CREB binding and activity in brain: regional specificity and induction by electroconvulsive seizure.
BACKGROUND
The transcription factor cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein (CREB) orchestrates diverse neurobiological processes including cell differentiation, survival, and plasticity. Alterations in CREB-mediated transcription have been implicated in numerous central nervous system (CNS) disorders including depression, anxiety, addiction, and cognitive decline. However, it remains unclear how CREB contributes to normal and aberrant CNS function, as the identity of CREB-regulated genes in brain and the regional and temporal dynamics of CREB function remain largely undetermined.


METHODS
We combined microarray and chromatin immunoprecipitation technology to analyze CREB-DNA interactions in brain. We compared the occupancy and activity of CREB at gene promoters in rat frontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatum before and after a rodent model of electroconvulsive therapy.


RESULTS
Our analysis identified >860 CREB binding sites in rat brain. We identified multiple genomic loci enriched with CREB binding sites and find that CREB-occupied transcripts interact extensively to promote cell proliferation, plasticity, and resiliency. We discovered regional differences in CREB occupancy and activity that explain, in part, the diverse biological and behavioral outputs of CREB activity in frontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatum. Electroconvulsive seizure rapidly increased CREB occupancy and/or phosphorylation at select promoters, demonstrating that both events contribute to the temporal regulation of the CREB transcriptome.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data provide a mechanistic basis for CREB's ability to integrate regional and temporal cues to orchestrate state-specific patterns of transcription in the brain, indicate that CREB is an important mediator of the biological responses to electroconvulsive seizure, and provide global mechanistic insights into CREB's role in psychiatric and cognitive function.
Tanis
Keith Quincy
KQ
Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Abraham Ribibcoff Research Facilities, Department of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Duman
Ronald Stanton
RS
Newton
Samuel Sathyanesan
SS
D000818:Animals; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050882:CREB-Binding Protein / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D003863:Depression / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D047468:Immunoprecipitation; D008297:Male; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D040081:Protein Array Analysis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology
D050882:CREB-Binding Protein