed

    Galafassi, Silvia; Toscano, Marco; Vigentini, Ileana; Piškur, Jure; Compagno, Concetta

    2013-12-01

    Dekkera bruxellensis is mainly associated with lambic beer fermentation and wine production and may contribute in a positive or negative manner to the flavor development. This yeast is able to produce phenolic compounds, such as 4-ethylguaiacol and 4-ethylphenol which could spoil the wine, depending on their concentration. In this work we have investigated how this yeast responds when exposed to conditions causing osmotic stress, as high sorbitol or salt concentrations. We observed that osmotic stress determined the production and accumulation of intracellular glycerol, and the expression of NADH-dependent glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) activity was elevated. The involvement of the HOG MAPK pathway in response to this stress condition was also investigated. We show that in D. bruxellensis Hog1 protein is activated by phosphorylation under hyperosmotic conditions, highlighting the conserved role of HOG MAP kinase signaling pathway in the osmotic stress response. Gene Accession numbers in GenBank: DbHOG1: JX65361, DbSTL1: JX965362. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Redox imbalance and mitochondrial abnormalities in the diabetic lung.

    PubMed

    Wu, Jinzi; Jin, Zhen; Yan, Liang-Jun

    2017-04-01

    Although the lung is one of the least studied organs in diabetes, increasing evidence indicates that it is an inevitable target of diabetic complications. Nevertheless, the underlying biochemical mechanisms of lung injury in diabetes remain largely unexplored. Given that redox imbalance, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction have been implicated in diabetic tissue injury, we set out to investigate mechanisms of lung injury in diabetes. The objective of this study was to evaluate NADH/NAD + redox status, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial abnormalities in the diabetic lung. Using STZ induced diabetes in rat as a model, we measured redox-imbalance related parameters including aldose reductase activity, level of poly ADP ribose polymerase (PAPR-1), NAD + content, NADPH content, reduced form of glutathione (GSH), and glucose 6-phophate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity. For assessment of mitochondrial abnormalities in the diabetic lung, we measured the activities of mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes I to IV and complex V as well as dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLDH) content and activity. We also measured the protein content of NAD + dependent enzymes such as sirtuin3 (sirt3) and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1). Our results demonstrate that NADH/NAD + redox imbalance occurs in the diabetic lung. This redox imbalance upregulates the activities of complexes I to IV, but not complex V; and this upregulation is likely the source of increased mitochondrial ROS production, oxidative stress, and cell death in the diabetic lung. These results, together with the findings that the protein contents of DLDH, sirt3, and NQO1 all are decreased in the diabetic lung, demonstrate that redox imbalance, mitochondrial abnormality, and oxidative stress contribute to lung injury in diabetes. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. The relation of somatotypes and stress response to central serous chorioretinopathy.

    PubMed

    Schwartz, Roy; Rozenberg, Assaf; Loewenstein, Anat; Goldstein, Michaella

    2017-12-01

    To investigate a possible relationship between central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) and specific body types and compositions (somatotypes), and to examine the cortisol stress response among CSC patients of different somatotypes in comparison with healthy subjects. Prospective case-control study. A group of 28 patients with a previous or current diagnosis of CSC was compared with a group of 26 healthy subjects. Anthropometric measurements were used to estimate somatotype ratings in all subjects. Serum cortisol was measured at rest and following a stress-inducing computerized test in order to estimate response to stress in both groups. The main outcome measures included somatotype categorization and the change in serum cortisol following stress in both groups. No significant difference in somatotype composition was found between the groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in the elevation of cortisol following the stress-inducing test. The sample size was too small to exclude or find any significant difference between the different 13 subgroups of somatotype composition in the elevation of cortisol. Our study did not show a typical somatotype related to CSC. While previous studies showed higher cortisol values in CSC patients, we did not see a higher elevation in blood cortisol following a stress response in this group in comparison with healthy subjects.

  13. Hormonal Regulation of Response to Oxidative Stress in Insects—An Update

    PubMed Central

    Kodrík, Dalibor; Bednářová, Andrea; Zemanová, Milada; Krishnan, Natraj

    2015-01-01

    Insects, like other organisms, must deal with a wide variety of potentially challenging environmental factors during the course of their life. An important example of such a challenge is the phenomenon of oxidative stress. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the role of adipokinetic hormones (AKH) as principal stress responsive hormones in insects involved in activation of anti-oxidative stress response pathways. Emphasis is placed on an analysis of oxidative stress experimentally induced by various stressors and monitored by suitable biomarkers, and on detailed characterization of AKH’s role in the anti-stress reactions. These reactions are characterized by a significant increase of AKH levels in the insect body, and by effective reversal of the markers—disturbed by the stressors—after co-application of the stressor with AKH. A plausible mechanism of AKH action in the anti-oxidative stress response is discussed as well: this probably involves simultaneous employment of both protein kinase C and cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate pathways in the presence of extra and intra-cellular Ca2+ stores, with the possible involvement of the FoxO transcription factors. The role of other insect hormones in the anti-oxidative defense reactions is also discussed. PMID:26516847

  14. Proteomic profiling of γ-ECS overexpressed transgenic Nicotiana in response to drought stress.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Deepak; Datta, Riddhi; Sinha, Ragini; Ghosh, Aparupa; Chattopadhyay, Sharmila

    2014-01-01

    The contribution of Glutathione (GSH) in drought stress tolerance is an established fact. However, the proteins which are directly or indirectly related to the increased level of GSH in response to drought stress are yet to be known. To explore this, here, transgenic tobacco plants (NtGp11) overexpressing gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-ECS) was tested for tolerance against drought stress. NtGp11 conferred tolerance to drought stress by increased germination rate, water retention, water recovery, chlorophyll, and proline content compared with wild-type plants. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that the transcript levels of stress-responsive genes were higher in NtGp11 compared with wild-type in response to drought stress. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) coupled with MALDI TOF-TOF MS/MS analysis has been used to identify 43 differentially expressed proteins in response to drought in wild-type and NtGp11 plants. The results demonstrated the up-accumulation of 58.1% of proteins among which 36%, 24%, and 20% of them were related to stress and defense, carbon metabolism and energy metabolism categories, respectively. Taken together, our results demonstrated that GSH plays an important role in combating drought stress in plants by inducing stress related genes and proteins like HSP70, chalcone synthase, glutathione peroxidase, thioredoxin peroxidase, ACC oxidase, and heme oxygenase I.

  15. Proteomic profiling of γ-ECS overexpressed transgenic Nicotiana in response to drought stress.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Deepak; Datta, Riddhi; Sinha, Ragini; Ghosh, Aparupa; Chattopadhyay, Sharmila

    2014-05-20

    The contribution of Glutathione (GSH) in drought stress tolerance is an established fact. However, the proteins which are directly or indirectly related to the increased level of GSH in response to drought stress are yet to be known. To explore this, here, transgenic tobacco plants (NtGp 11) overexpressing gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-ECS) was tested for tolerance against drought stress. NtGp 11 conferred tolerance to drought stress by increased germination rate, water retention, water recovery, chlorophyll, and proline content compared with wild-type plants. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that the transcript levels of stress-responsive genes were higher in NtGp 11 compared with wild-type in response to drought stress. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) coupled with MALDI TOF-TOF MS/MS analysis has been used to identify 43 differentially expressed proteins in response to drought in wild-type and NtGp 11 plants. The results demonstrated the up-accumulation of 58.1% of proteins among which 36%, 24%, and 20% of them were related to stress and defense, carbon metabolism and energy metabolism categories, respectively. Taken together, our results demonstrated that GSH plays an important role in combating drought stress in plants by inducing stress related genes and proteins like HSP70, chalcone synthase, glutathione peroxidase, thioredoxin peroxidase, ACC oxidase, and heme oxygenase I.

  16. Effect of Stress-Response Psycho-Training on the Stress Levels of Mothers with Autistic Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karaman, Ömer

    2018-01-01

    The aim of the study was to assess the effect of stress-response psycho-training on the stress levels of mothers with autistic children. The research was experimental in design encompassing a pretest-posttest model with control and placebo groups. Participation in the study was voluntary with a total of 28 mothers of autistic children included…

  17. Pediatricians' affective communication behavior attenuates parents' stress response during the medical interview.

    PubMed

    Gemmiti, Marco; Hamed, Selei; Lauber-Biason, Anna; Wildhaber, Johannes; Pharisa, Cosette; Klumb, Petra L

    2017-03-01

    To investigate whether the medical interview in the pediatric context generates a stressful response in parents in form of heightened cortisol activity, and whether pediatricians' empathetic communication is able to attenuate this stress response. 68 parents were recruited at pediatric out-patient and in-patient consultations. Salivary samples were collected between 60 and 30min prior to the consultation, shortly before the consultation, 20min as well as 45min after the consultation. 19 pediatricians participated in the study and effectuated the medical visit as usual. We videotaped the consultations and coded pediatricians' affective communication using the RIAS and the Four Habits Coding Scheme. Parents' cortisol increased during the medical visit with a peak at 20min after the medical encounter. Furthermore, multilevel analysis revealed a lesser increase in parents' cortisol response associated with pediatricians' levels in supportive communication behaviors. As indicated by their humoral stress responses, the medical encounter was stressful for the parents. Pediatricians' affective communication modulated this stress response in that more supportive communication was related to smaller cortisol increases. Pediatricians' affective communication behavior during the medical visit can alleviate parents' distress and anxiety, representing a source of social and emotional support. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Mutation as a Stress Response and the Regulation of Evolvability

    PubMed Central

    Galhardo, Rodrigo S.; Hastings, P. J.; Rosenberg, Susan M.

    2010-01-01

    Our concept of a stable genome is evolving to one in which genomes are plastic and responsive to environmental changes. Growing evidence shows that a variety of environmental stresses induce genomic instability in bacteria, yeast, and human cancer cells, generating occasional fitter mutants and potentially accelerating adaptive evolution. The emerging molecular mechanisms of stress-induced mutagenesis vary but share telling common components that underscore two common themes. The first is the regulation of mutagenesis in time by cellular stress responses, which promote random mutations specifically when cells are poorly adapted to their environments, i.e., when they are stressed. A second theme is the possible restriction of random mutagenesis in genomic space, achieved via coupling of mutation-generating machinery to local events such as DNA-break repair or transcription. Such localization may minimize accumulation of deleterious mutations in the genomes of rare fitter mutants, and promote local concerted evolution. Although mutagenesis induced by stresses other than direct damage to DNA was previously controversial, evidence for the existence of various stress-induced mutagenesis programs is now overwhelming and widespread. Such mechanisms probably fuel evolution of microbial pathogenesis and antibiotic-resistance, and tumor progression and chemotherapy resistance, all of which occur under stress, driven by mutations. The emerging commonalities in stress-induced-mutation mechanisms provide hope for new therapeutic interventions for all of these processes. PMID:17917874

  19. Assessing Stress Responses in Beaked and Sperm Whales in the Bahamas

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-09-30

    IMPACT/APPLICATIONS Developing methods to better understand the sub-lethal, physiologic consequences of underwater noise disturbance on species of...baseline ranges of stress-related fecal hormones are being developed and can be applied in the future to assess physiologic responses to elevated acoustic...fecal aldosterone assays as an additional measure of adrenal activation during stress responses in North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis

  20. Reactive oxygen species in response of plants to gravity stress

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jadko, Sergiy

    2016-07-01

    Reactive oxygen species (ROS) as second messengers can induce stress response of plants. Thioredoxins (Trx) and peroxiredoxins (Prx) can function as sensors and transmitters of the ROS in stress signaling and antioxidant response. 12-14 days old tissue culture of Arabidopsis thaliana have been investigated. Hypergravity stress was induced by centrifugation at 10 and 20 g during 30 and 90 min and than intensity of spontaneous chemiluminescence (SChL/ROS content), Trx and Prx activities were determined. All experiments were repeated from 3 to 5 times and the obtained data were statistically treated. In the tissue culture under development of the stress there were an increase in intensity of SChL and Trx and Prx activities. Thus, under hypergravity stress in the plant occurred early increase in the ROS level and the ROS induced the increase in the Trx and Prx activities. Prx and Trx can also participate in the formation of stress respons as acceptors and transducers of the redox signals. Increase in the activity of these enzymes primarily aimed at increasing of the total antioxidant activity in the cells to prevent of the plant to development of oxidative degradation by ROS.

  1. Stress response in postpartum women with and without obsessive–compulsive symptoms: an fMRI study

    PubMed Central

    Lord, Catherine; Steiner, Meir; Soares, Claudio N.; Carew, Caitlin L.; Hall, Geoffrey B.

    2012-01-01

    Background During the postpartum period, some women might be under a considerable amount of stress and at increased risk for onset or exacerbation of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Little is known about the stress response correlates during the postpartum period and in patients with OCD. This study aimed to examine the cerebral, psychologic and endocrine correlates of the stress response in patients with OCD and during the postpartum period. Methods Women with postpartum OCD, healthy postpartum women and healthy mothers past the postpartum period underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while facing a reliable psychosocial stressor (the Montreal Imaging Stress Task). Stress-related psychologic and endocrine responses (i.e., cortisol) were obtained. Results We enrolled 12 women with postpartum OCD, 16 healthy postpartum women and 11 healthy mothers past the postpartum period in our study. Compared with healthy postpartum counterparts, postpartum women with OCD had a heightened self-reported and endocrine stress response associated with a distinct brain activation pattern in response to psychosocial stress involving the orbitofrontal and temporal cortices. Moreover, compared with mothers assessed in a period of time beyond the postpartum period, healthy postpartum women did not differ in psychologic and cortisol response to stress, but recruited different brain regions, such as the dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex, during exposure to stress. Limitations Potential confounding factors, such as medication use, breastfeeding, parity and personality factors, may have modulated the stress-related endocrine response and could not be assessed in this study. Conclusion Obsessive–compulsive disorder and the postpartum period differentially influence the brain circuitry underlying psychosocial stress as well as the psychologic and endocrine responses. PMID:22122779

  2. Pairing of heterochromatin in response to cellular stress.

    PubMed

    Abdel-Halim, H I; Mullenders, L H F; Boei, J J W A

    2006-07-01

    We previously reported that exposure of human cells to DNA-damaging agents (X-rays and mitomycin C (MMC)) induces pairing of the homologous paracentromeric heterochromatin of chromosome 9 (9q12-13). Here, we show that UV irradiation and also heat shock treatment of human cells lead to similar effects. Since the various agents induce very different types and frequencies of damage to cellular constituents, the data suggest a general stress response as the underlying mechanism. Moreover, local UV irradiation experiments revealed that pairing of heterochromatin is an event that can be triggered without induction of DNA damage in the heterochromatic sequences. The repair deficient xeroderma pigmentosum cells (group F) previously shown to fail pairing after MMC displayed elevated pairing after heat shock treatment but not after UV exposure. Taken together, the present results indicate that pairing of heterochromatin following exposure to DNA-damaging agents is initiated by a general stress response and that the sensing of stress or the maintenance of the paired status of the heterochromatin might be dependent on DNA repair.

  3. Mitochondria, Energetics, Epigenetics, and Cellular Responses to Stress

    PubMed Central

    McAllister, Kimberly; Worth, Leroy; Haugen, Astrid C.; Meyer, Joel N.; Domann, Frederick E.; Van Houten, Bennett; Mostoslavsky, Raul; Bultman, Scott J.; Baccarelli, Andrea A.; Begley, Thomas J.; Sobol, Robert W.; Hirschey, Matthew D.; Ideker, Trey; Santos, Janine H.; Copeland, William C.; Tice, Raymond R.; Balshaw, David M.; Tyson, Frederick L.

    2014-01-01

    Background: Cells respond to environmental stressors through several key pathways, including response to reactive oxygen species (ROS), nutrient and ATP sensing, DNA damage response (DDR), and epigenetic alterations. Mitochondria play a central role in these pathways not only through energetics and ATP production but also through metabolites generated in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, as well as mitochondria–nuclear signaling related to mitochondria morphology, biogenesis, fission/fusion, mitophagy, apoptosis, and epigenetic regulation. Objectives: We investigated the concept of bidirectional interactions between mitochondria and cellular pathways in response to environmental stress with a focus on epigenetic regulation, and we examined DNA repair and DDR pathways as examples of biological processes that respond to exogenous insults through changes in homeostasis and altered mitochondrial function. Methods: The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences sponsored the Workshop on Mitochondria, Energetics, Epigenetics, Environment, and DNA Damage Response on 25–26 March 2013. Here, we summarize key points and ideas emerging from this meeting. Discussion: A more comprehensive understanding of signaling mechanisms (cross-talk) between the mitochondria and nucleus is central to elucidating the integration of mitochondrial functions with other cellular response pathways in modulating the effects of environmental agents. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of mitochondrial functions in epigenetic regulation and DDR with environmental stress. Development and application of novel technologies, enhanced experimental models, and a systems-type research approach will help to discern how environmentally induced mitochondrial dysfunction affects key mechanistic pathways. Conclusions: Understanding mitochondria–cell signaling will provide insight into individual responses to environmental hazards, improving prediction of hazard and susceptibility to

  4. Boron Stress Responsive MicroRNAs and Their Targets in Barley

    PubMed Central

    Ozhuner, Esma; Eldem, Vahap; Ipek, Arif; Okay, Sezer; Sakcali, Serdal; Zhang, Baohong; Boke, Hatice; Unver, Turgay

    2013-01-01

    Boron stress is an environmental factor affecting plant development and production. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been found to be involved in several plant processes such as growth regulation and stress responses. In this study, miRNAs associated with boron stress were identified and characterized in barley. miRNA profiles were also comparatively analyzed between root and leave samples. A total of 31 known and 3 new miRNAs were identified in barley; 25 of them were found to respond to boron treatment. Several miRNAs were expressed in a tissue specific manner; for example, miR156d, miR171a, miR397, and miR444a were only detected in leaves. Additionally, a total of 934 barley transcripts were found to be specifically targeted and degraded by miRNAs. In silico analysis of miRNA target genes demonstrated that many miRNA targets are conserved transcription factors such as Squamosa promoter-binding protein, Auxin response factor (ARF), and the MYB transcription factor family. A majority of these targets were responsible for plant growth and response to environmental changes. We also propose that some of the miRNAs in barley such as miRNA408 might play critical roles against boron exposure. In conclusion, barley may use several pathways and cellular processes targeted by miRNAs to cope with boron stress. PMID:23555702

  5. Significance of an Increase in Diastolic Blood Pressure during a Stress Test in Terms of Comorbidities and Long-term Total and CV Mortality.

    PubMed

    Sydó, Nóra; Sydó, Tibor; Gonzalez Carta, Karina A; Hussain, Nasir; Merkely, Béla; Murphy, Joseph G; Squires, Ray W; Lopez-Jimenez, Francisco; Allison, Thomas G

    2018-05-15

    A decrease in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) with exercise is considered normal, but the significance of an increase in DBP has not been validated. Our aim was to determine the relationship of DBP increasing on a stress test regarding comorbidities and mortality. Our database was reviewed from 1993-2010 using the first stress test of a patient. Non-Minnesota residence, baseline CV disease, rest DBP <60 or >100 mmHg, and age <30 or ≥80 were exclusion criteria. DBP response was classified Normal if peak DBP-rest DBP <0, Borderline 0-9, Abnormal ≥10mmHg. Mortality was determined from Mayo Clinic records and Minnesota Death Index. Logistic regression was used to determine the relationship of DBP response to presence of comorbidities. Cox regression was used to determine total and CV mortality risk by DBP response. All analyses were adjusted for age, sex and resting DBP. 20760 patients were included (51±11 years, female n=7314). Rest/peak averaged DBP 82±8/69 ±15 mmHg in normal vs 79±9/82±9 mmHg in borderline vs 76±9/92±11 mmHg in abnormal DBP response. There were 1582 deaths (8%) with 557 (3%) CV deaths over 12±5 years of follow-up. In patients with borderline and abnormal DBP response, odds ratios for obesity, hypertension, diabetes and current smoking were significant, while hazard ratios for total and CV death were not significant compared to patients with normal DBP response. DBP response to exercise is significantly associated with important comorbidities at the time of the stress test but does not add to the prognostic yield of stress test.

  6. An abnormal Ca2+ response in mutant sarcomere protein–mediated familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

    PubMed Central

    Fatkin, Diane; McConnell, Bradley K.; Mudd, James O.; Semsarian, Christopher; Moskowitz, Ivan G.P.; Schoen, Frederick J.; Giewat, Michael; Seidman, Christine E.; Seidman, J.G.

    2000-01-01

    Dominant-negative sarcomere protein gene mutations cause familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC), a disease characterized by left-ventricular hypertrophy, angina, and dyspnea that can result in sudden death. We report here that a murine model of FHC bearing a cardiac myosin heavy-chain gene missense mutation (αMHC403/+), when treated with calcineurin inhibitors or a K+-channel agonist, developed accentuated hypertrophy, worsened histopathology, and was at risk for early death. Despite distinct pharmacologic targets, each agent augmented diastolic Ca2+ concentrations in wild-type cardiac myocytes; αMHC403/+ myocytes failed to respond. Pretreatment with a Ca2+-channel antagonist abrogated diastolic Ca2+ changes in wild-type myocytes and prevented the exaggerated hypertrophic response of treated αMHC403/+ mice. We conclude that FHC-causing sarcomere protein gene mutations cause abnormal Ca2+ responses that initiate a hypertrophic response. These data define an important Ca2+-dependent step in the pathway by which mutant sarcomere proteins trigger myocyte growth and remodel the heart, provide definitive evidence that environment influences progression of FHC, and suggest a rational therapeutic approach to this prevalent human disease. PMID:11104788

  7. Sleep restriction alters the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response to stress

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meerlo, P.; Koehl, M.; van der Borght, K.; Turek, F. W.

    2002-01-01

    Chronic sleep restriction is an increasing problem in many countries and may have many, as yet unknown, consequences for health and well being. Studies in both humans and rats suggest that sleep deprivation may activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, one of the main neuroendocrine stress systems. However, few attempts have been made to examine how sleep loss affects the HPA axis response to subsequent stressors. Furthermore, most studies applied short-lasting total sleep deprivation and not restriction of sleep over a longer period of time, as often occurs in human society. Using the rat as our model species, we investigated: (i) the HPA axis activity during and after sleep deprivation and (ii) the effect of sleep loss on the subsequent HPA response to a novel stressor. In one experiment, rats were subjected to 48 h of sleep deprivation by placing them in slowly rotating wheels. Control rats were placed in nonrotating wheels. In a second experiment, rats were subjected to an 8-day sleep restriction protocol allowing 4 h of sleep each day. To test the effects of sleep loss on subsequent stress reactivity, rats were subjected to a 30-min restraint stress. Blood samples were taken at several time points and analysed for adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone. The results show that ACTH and corticosterone concentrations were elevated during sleep deprivation but returned to baseline within 4 h of recovery. After 1 day of sleep restriction, the ACTH and corticosterone response to restraint stress did not differ between control and sleep deprived rats. However, after 48 h of total sleep deprivation and after 8 days of restricted sleep, the ACTH response to restraint was significantly reduced whereas the corticosterone response was unaffected. These results show that sleep loss not only is a mild activator of the HPA axis itself, but also affects the subsequent response to stress. Alterations in HPA axis regulation may gradually appear under

  8. Abnormal auditory forward masking pattern in the brainstem response of individuals with Asperger syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Källstrand, Johan; Olsson, Olle; Nehlstedt, Sara Fristedt; Sköld, Mia Ling; Nielzén, Sören

    2010-01-01

    Abnormal auditory information processing has been reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In the present study auditory processing was investigated by recording auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) elicited by forward masking in adults diagnosed with Asperger syndrome (AS). Sixteen AS subjects were included in the forward masking experiment and compared to three control groups consisting of healthy individuals (n = 16), schizophrenic patients (n = 16) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patients (n = 16), respectively, of matching age and gender. The results showed that the AS subjects exhibited abnormally low activity in the early part of their ABRs that distinctly separated them from the three control groups. Specifically, wave III amplitudes were significantly lower in the AS group than for all the control groups in the forward masking condition (P < 0.005), which was not the case in the baseline condition. Thus, electrophysiological measurements of ABRs to complex sound stimuli (eg, forward masking) may lead to a better understanding of the underlying neurophysiology of AS. Future studies may further point to specific ABR characteristics in AS individuals that separate them from individuals diagnosed with other neurodevelopmental diseases. PMID:20628629

  9. Responses of Yeast Biocontrol Agents to Environmental Stress

    PubMed Central

    Sui, Yuan; Wisniewski, Michael; Droby, Samir

    2015-01-01

    Biological control of postharvest diseases, utilizing wild species and strains of antagonistic yeast species, is a research topic that has received considerable attention in the literature over the past 30 years. In principle, it represents a promising alternative to chemical fungicides for the management of postharvest decay of fruits, vegetables, and grains. A yeast-based biocontrol system is composed of a tritrophic interaction between a host (commodity), a pathogen, and a yeast species, all of which are affected by environmental factors such as temperature, pH, and UV light as well as osmotic and oxidative stresses. Additionally, during the production process, biocontrol agents encounter various severe abiotic stresses that also impact their viability. Therefore, understanding the ecological fitness of the potential yeast biocontrol agents and developing strategies to enhance their stress tolerance are essential to their efficacy and commercial application. The current review provides an overview of the responses of antagonistic yeast species to various environmental stresses, the methods that can be used to improve stress tolerance and efficacy, and the related mechanisms associated with improved stress tolerance. PMID:25710368

  10. Infants, mothers, and dyadic contributions to stability and prediction of social stress response at 6 months.

    PubMed

    Provenzi, Livio; Olson, Karen L; Montirosso, Rosario; Tronick, Ed

    2016-01-01

    The study of infants' interactive style and social stress response to repeated stress exposures is of great interest for developmental and clinical psychologists. Stable maternal and dyadic behavior is critical to sustain infants' development of an adaptive social stress response, but the association between infants' interactive style and social stress response has received scant attention in previous literature. In the present article, overtime stability of infant, maternal, and dyadic behaviors was measured across 2 social stress (i.e., Face-to-Face Still-Face, FFSF) exposures, separated by 15 days. Moreover, infant, maternal, and dyadic behaviors were simultaneously assessed as predictors of infants' social stress to both FFSF exposures. Eighty-one mother-infant dyads underwent the FFSF twice, at 6 months (Exposure 1: the first social stress) and at 6 months and 15 days (Exposure 2: repeated social stress). Infant and mother behavior and dyadic synchrony were microanalytically coded. Overall, individual behavioral stability emerged between FFSF exposures. Infants' response to the first stress was predicted by infant behavior during Exposure 1 Play. Infants' response to the repeated social stress was predicted by infants' response to the first exposure to the Still-Face and by infants' behavior and dyadic synchrony during Exposure 2 Play. Findings reveal stability for individual, but not for dyadic, behavior between 2 social stress exposures at 6 months. Infants' response to repeated social stress was predicted by infants' earlier stress response, infants' own behavior in play, and dyadic synchrony. No predictive effects of maternal behavior were found. Insights for research and clinical work are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  11. Responses to reductive stress in the cardiovascular system.

    PubMed

    Handy, Diane E; Loscalzo, Joseph

    2017-08-01

    There is a growing appreciation that reductive stress represents a disturbance in the redox state that is harmful to biological systems. On a cellular level, the presence of increased reducing equivalents and the lack of beneficial fluxes of reactive oxygen species can prevent growth factor-mediated signaling, promote mitochondrial dysfunction, increase apoptosis, and decrease cell survival. In this review, we highlight the importance of redox balance in maintaining cardiovascular homeostasis and consider the tenuous balance between oxidative and reductive stress. We explain the role of reductive stress in models of protein aggregation-induced cardiomyopathies, such as those caused by mutations in αB-crystallin. In addition, we discuss the role of NADPH oxidases in models of heart failure and ischemia-reperfusion to illustrate how oxidants may mediate the adaptive responses to injury. NADPH oxidase 4, a hydrogen peroxide generator, also has a major role in promoting vascular homeostasis through its regulation of vascular tone, angiogenic responses, and effects on atherogenesis. In contrast, the lack of antioxidant enzymes that reduce hydrogen peroxide, such as glutathione peroxidase 1, promotes vascular remodeling and is deleterious to endothelial function. Thus, we consider the role of oxidants as necessary signals to promote adaptive responses, such as the activation of Nrf2 and eNOS, and the stabilization of Hif1. In addition, we discuss the adaptive metabolic reprogramming in hypoxia that lead to a reductive state, and the subsequent cellular redistribution of reducing equivalents from NADH to other metabolites. Finally, we discuss the paradoxical ability of excess reducing equivalents to stimulate oxidative stress and promote injury. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Sex differences in neural responses to stress and alcohol context cues.

    PubMed

    Seo, Dongju; Jia, Zhiru; Lacadie, Cheryl M; Tsou, Kristen A; Bergquist, Keri; Sinha, Rajita

    2011-11-01

    Stress and alcohol context cues are each associated with alcohol-related behaviors, yet neural responses underlying these processes remain unclear. This study investigated the neural correlates of stress and alcohol context cue experiences and examined sex differences in these responses. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, brain responses were examined while 43 right-handed, socially drinking, healthy individuals (23 females) engaged in brief guided imagery of personalized stress, alcohol-cue, and neutral-relaxing scenarios. Stress and alcohol-cue exposure increased activity in the cortico-limbic-striatal circuit (P < 0.01, corrected), encompassing the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), left anterior insula, striatum, and visuomotor regions (parietal and occipital lobe, and cerebellum). Activity in the left dorsal striatum increased during stress, while bilateral ventral striatum activity was evident during alcohol-cue exposure. Men displayed greater stress-related activations in the mPFC, rostral ACC, posterior insula, amygdala, and hippocampus than women, whereas women showed greater alcohol-cue-related activity in the superior and middle frontal gyrus (SFG/MFG) than men. Stress-induced anxiety was positively associated with activity in emotion-modulation regions, including the medial OFC, ventromedial PFC, left superior-mPFC, and rostral ACC in men, but in women with activation in the SFG/MFG, regions involved in cognitive processing. Alcohol craving was significantly associated with the striatum (encompassing dorsal, and ventral) in men, supporting its involvement in alcohol "urge" in healthy men. These results indicate sex differences in neural processing of stress and alcohol-cue experiences and have implications for sex-specific vulnerabilities to stress- and alcohol-related psychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  13. Mechanisms of developing post-traumatic stress disorder: new targets for drug development and other potential interventions.

    PubMed

    Wimalawansa, Sunil J

    2014-01-01

    The post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is defined as a severe anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to an event with actual, threatened, or perceived death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others that results in significant psychological trauma. Moreover, the ability of people to handle acute severe stress experiences varies among individuals. Depending on the underlying personality and resiliency, therefore, PTSD can occur in individuals exposed to exceedingly stressful incidences or those who have encountered seemingly less overwhelming stressors. In addition to severe stressful exposure, multiple other factors including genetic susceptibility; past experiences; cultural, spiritual, and personal beliefs; bullying and harassments; and lack of support at the workplace, social, and home environement may contribute to the development of PTSD. Author investigated multiple potential mechanisms for the development and sustenance of PTSD based on the recent literature and his own experiences and insight. Based on this search, author indicates that among other pathological and biochemical abnormalities, hormonal aberrations are most likely key mechanisms initiating and the maintenance of the PTSD. These pathophysiological neuro-hormonal changes instigate maladaptive learning processes caused by sustained high levels of anxiety and fear, through a hypo-responsive hypothalamic-pituitary axis and hyper-responsive catecholamine system (persistently elevated blood norepinephrine levels and lower than appropriate glucocorticoid levels). In addition to having inappropriately low serum cortisol levels and high epinephrine and norepinephrine levels, patients with PTSD also have mitochondrial dysfunctions and other hormonal abnormalities. Based on these data, author concluded that these pathological, biochemical and sustained neurohormonal abnormalities are likely to influence the structural brain changes, particularly in the

  14. Cumulative Adversity Sensitizes Neural Response to Acute Stress: Association with Health Symptoms

    PubMed Central

    Seo, Dongju; Tsou, Kristen A; Ansell, Emily B; Potenza, Marc N; Sinha, Rajita

    2014-01-01

    Cumulative adversity (CA) increases stress sensitivity and risk of adverse health outcomes. However, neural mechanisms underlying these associations in humans remain unclear. To understand neural responses underlying the link between CA and adverse health symptoms, the current study assessed brain activity during stress and neutral-relaxing states in 75 demographically matched, healthy individuals with high, mid, and low CA (25 in each group), and their health symptoms using the Cornell Medical Index. CA was significantly associated with greater adverse health symptoms (P=0.01) in all participants. Functional magnetic resonance imaging results indicated significant associations between CA scores and increased stress-induced activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex, insula, striatum, right amygdala, hippocampus, and temporal regions in all 75 participants (p<0.05, whole-brain corrected). In addition to these regions, the high vs low CA group comparison revealed decreased stress-induced activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in the high CA group (p<0.01, whole-brain corrected). Specifically, hypoactive medial OFC and hyperactive right hippocampus responses to stress were each significantly associated with greater adverse health symptoms (p<0.01). Furthermore, an inverse correlation was found between activity in the medial OFC and right hippocampus (p=0.01). These results indicate that high CA sensitizes limbic–striatal responses to acute stress and also identifies an important role for stress-related medial OFC and hippocampus responses in the effects of CA on increasing vulnerability to adverse health consequences. PMID:24051900

  15. Cumulative adversity sensitizes neural response to acute stress: association with health symptoms.

    PubMed

    Seo, Dongju; Tsou, Kristen A; Ansell, Emily B; Potenza, Marc N; Sinha, Rajita

    2014-02-01

    Cumulative adversity (CA) increases stress sensitivity and risk of adverse health outcomes. However, neural mechanisms underlying these associations in humans remain unclear. To understand neural responses underlying the link between CA and adverse health symptoms, the current study assessed brain activity during stress and neutral-relaxing states in 75 demographically matched, healthy individuals with high, mid, and low CA (25 in each group), and their health symptoms using the Cornell Medical Index. CA was significantly associated with greater adverse health symptoms (P=0.01) in all participants. Functional magnetic resonance imaging results indicated significant associations between CA scores and increased stress-induced activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex, insula, striatum, right amygdala, hippocampus, and temporal regions in all 75 participants (p<0.05, whole-brain corrected). In addition to these regions, the high vs low CA group comparison revealed decreased stress-induced activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in the high CA group (p<0.01, whole-brain corrected). Specifically, hypoactive medial OFC and hyperactive right hippocampus responses to stress were each significantly associated with greater adverse health symptoms (p<0.01). Furthermore, an inverse correlation was found between activity in the medial OFC and right hippocampus (p=0.01). These results indicate that high CA sensitizes limbic-striatal responses to acute stress and also identifies an important role for stress-related medial OFC and hippocampus responses in the effects of CA on increasing vulnerability to adverse health consequences.

  16. Sex-specific hippocampal 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is disrupted in response to acute stress

    PubMed Central

    Papale, Ligia A.; Li, Sisi; Madrid, Andy; Zhang, Qi; Chen, Li; Chopra, Pankaj; Jin, Peng; Keleş, Sündüz; Alisch, Reid S.

    2016-01-01

    Environmental stress is among the most important contributors to increased susceptibility to develop psychiatric disorders. While it is well known that acute environmental stress alters gene expression, the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes remain largely unknown. 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is a novel environmentally sensitive epigenetic modification that is highly enriched in neurons and is associated with active neuronal transcription. Recently, we reported a genome-wide disruption of hippocampal 5hmC in male mice following acute stress that was correlated to altered transcript levels of genes in known stress related pathways. Since sex-specific endocrine mechanisms respond to environmental stimulus by altering the neuronal epigenome, we examined the genome-wide profile of hippocampal 5hmC in female mice following exposure to acute stress and identified 363 differentially hydroxymethylated regions (DhMRs) linked to known (e.g., Nr3c1 and Ntrk2) and potentially novel genes associated with stress response and psychiatric disorders. Integration of hippocampal expression data from the same female mice found stress-related hydroxymethylation correlated to altered transcript levels. Finally, characterization of stress-induced sex-specific 5hmC profiles in the hippocampus revealed 778 sex-specific acute stress-induced DhMRs some of which were correlated to altered transcript levels that produce sex-specific isoforms in response to stress. Together, the alterations in 5hmC presented here provide a possible molecular mechanism for the adaptive sex-specific response to stress that may augment the design of novel therapeutic agents that will have optimal effectiveness in each sex. PMID:27576189

  17. Dose response relationship in anti-stress gene regulatory networks.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Qiang; Andersen, Melvin E

    2007-03-02

    To maintain a stable intracellular environment, cells utilize complex and specialized defense systems against a variety of external perturbations, such as electrophilic stress, heat shock, and hypoxia, etc. Irrespective of the type of stress, many adaptive mechanisms contributing to cellular homeostasis appear to operate through gene regulatory networks that are organized into negative feedback loops. In general, the degree of deviation of the controlled variables, such as electrophiles, misfolded proteins, and O2, is first detected by specialized sensor molecules, then the signal is transduced to specific transcription factors. Transcription factors can regulate the expression of a suite of anti-stress genes, many of which encode enzymes functioning to counteract the perturbed variables. The objective of this study was to explore, using control theory and computational approaches, the theoretical basis that underlies the steady-state dose response relationship between cellular stressors and intracellular biochemical species (controlled variables, transcription factors, and gene products) in these gene regulatory networks. Our work indicated that the shape of dose response curves (linear, superlinear, or sublinear) depends on changes in the specific values of local response coefficients (gains) distributed in the feedback loop. Multimerization of anti-stress enzymes and transcription factors into homodimers, homotrimers, or even higher-order multimers, play a significant role in maintaining robust homeostasis. Moreover, our simulation noted that dose response curves for the controlled variables can transition sequentially through four distinct phases as stressor level increases: initial superlinear with lesser control, superlinear more highly controlled, linear uncontrolled, and sublinear catastrophic. Each phase relies on specific gain-changing events that come into play as stressor level increases. The low-dose region is intrinsically nonlinear, and depending on

  18. Age differences in emotional responses to daily stress: the role of timing, severity, and global perceived stress.

    PubMed

    Scott, Stacey B; Sliwinski, Martin J; Blanchard-Fields, Fredda

    2013-12-01

    Research on age differences in emotional responses to daily stress has produced inconsistent findings. Guided by recent theoretical advances in aging theory (S. T. Charles, 2010, Strength and vulnerability integration: A model of emotional well-being across adulthood, Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 136, pp. 1068-1091) that emphasize the importance of context for predicting when and how age is related to affective well-being, the current study examined age differences in emotional responses to everyday stressors. The present study examined how three contextual features (e.g., timing of exposure, stressor severity, global perceived stress [GPS]) moderate age differences in emotional experience in an ecological momentary assessment study of adults (N = 190) aged 18-81 years. Results indicated that older adults' negative affect (NA) was less affected by exposure to recent stressors than younger adults, but that there were no age differences in the effects of stressor exposure 3-6 hr afterward. Higher levels of GPS predicted amplified NA responses to daily stress, and controlling for GPS eliminated age differences in NA responses to stressors. No age differences in NA responses as a function of stressor severity were observed. In contrast, older age was associated with less of a decrease in PA when exposed to recent stressors or with more severe recent stressors. There were no age differences in the effect of previous stressor exposure or severity on PA, or any interactions between momentary or previous stress and GPS on PA. Together, these results support the notion that chronic stress plays a central role in emotional experience in daily life. We discuss the implications of these results for emotion theories of aging. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  19. Acute and chronic stress and the inflammatory response in hyperprolactinemic rats.

    PubMed

    Ochoa-Amaya, J E; Malucelli, B E; Cruz-Casallas, P E; Nasello, A G; Felicio, L F; Carvalho-Freitas, M I R

    2010-01-01

    Prolactin (PRL), a hormone produced by the pituitary gland, has multiple physiological functions, including immunoregulation. PRL can also be secreted in response to stressful stimuli. During stress, PRL has been suggested to oppose the immunosuppressive effects of inflammatory mediators. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of short- and long-term hyperprolactinemia on the inflammatory response in rats subjected to acute or chronic cold stress. Inflammatory edema was induced by carrageenan in male rats, and hyperprolactinemia was induced by injections of the dopamine receptor antagonist domperidone. The volume of inflammatory edema was measured by plethysmography after carrageenan injection. Additionally, the effects of hyperprolactinemia on body weight and serum corticosterone levels were evaluated. Five days of domperidone-induced hyperprolactinemia increased the volume of inflammatory edema. No differences in serum corticosterone levels were observed between groups. No significant differences were found among 30 days domperidone-induced hyperprolactinemic animals subjected to acute stress and the inflammatory response observed in chronic hyperprolactinemic animals subjected to chronic stress. The results suggest that short-term hyperprolactinemia has pro-inflammatory effects. Because such an effect was not observed in long-term hyperprolactinemic animals, PRL-induced tolerance seems likely. We suggest that short-term hyperprolactinemia may act as a protective factor in rats subjected to acute stress. These data suggest that hyperprolactinemia and stress interact differentially according to the time period. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  20. A Network Biology Approach to Decipher Stress Response in Bacteria Using Escherichia coli As a Model.

    PubMed

    Nagar, Shashwat Deepali; Aggarwal, Bhavye; Joon, Shikha; Bhatnagar, Rakesh; Bhatnagar, Sonika

    2016-05-01

    The development of drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria poses challenges to global health for their treatment and control. In this context, stress response enables bacterial populations to survive extreme perturbations in the environment but remains poorly understood. Specific modules are activated for unique stressors with few recognized global regulators. The phenomenon of cross-stress protection strongly suggests the presence of central proteins that control the diverse stress responses. In this work, Escherichia coli was used to model the bacterial stress response. A Protein-Protein Interaction Network was generated by integrating differentially expressed genes in eight stress conditions of pH, temperature, and antibiotics with relevant gene ontology terms. Topological analysis identified 24 central proteins. The well-documented role of 16 central proteins in stress indicates central control of the response, while the remaining eight proteins may have a novel role in stress response. Cluster analysis of the generated network implicated RNA binding, flagellar assembly, ABC transporters, and DNA repair as important processes during response to stress. Pathway analysis showed crosstalk of Two Component Systems with metabolic processes, oxidative phosphorylation, and ABC transporters. The results were further validated by analysis of an independent cross-stress protection dataset. This study also reports on the ways in which bacterial stress response can progress to biofilm formation. In conclusion, we suggest that drug targets or pathways disrupting bacterial stress responses can potentially be exploited to combat antibiotic tolerance and multidrug resistance in the future.

  1. Responses to combined abiotic and biotic stress in tomato are governed by stress intensity and resistance mechanism

    PubMed Central

    Kissoudis, Christos; Sunarti, Sri; van de Wiel, Clemens; Visser, Richard G.F.; van der Linden, C. Gerard; Bai, Yuling

    2016-01-01

    Stress conditions in agricultural ecosystems can occur at variable intensities. Different resistance mechanisms against abiotic stress and pathogens are deployed by plants. Thus, it is important to examine plant responses to stress combinations under different scenarios. Here, we evaluated the effect of different levels of salt stress ranging from mild to severe (50, 100, and 150mM NaCl) on powdery mildew resistance and overall performance of tomato introgression lines with contrasting levels of partial resistance, as well as near-isogenic lines (NILs) carrying the resistance gene Ol-1 (associated with a slow hypersensitivity response; HR), ol-2 (an mlo mutant associated with papilla formation), and Ol-4 (an R gene associated with a fast HR). Powdery mildew resistance was affected by salt stress in a genotype- and stress intensity-dependent manner. In susceptible and partial resistant lines, increased susceptibility was observed under mild salt stress (50mM) which was accompanied by accelerated cell death-like senescence. In contrast, severe salt stress (150mM) reduced disease symptoms. Na+ and Cl− accumulation in the leaves was linearly related to the decreased pathogen symptoms under severe stress. In contrast, complete resistance mediated by ol-2 and Ol-4 was unaffected under all treatment combinations, and was associated with a decreased growth penalty. Increased susceptibility and senescence under combined stress in NIL-Ol-1 was associated with the induction of ethylene and jasmonic acid pathway genes and the cell wall invertase gene LIN6. These results highlight the significance of stress severity and resistance type on the plant’s performance under the combination of abiotic and biotic stress. PMID:27436279

  2. Stress responses and the mesolimbic dopamine system: social contexts and sex differences

    PubMed Central

    Trainor, Brian C.

    2011-01-01

    Organisms react to threats with a variety of behavioral, hormonal, and neurobiological responses. The study of biological responses to stress has historically focused on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, but other systems such as the mesolimbic dopamine system are involved. Behavioral neuroendocrinologists have long recognized the importance of the mesolimbic dopamine system in mediating the effects of hormones on species specific behavior, especially aspects of reproductive behavior. There has been less focus on the role of this system in the context of stress, perhaps due to extensive data outlining its importance in reward or approach-based contexts. However, there is steadily growing evidence that the mesolimbic dopamine neurons have critical effects on behavioral responses to stress. Most of these data have been collected from experiments using a small number of animal model species under a limited set of contexts. This approach has led to important discoveries, but evidence is accumulating that mesolimbic dopamine responses are context dependent. Thus, focusing on a limited number of species under a narrow set of controlled conditions constrains our understanding of how the mesolimbic dopamine system regulates behavior in response to stress. Both affiliative and antagonistic social interactions have important effects on mesolimbic dopamine function, and there is preliminary evidence for sex differences as well. This review will highlight the benefits of expanding this approach, and focus on how social contexts and sex differences can impact mesolimbic dopamine stress responses. PMID:21907202

  3. A nuclear-encoded chloroplast protein harboring a single CRM domain plays an important role in the Arabidopsis growth and stress response.

    PubMed

    Lee, Kwanuk; Lee, Hwa Jung; Kim, Dong Hyun; Jeon, Young; Pai, Hyun-Sook; Kang, Hunseung

    2014-04-16

    Although several chloroplast RNA splicing and ribosome maturation (CRM) domain-containing proteins have been characterized for intron splicing and rRNA processing during chloroplast gene expression, the functional role of a majority of CRM domain proteins in plant growth and development as well as chloroplast RNA metabolism remains largely unknown. Here, we characterized the developmental and stress response roles of a nuclear-encoded chloroplast protein harboring a single CRM domain (At4g39040), designated CFM4, in Arabidopsis thaliana. Analysis of CFM4-GFP fusion proteins revealed that CFM4 is localized to chloroplasts. The loss-of-function T-DNA insertion mutants for CFM4 (cfm4) displayed retarded growth and delayed senescence, suggesting that CFM4 plays a role in growth and development of plants under normal growth conditions. In addition, cfm4 mutants showed retarded seed germination and seedling growth under stress conditions. No alteration in the splicing patterns of intron-containing chloroplast genes was observed in the mutant plants, but the processing of 16S and 4.5S rRNAs was abnormal in the mutant plants. Importantly, CFM4 was determined to possess RNA chaperone activity. These results suggest that the chloroplast-targeted CFM4, one of two Arabidopsis genes encoding a single CRM domain-containing protein, harbors RNA chaperone activity and plays a role in the Arabidopsis growth and stress response by affecting rRNA processing in chloroplasts.

  4. A nuclear-encoded chloroplast protein harboring a single CRM domain plays an important role in the Arabidopsis growth and stress response

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Although several chloroplast RNA splicing and ribosome maturation (CRM) domain-containing proteins have been characterized for intron splicing and rRNA processing during chloroplast gene expression, the functional role of a majority of CRM domain proteins in plant growth and development as well as chloroplast RNA metabolism remains largely unknown. Here, we characterized the developmental and stress response roles of a nuclear-encoded chloroplast protein harboring a single CRM domain (At4g39040), designated CFM4, in Arabidopsis thaliana. Results Analysis of CFM4-GFP fusion proteins revealed that CFM4 is localized to chloroplasts. The loss-of-function T-DNA insertion mutants for CFM4 (cfm4) displayed retarded growth and delayed senescence, suggesting that CFM4 plays a role in growth and development of plants under normal growth conditions. In addition, cfm4 mutants showed retarded seed germination and seedling growth under stress conditions. No alteration in the splicing patterns of intron-containing chloroplast genes was observed in the mutant plants, but the processing of 16S and 4.5S rRNAs was abnormal in the mutant plants. Importantly, CFM4 was determined to possess RNA chaperone activity. Conclusions These results suggest that the chloroplast-targeted CFM4, one of two Arabidopsis genes encoding a single CRM domain-containing protein, harbors RNA chaperone activity and plays a role in the Arabidopsis growth and stress response by affecting rRNA processing in chloroplasts. PMID:24739417

  5. Leptin regulates dopamine responses to sustained stress in humans.

    PubMed

    Burghardt, Paul R; Love, Tiffany M; Stohler, Christian S; Hodgkinson, Colin; Shen, Pei-Hong; Enoch, Mary-Anne; Goldman, David; Zubieta, Jon-Kar

    2012-10-31

    Neural systems that identify and respond to salient stimuli are critical for survival in a complex and changing environment. In addition, interindividual differences, including genetic variation and hormonal and metabolic status likely influence the behavioral strategies and neuronal responses to environmental challenges. Here, we examined the relationship between leptin allelic variation and plasma leptin levels with DAD2/3R availability in vivo as measured with [(11)C]raclopride PET at baseline and during a standardized pain stress challenge. Allelic variation in the leptin gene was associated with varying levels of dopamine release in response to the pain stressor, but not with baseline D2/3 receptor availability. Circulating leptin was also positively associated with stress-induced dopamine release. These results show that leptin serves as a regulator of neuronal function in humans and provides an etiological mechanism for differences in dopamine neurotransmission in response to salient stimuli as related to metabolic function. The capacity for leptin to influence stress-induced dopaminergic function is of importance for pathological states where dopamine is thought to play an integral role, such as mood, substance-use disorders, eating disorders, and obesity.

  6. Preoperative oral feeding reduces stress response after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

    PubMed

    Zelić, Marko; Štimac, Davor; Mendrila, Davor; Tokmadžić, Vlatka Sotošek; Fišić, Elizabeta; Uravić, Miljenko; Šustić, Alan

    2013-10-01

    Fasting period before surgery may change metabolic status of the patient and have influence on perioperative stress response. The aim of the study was to investigate effects of preoperative carbohydrate-rich beverage on stress response after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Patients admitted for laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included into study and they were randomized into a group that was fed prior to surgery and in a group that was in the regime of nothing by mouth from the evening one day before surgery. Concentrations of C-reactive protein and cortisol, were measured before and subsequently up to 48 h postoperatively. Postoperative serum C-reactive protein increased significantly in both groups, but the increase was more evident in the group with fasting protocol both 24 and 48 hours postoperatively. In fed patients cortisol concentration measured in the afternoon immediately after the operation showed physiological decline. In patients with fasting protocol postoperative cortisol values rise above the values measured in the morning. Preoperative feeding has advantage over overnight fasting by reducing preoperative discomfort in patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In fed patients, smaller increase in C-reactive protein and better regulation of cortisol levels are an indicator of decreased perioperative stress response.

  7. Restricted and disrupted sleep: effects on autonomic function, neuroendocrine stress systems and stress responsivity.

    PubMed

    Meerlo, Peter; Sgoifo, Andrea; Suchecki, Deborah

    2008-06-01

    Frequently disrupted and restricted sleep is a common problem for many people in our modern around-the-clock society. In this context, it is an important question how sleep loss affects the stress systems in our bodies since these systems enable us to deal with everyday challenges. Altered activity and reactivity of these systems following insufficient sleep might have serious repercussions for health and well-being. Studies on both humans and rodents have shown that sleep deprivation and sleep restriction are conditions often associated with mild, temporary increases in the activity of the major neuroendocrine stress systems, i.e., the autonomic sympatho-adrenal system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Sleep deprivation may not only have a direct activating effect by itself but, in the long run, it may also affect the reactivity of these systems to other stressors and challenges. Although the first signs of alterations in the way people deal with challenges under conditions of restricted sleep appear to be on the level of emotional perception, chronic sleep restriction may ultimately change the fundamental properties of neuroendocrine stress systems as well. Understandably, few controlled studies in humans have been devoted to this topic. Yet, experimental studies in rodents show that chronic sleep restriction may gradually alter neuroendocrine stress responses as well as the central mechanisms involved in the regulation of these responses. Importantly, the available data from studies in laboratory animals suggest that sleep restriction may gradually change certain brain systems and neuroendocrine systems in a manner that is similar to what is seen in stress-related disorders such as depression (e.g., reduced serotonin receptor sensitivity and altered regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis). Such data support the view that insufficient sleep, by acting on stress systems, may sensitize individuals to stress-related disorders. Indeed

  8. Noninvasive beat-to-beat finger arterial pressure monitoring during orthostasis: a comprehensive review of normal and abnormal responses at different ages.

    PubMed

    van Wijnen, V K; Finucane, C; Harms, M P M; Nolan, H; Freeman, R L; Westerhof, B E; Kenny, R A; Ter Maaten, J C; Wieling, W

    2017-12-01

    Over the past 30 years, noninvasive beat-to-beat blood pressure (BP) monitoring has provided great insight into cardiovascular autonomic regulation during standing. Although traditional sphygmomanometric measurement of BP may be sufficient for detection of sustained orthostatic hypotension, it fails to capture the complexity of the underlying dynamic BP and heart rate responses. With the emerging use of noninvasive beat-to-beat BP monitoring for the assessment of orthostatic BP control in clinical and population studies, various definitions for abnormal orthostatic BP patterns have been used. Here, age-related changes in cardiovascular control in healthy subjects will be reviewed to define the spectrum of the most important abnormal orthostatic BP patterns within the first 180 s of standing. Abnormal orthostatic BP responses can be defined as initial orthostatic hypotension (a transient systolic BP fall of >40 mmHg within 15 s of standing), delayed BP recovery (an inability of systolic BP to recover to a value of >20 mmHg below baseline at 30 s after standing) and sustained orthostatic hypotension (a sustained decline in systolic BP of ≥20 mmHg occurring 60-180 s after standing). In the evaluation of patients with light-headedness, pre(syncope), (unexplained) falls or suspected autonomic dysfunction, it is essential to distinguish between normal cardiovascular autonomic regulation and these abnormal orthostatic BP responses. The prevalence, clinical relevance and underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of these patterns differ significantly across the lifespan. Initial orthostatic hypotension is important for identifying causes of syncope in younger adults, whereas delayed BP recovery and sustained orthostatic hypotension are essential for evaluating the risk of falls in older adults. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Internal Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Publication of The Journal of Internal Medicine.

  9. Long-term programing of psychopathology-like behaviors in male rats by peripubertal stress depends on individual's glucocorticoid responsiveness to stress.

    PubMed

    Walker, Sophie E; Sandi, Carmen

    2018-02-07

    Experience of adversity early in life and dysregulation of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis activity are risk factors often independently associated with the development of psychopathological disorders, including depression, PTSD and pathological aggression. Additional evidence suggests that in combination these factors may interact to shape the development and expression of psychopathology differentially, though little is known about underlying mechanisms. Here, we studied the long-term consequences of early life stress exposure on individuals with differential constitutive glucocorticoid responsiveness to repeated stressor exposure, assessing both socio-affective behaviors and brain activity in regions sensitive to pathological alterations following stress. Two rat lines, genetically selected for either low or high glucocorticoid responsiveness to repeated stress were exposed to a series of unpredictable, fear-inducing stressors on intermittent days during the peripuberty period. Results obtained at adulthood indicated that having high glucocorticoid responses to repeated stress and having experience of peripuberty stress independently enhanced levels of psychopathology-like behaviors, as well as increasing basal activity in several prefrontal and limbic brain regions in a manner associated with enhanced behavioral inhibition. Interestingly, peripuberty stress had a differential impact on aggression in the two rat lines, enhancing aggression in the low-responsive line but not in the already high-aggressive, high-responsive rats. Taken together, these findings indicate that aberrant HPA axis activity around puberty, a key period in the development of social repertoire in both rats and humans, may alter behavior such that it becomes anti-social in nature.

  10. Optimism moderates psychophysiological responses to stress in older people with Type 2 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Puig-Perez, S; Hackett, R A; Salvador, A; Steptoe, A

    2017-04-01

    Optimism is thought to be beneficial for health, and these effects may be mediated through modifications in psychophysiological stress reactivity. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with reduced cardiovascular responses to stress and heightened cortisol over the day. This study assessed the relationships between optimism, stress responsivity, and daily cortisol output in people with T2D. A total of 140 participants with T2D were exposed to laboratory stress. Heart rate (HR), systolic (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and cortisol were measured throughout the session. Cortisol output over the day was also assessed. Optimism and self-reported health were measured using the revised Life Orientation Test and the Short Form Health Survey. Optimism was associated with heightened SBP and DBP stress reactivity (ps < .047) and lower daily cortisol output (p = .04). Optimism was not related to HR, cortisol stress responses, or the cortisol awakening response (ps > .180). Low optimism was related to poorer self-reported physical and mental health (ps < .01). Optimism could have a protective role in modulating stress-related autonomic and neuroendocrine dysregulation in people with T2D. © 2016 The Authors. Psychophysiology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  11. The Small RNA GcvB Promotes Mutagenic Break Repair by Opposing the Membrane Stress Response

    PubMed Central

    Barreto, Brittany; Rogers, Elizabeth; Xia, Jun; Frisch, Ryan L.; Richters, Megan; Fitzgerald, Devon M.

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Microbes and human cells possess mechanisms of mutagenesis activated by stress responses. Stress-inducible mutagenesis mechanisms may provide important models for mutagenesis that drives host-pathogen interactions, antibiotic resistance, and possibly much of evolution generally. In Escherichia coli, repair of DNA double-strand breaks is switched to a mutagenic mode, using error-prone DNA polymerases, via the SOS DNA damage and general (σS) stress responses. We investigated small RNA (sRNA) clients of Hfq, an RNA chaperone that promotes mutagenic break repair (MBR), and found that GcvB promotes MBR by allowing a robust σS response, achieved via opposing the membrane stress (σE) response. Cells that lack gcvB were MBR deficient and displayed reduced σS-dependent transcription but not reduced σS protein levels. The defects in MBR and σS-dependent transcription in ΔgcvB cells were alleviated by artificially increasing σS levels, implying that GcvB promotes mutagenesis by allowing a normal σS response. ΔgcvB cells were highly induced for the σE response, and blocking σE response induction restored both mutagenesis and σS-promoted transcription. We suggest that GcvB may promote the σS response and mutagenesis indirectly, by promoting membrane integrity, which keeps σE levels lower. At high levels, σE might outcompete σS for binding RNA polymerase and so reduce the σS response and mutagenesis. The data show the delicate balance of stress response modulation of mutagenesis. IMPORTANCE Mutagenesis mechanisms upregulated by stress responses promote de novo antibiotic resistance and cross-resistance in bacteria, antifungal drug resistance in yeasts, and genome instability in cancer cells under hypoxic stress. This paper describes the role of a small RNA (sRNA) in promoting a stress-inducible-mutagenesis mechanism, mutagenic DNA break repair in Escherichia coli. The roles of many sRNAs in E. coli remain unknown. This study shows that ΔgcvB cells

  12. The Small RNA GcvB Promotes Mutagenic Break Repair by Opposing the Membrane Stress Response.

    PubMed

    Barreto, Brittany; Rogers, Elizabeth; Xia, Jun; Frisch, Ryan L; Richters, Megan; Fitzgerald, Devon M; Rosenberg, Susan M

    2016-12-15

    Microbes and human cells possess mechanisms of mutagenesis activated by stress responses. Stress-inducible mutagenesis mechanisms may provide important models for mutagenesis that drives host-pathogen interactions, antibiotic resistance, and possibly much of evolution generally. In Escherichia coli, repair of DNA double-strand breaks is switched to a mutagenic mode, using error-prone DNA polymerases, via the SOS DNA damage and general (σ S ) stress responses. We investigated small RNA (sRNA) clients of Hfq, an RNA chaperone that promotes mutagenic break repair (MBR), and found that GcvB promotes MBR by allowing a robust σ S response, achieved via opposing the membrane stress (σ E ) response. Cells that lack gcvB were MBR deficient and displayed reduced σ S -dependent transcription but not reduced σ S protein levels. The defects in MBR and σ S -dependent transcription in ΔgcvB cells were alleviated by artificially increasing σ S levels, implying that GcvB promotes mutagenesis by allowing a normal σ S response. ΔgcvB cells were highly induced for the σ E response, and blocking σ E response induction restored both mutagenesis and σ S -promoted transcription. We suggest that GcvB may promote the σ S response and mutagenesis indirectly, by promoting membrane integrity, which keeps σ E levels lower. At high levels, σ E might outcompete σ S for binding RNA polymerase and so reduce the σ S response and mutagenesis. The data show the delicate balance of stress response modulation of mutagenesis. Mutagenesis mechanisms upregulated by stress responses promote de novo antibiotic resistance and cross-resistance in bacteria, antifungal drug resistance in yeasts, and genome instability in cancer cells under hypoxic stress. This paper describes the role of a small RNA (sRNA) in promoting a stress-inducible-mutagenesis mechanism, mutagenic DNA break repair in Escherichia coli The roles of many sRNAs in E. coli remain unknown. This study shows that ΔgcvB cells

  13. Whole body heat stress attenuates the pressure response to muscle metaboreceptor stimulation in humans.

    PubMed

    Cui, Jian; Blaha, Cheryl; Sinoway, Lawrence I

    2016-11-01

    The effects of whole body heat stress on sympathetic and cardiovascular responses to stimulation of muscle metaboreceptors and mechanoreceptors remains unclear. We examined the muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), blood pressure, and heart rate in 14 young healthy subjects during fatiguing isometric handgrip exercise, postexercise circulatory occlusion (PECO), and passive muscle stretch during PECO. The protocol was performed under normothermic and whole body heat stress (increase internal temperature ~0.6°C via a heating suit) conditions. Heat stress increased the resting MSNA and heart rate. Heat stress did not alter the mean blood pressure (MAP), heart rate, and MSNA responses (i.e., changes) to fatiguing exercise. During PECO, whole body heat stress accentuated the heart rate response [change (Δ) of 5.8 ± 1.5 to Δ10.0 ± 2.1 beats/min, P = 0.03], did not alter the MSNA response (Δ16.4 ± 2.8 to Δ17.3 ± 3.8 bursts/min, P = 0.74), and lowered the MAP response (Δ20 ± 2 to Δ12 ± 1 mmHg, P < 0.001). Under normothermic conditions, passive stretch during PECO evoked significant increases in MAP and MSNA (both P < 0.001). Of note, heat stress prevented the MAP and MSNA responses to stretch during PECO (both P > 0.05). These data suggest that whole body heat stress attenuates the pressor response due to metaboreceptor stimulation, and the sympathetic nerve response due to mechanoreceptor stimulation. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

  14. Stress and Bronchodilator Response in Children with Asthma

    PubMed Central

    Brehm, John M.; Ramratnam, Sima K.; Tse, Sze Man; Croteau-Chonka, Damien C.; Pino-Yanes, Maria; Rosas-Salazar, Christian; Litonjua, Augusto A.; Raby, Benjamin A.; Boutaoui, Nadia; Han, Yueh-Ying; Chen, Wei; Forno, Erick; Marsland, Anna L.; Nugent, Nicole R.; Eng, Celeste; Colón-Semidey, Angel; Alvarez, María; Acosta-Pérez, Edna; Spear, Melissa L.; Martinez, Fernando D.; Avila, Lydiana; Weiss, Scott T.; Soto-Quiros, Manuel; Ober, Carole; Nicolae, Dan L.; Barnes, Kathleen C.; Lemanske, Robert F.; Strunk, Robert C.; Liu, Andrew; London, Stephanie J.; Gilliland, Frank; Sleiman, Patrick; March, Michael; Hakonarson, Hakon; Duan, Qing Ling; Kolls, Jay K.; Fritz, Gregory K.; Hu, Donglei; Fani, Negar; Stevens, Jennifer S.; Almli, Lynn M.; Burchard, Esteban G.; Shin, Jaemin; McQuaid, Elizabeth L.; Ressler, Kerry; Canino, Glorisa

    2015-01-01

    Rationale: Stress is associated with asthma morbidity in Puerto Ricans (PRs), who have reduced bronchodilator response (BDR). Objectives: To examine whether stress and/or a gene regulating anxiety (ADCYAP1R1) is associated with BDR in PR and non-PR children with asthma. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of stress and BDR (percent change in FEV1 after BD) in 234 PRs ages 9–14 years with asthma. We assessed child stress using the Checklist of Children’s Distress Symptoms, and maternal stress using the Perceived Stress Scale. Replication analyses were conducted in two cohorts. Polymorphisms in ADCYAP1R1 were genotyped in our study and six replication studies. Multivariable models of stress and BDR were adjusted for age, sex, income, environmental tobacco smoke, and use of inhaled corticosteroids. Measurements and Main Results: High child stress was associated with reduced BDR in three cohorts. PR children who were highly stressed (upper quartile, Checklist of Children’s Distress Symptoms) and whose mothers had high stress (upper quartile, Perceived Stress Scale) had a BDR that was 10.2% (95% confidence interval, 6.1–14.2%) lower than children who had neither high stress nor a highly stressed mother. A polymorphism in ADCYAP1R1 (rs34548976) was associated with reduced BDR. This single-nucleotide polymorphism is associated with reduced expression of the gene for the β2-adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) in CD4+ lymphocytes of subjects with asthma, and it affects brain connectivity of the amygdala and the insula (a biomarker of anxiety). Conclusions: High child stress and an ADCYAP1R1 single-nucleotide polymorphism are associated with reduced BDR in children with asthma. This is likely caused by down-regulation of ADRB2 in highly stressed children. PMID:25918834

  15. Stress and Bronchodilator Response in Children with Asthma.

    PubMed

    Brehm, John M; Ramratnam, Sima K; Tse, Sze Man; Croteau-Chonka, Damien C; Pino-Yanes, Maria; Rosas-Salazar, Christian; Litonjua, Augusto A; Raby, Benjamin A; Boutaoui, Nadia; Han, Yueh-Ying; Chen, Wei; Forno, Erick; Marsland, Anna L; Nugent, Nicole R; Eng, Celeste; Colón-Semidey, Angel; Alvarez, María; Acosta-Pérez, Edna; Spear, Melissa L; Martinez, Fernando D; Avila, Lydiana; Weiss, Scott T; Soto-Quiros, Manuel; Ober, Carole; Nicolae, Dan L; Barnes, Kathleen C; Lemanske, Robert F; Strunk, Robert C; Liu, Andrew; London, Stephanie J; Gilliland, Frank; Sleiman, Patrick; March, Michael; Hakonarson, Hakon; Duan, Qing Ling; Kolls, Jay K; Fritz, Gregory K; Hu, Donglei; Fani, Negar; Stevens, Jennifer S; Almli, Lynn M; Burchard, Esteban G; Shin, Jaemin; McQuaid, Elizabeth L; Ressler, Kerry; Canino, Glorisa; Celedón, Juan C

    2015-07-01

    Stress is associated with asthma morbidity in Puerto Ricans (PRs), who have reduced bronchodilator response (BDR). To examine whether stress and/or a gene regulating anxiety (ADCYAP1R1) is associated with BDR in PR and non-PR children with asthma. This was a cross-sectional study of stress and BDR (percent change in FEV1 after BD) in 234 PRs ages 9-14 years with asthma. We assessed child stress using the Checklist of Children's Distress Symptoms, and maternal stress using the Perceived Stress Scale. Replication analyses were conducted in two cohorts. Polymorphisms in ADCYAP1R1 were genotyped in our study and six replication studies. Multivariable models of stress and BDR were adjusted for age, sex, income, environmental tobacco smoke, and use of inhaled corticosteroids. High child stress was associated with reduced BDR in three cohorts. PR children who were highly stressed (upper quartile, Checklist of Children's Distress Symptoms) and whose mothers had high stress (upper quartile, Perceived Stress Scale) had a BDR that was 10.2% (95% confidence interval, 6.1-14.2%) lower than children who had neither high stress nor a highly stressed mother. A polymorphism in ADCYAP1R1 (rs34548976) was associated with reduced BDR. This single-nucleotide polymorphism is associated with reduced expression of the gene for the β2-adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) in CD4(+) lymphocytes of subjects with asthma, and it affects brain connectivity of the amygdala and the insula (a biomarker of anxiety). High child stress and an ADCYAP1R1 single-nucleotide polymorphism are associated with reduced BDR in children with asthma. This is likely caused by down-regulation of ADRB2 in highly stressed children.

  16. Depression and anxiety predict sex-specific cortisol responses to interpersonal stress.

    PubMed

    Powers, Sally I; Laurent, Heidemarie K; Gunlicks-Stoessel, Meredith; Balaban, Susan; Bent, Eileen

    2016-07-01

    Clinical theories posit interpersonal stress as an important factor in the emergence and exacerbation of depression and anxiety, while neuroendocrine research confirms the association of these syndromes with dysregulation in a major stress response system, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. However, the proposal that depression and anxiety symptoms and diagnoses are associated with problematic HPA responses to close relationship stress has not been directly tested. We examined 196 heterosexual dating couples' depression and anxiety symptoms and diagnoses, assessed with questionnaires and diagnostic interviews, in relation to cortisol responses to discussion of an unresolved relationship conflict. Participants provided seven salivary samples in anticipation of and directly following the discussion, and throughout an hour-long recovery period, which were assayed for cortisol. Multilevel models of the HPA response predicted by symptoms or diagnoses showed that women's depressive symptoms predicted attenuated cortisol levels, with a flatter response curve. In contrast, men's depression symptoms and women's anxiety symptoms and diagnoses predicted higher cortisol levels. These findings highlight the importance of examining sex differences in responses to interpersonal stressors for understanding HPA dysregulation in internalizing psychopathology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Identification of Nutritional Stress-Responsive miRNAs in Phaseolus vulgaris

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators for Arabidopsis development and stress responses. A hybridization approach using miRNAs-macroarrays was used to identify miRNAs that respond to nutritional stress in Phaseolus vulgaris. miRNAs-macroarrays were prepared by printing nylon filters with DNA syntheti...

  18. Personality, Stressful Life Events, and Treatment Response in Major Depression

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bulmash, Eric; Harkness, Kate L.; Stewart, Jeremy G.; Bagby, R. Michael

    2009-01-01

    The current study examined whether the personality traits of self-criticism or dependency moderated the effect of stressful life events on treatment response. Depressed outpatients (N = 113) were randomized to 16 weeks of cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, or antidepressant medication (ADM). Stressful life events were…

  19. Uncovering microRNA-mediated response to SO2 stress in Arabidopsis thaliana by deep sequencing.

    PubMed

    Li, Lihong; Xue, Meizhao; Yi, Huilan

    2016-10-05

    Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a major air pollutant and has significant impacts on plants. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of gene expression regulators that play important roles in response to environmental stresses. In this study, deep sequencing was used for genome-wide identification of miRNAs and their expression profiles in response to SO2 stress in Arabidopsis thaliana shoots. A total of 27 conserved miRNAs and 5 novel miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed under SO2 stress. qRT-PCR analysis showed mostly negative correlation between miRNA accumulation and target gene mRNA abundance, suggesting regulatory roles of these miRNAs during SO2 exposure. The target genes of SO2-responsive miRNAs encode transcription factors and proteins that regulate auxin signaling and stress response, and the miRNAs-mediated suppression of these genes could improve plant resistance to SO2 stress. Promoter sequence analysis of genes encoding SO2-responsive miRNAs showed that stress-responsive and phytohormone-related cis-regulatory elements occurred frequently, providing additional evidence of the involvement of miRNAs in adaption to SO2 stress. This study represents a comprehensive expression profiling of SO2-responsive miRNAs in Arabidopsis and broads our perspective on the ubiquitous regulatory roles of miRNAs under stress conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Glucoregulatory responses of adult and aged rats after exposure to chronic stress.

    PubMed

    Odio, M R; Brodish, A

    1990-01-01

    Stress has been implicated as an environmental factor that may accelerate the process of biological aging. However, this proposal has remained largely anecdotal due to relatively few studies that directly tested this hypothesis. In the present experiments groups of 6-month-old and 20-month-old male F-344 rats were chronically stressed for a six-month period. After the last stress session, when the animals were 12 months of age (adult) and 26 months of age (old), control and chronically stressed rats were tested for their ability to: (a) elicit glucose and insulin responses to an acute, novel stressor; (b) remove a circulatory glucose load elicited either by acute stress exposure or by injection of d-glucose; and (c) raise insulin levels after a glucose challenge. In control rats, we observed a deficit in each of these parameters in old compared to adult rats. Exposure to chronic stress did not exacerbate deterioration of these response mechanisms in either adult or old rats. In fact, the data showed a modest improvement in glucose tolerance in chronically stressed compared to age-matched control rats. We conclude that chronic stress did not exacerbate age-dependent decline of glucoregulatory capacity. From these results and from our earlier work, we speculate that the decline during aging of the functional integrity of systems involved in the response to stress may be sustained by periodic challenges from the organism's external environment.