Craig T Werner1, Rathipriya Viswanathan1, Jennifer A Martin1, Pedro H Gobira2, Swarup Mitra1, Shruthi A Thomas1, Zi-Jun Wang1, Jian-Feng Liu1, Andrew F Stewart1, Rachael L Neve3, Jun-Xu Li1, Amy M Gancarz4, David M Dietz5. 1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Program in Neuroscience, Research Institute on Addictions, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York. 2. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Program in Neuroscience, Research Institute on Addictions, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York; Department of Physics and Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. 3. Gene Delivery Technology Core, Massachusetts General Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 4. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Program in Neuroscience, Research Institute on Addictions, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York; Department of Psychology, California State University, Bakersfield, Bakersfield, California. 5. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Program in Neuroscience, Research Institute on Addictions, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York; Department of Psychology, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York. Electronic address: ddietz@buffalo.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Substance use disorder is a neurobiological disease characterized by episodes of relapse despite periods of withdrawal. It is thought that neuroadaptations in discrete brain areas of the reward pathway, including the nucleus accumbens, underlie these aberrant behaviors. The ubiquitin-proteasome system degrades proteins and has been shown to be involved in cocaine-induced plasticity, but the role of E3 ubiquitin ligases, which conjugate ubiquitin to substrates, is unknown. Here, we examined E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase SMURF1 (SMURF1) in neuroadaptations and relapse behavior during withdrawal following cocaine self-administration. METHODS: SMURF1 and downstream targets ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA), SMAD1/5, and Runt-related transcript factor 2 were examined using Western blotting (n = 9-11/group), quantitative polymerase chain reaction (n = 6-9/group), co-immunoprecipitation (n = 9-11/group), tandem ubiquitin binding entities affinity purification (n = 5-6/group), and quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation (n = 3-6/group) (2 rats/sample). Viral-mediated gene transfer (n = 7-12/group) and intra-accumbal microinjections (n = 9-10/group) were used to examine causal roles of SMURF1 and substrate RhoA, respectively, in cue-induced cocaine seeking. RESULTS: SMURF1 protein expression was decreased, while SMURF1 substrates RhoA and SMAD1/5 were increased, in the nucleus accumbens on withdrawal day 7, but not on withdrawal day 1, following cocaine self-administration. Viral-mediated gene transfer of Smurf1 or constitutive activation of RhoA attenuated cue-induced cocaine seeking, while catalytically inactive Smurf1 enhanced cocaine seeking. Furthermore, SMURF1-regulated, SMAD1/5-associated transcription factor Runt-related transcript factor 2 displayed increased binding at promoter regions of genes previously associated with cocaine-induced plasticity. CONCLUSIONS: SMURF1 is a key mediator of neuroadaptations in the nucleus accumbens following cocaine exposure and mediates cue-induced cocaine seeking during withdrawal.
BACKGROUND: Substance use disorder is a neurobiological disease characterized by episodes of relapse despite periods of withdrawal. It is thought that neuroadaptations in discrete brain areas of the reward pathway, including the nucleus accumbens, underlie these aberrant behaviors. The ubiquitin-proteasome system degrades proteins and has been shown to be involved in cocaine-induced plasticity, but the role of E3 ubiquitin ligases, which conjugate ubiquitin to substrates, is unknown. Here, we examined E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase SMURF1 (SMURF1) in neuroadaptations and relapse behavior during withdrawal following cocaine self-administration. METHODS:SMURF1 and downstream targets ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA), SMAD1/5, and Runt-related transcript factor 2 were examined using Western blotting (n = 9-11/group), quantitative polymerase chain reaction (n = 6-9/group), co-immunoprecipitation (n = 9-11/group), tandem ubiquitin binding entities affinity purification (n = 5-6/group), and quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation (n = 3-6/group) (2 rats/sample). Viral-mediated gene transfer (n = 7-12/group) and intra-accumbal microinjections (n = 9-10/group) were used to examine causal roles of SMURF1 and substrate RhoA, respectively, in cue-induced cocaine seeking. RESULTS:SMURF1 protein expression was decreased, while SMURF1 substrates RhoA and SMAD1/5 were increased, in the nucleus accumbens on withdrawal day 7, but not on withdrawal day 1, following cocaine self-administration. Viral-mediated gene transfer of Smurf1 or constitutive activation of RhoA attenuated cue-induced cocaine seeking, while catalytically inactive Smurf1 enhanced cocaine seeking. Furthermore, SMURF1-regulated, SMAD1/5-associated transcription factor Runt-related transcript factor 2 displayed increased binding at promoter regions of genes previously associated with cocaine-induced plasticity. CONCLUSIONS:SMURF1 is a key mediator of neuroadaptations in the nucleus accumbens following cocaine exposure and mediates cue-induced cocaine seeking during withdrawal.
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