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Early nurture epigenetically tunes the oxytocin receptor.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Perkeybile, AM; Carter, CS; Wroblewski, KL; Puglia, MH; Kenkel, WM; Lillard, TS; Karaoli, T; Gregory, SG; Mohammadi, N; Epstein, L; Bales, KL ...
Published in: Psychoneuroendocrinology
January 2019

Mammalian sociality is regulated in part by the neuropeptide oxytocin. In prairie voles, subtle variation in early life experience changes oxytocin receptor-mediated social behaviors. We report that low levels of early care in voles leads to de novo DNA methylation at specific regulatory sites in the oxytocin receptor gene (Oxtr), impacting gene expression and protein distribution in the nucleus accumbens. DNA methylation state of the blood predicts expression in the brain indicating the utility of the blood as a biomarker for the transcription state of the brain. These experience-sensitive CpG sites are conserved in humans, are related to gene expression in the brain, and have been associated with psychiatric disorders and individual differences in neural response to social stimuli. These results identify a mechanism by which early care regulates later displays of typical prairie vole social behavior and suggest the potential for nurture driven epigenetic tuning of OXTR in humans.

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Published In

Psychoneuroendocrinology

DOI

EISSN

1873-3360

Publication Date

January 2019

Volume

99

Start / End Page

128 / 136

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Behavior
  • Receptors, Oxytocin
  • Psychiatry
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Pair Bond
  • Oxytocin
  • Nucleus Accumbens
  • Mothers
  • Maternal Behavior
  • Male
 

Citation

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Perkeybile, A. M., Carter, C. S., Wroblewski, K. L., Puglia, M. H., Kenkel, W. M., Lillard, T. S., … Connelly, J. J. (2019). Early nurture epigenetically tunes the oxytocin receptor. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 99, 128–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.08.037
Perkeybile, Allison M., C Sue Carter, Kelly L. Wroblewski, Meghan H. Puglia, William M. Kenkel, Travis S. Lillard, Themistoclis Karaoli, et al. “Early nurture epigenetically tunes the oxytocin receptor.Psychoneuroendocrinology 99 (January 2019): 128–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.08.037.
Perkeybile AM, Carter CS, Wroblewski KL, Puglia MH, Kenkel WM, Lillard TS, et al. Early nurture epigenetically tunes the oxytocin receptor. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019 Jan;99:128–36.
Perkeybile, Allison M., et al. “Early nurture epigenetically tunes the oxytocin receptor.Psychoneuroendocrinology, vol. 99, Jan. 2019, pp. 128–36. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.08.037.
Perkeybile AM, Carter CS, Wroblewski KL, Puglia MH, Kenkel WM, Lillard TS, Karaoli T, Gregory SG, Mohammadi N, Epstein L, Bales KL, Connelly JJ. Early nurture epigenetically tunes the oxytocin receptor. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019 Jan;99:128–136.
Journal cover image

Published In

Psychoneuroendocrinology

DOI

EISSN

1873-3360

Publication Date

January 2019

Volume

99

Start / End Page

128 / 136

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Behavior
  • Receptors, Oxytocin
  • Psychiatry
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Pair Bond
  • Oxytocin
  • Nucleus Accumbens
  • Mothers
  • Maternal Behavior
  • Male