title: Gene expression profiling in peripheral blood leukocytes as a new approach for assessment of human stress response.
abstract: Stress is the coordinated physiological processes to maintain a dynamic equilibrium under stressful conditions. The equilibrium is threatened by certain physiological and psychological stressors. Stressors trigger physiological, behavioural, and metabolic responses that are aimed at reinstating homeostasis. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system play an essential role in the stress response. Excessive,prolonged, or inadequate response that is termed as "allostasis" or "allostatic load" leads to pathological outcomes. Dysregulation of the HPA axis activity is involved in the pathogenesis of stress-related disorders including major depression. The complex brain-immune-endocrine network regulates the HPA axis, and hereditary predisposition as well as environmental factors such as traumatic experiences in early life also modifies the capacity of an individual to cope. Therefore, it is difficult to correctly assess the complex stress response. We have developed a microarray carrying 1,467 cDNAs that were selected to specifically measure stress response in peripheral blood leukocytes. Using this tool, we have succeeded to objectively assess individual response to acute psychological stress and to detect unique expression profiles in patients with depression. Gene expression profile in peripheral blood leukocytes may be a potentially useful for the detection of disease-associated, abnormal stress responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Stress Science, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rokutan
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: Kumiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tominaga
authors.forename: Michiyo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shikishima
authors.forename: Shigetada
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Teshima-Kondo
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Omori
authors.forename: Atsuo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sekiyama
mesh_terms: D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics