Ethanol’s Effect on Coq7 Expression in the Hippocampus of Mice

Abstract

Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is a well-studied molecule, present in every cell membrane in the body, best known for its roles as a mitochondrial electron transporter and a potent membrane anti-oxidant. Much of the previous work was done in vitro in yeast and more recent work has suggested that CoQ may have additional roles prompting calls for a re-assessment of its role using in vivo systems in mammals. Here we investigated the putative role of Coenzyme Q in ethanol-induced effects in vivo using BXD RI mice. We examined hippocampal expression of Coq7 in saline controls and after an acute ethanol treatment, noting enriched biologic processes and pathways following ethanol administration. We also identified 45 ethanol-related phenotypes that were significantly correlated with Coq7 expression, including six phenotypes related to conditioned taste aversion and ethanol preference. This analysis highlights the need for further investigation of Coq7 and related genes in vivo as well as previously unrecognized roles that it may play in the hippocampus.

A platform for experimental precision medicine: The extended BXD mouse family

“…The BXD Family Is the Largest and the Most Deeply Phenotyped Mammalian Genetic Reference Panel Data sets for the BXD encompass multiple levels-from single molecules to complex behavioral repertoires and to traits measured with environmental perturbations, including exposure to alcohol and drugs of abuse (Dickson et al, 2019;Mulligan et al, 2018;Thé berge et al, 2019;Zhou et al, 2018), infectious agents (Boon et al, 2014;Chella Krishnan et al, 2016;Russo et al, 2015), dietary modifications (Fleet et al, 2016;Jha et al, 2018bJha et al, , 2018aJones and Jellen, 2017;Reyes Fernandez et al, 2016;Rodrigues et al, 2017), stress (Diessler et al, 2018;Jung et al, 2017), and even as a function of age (Sandoval-Sierra et al, 2020;Williams et al, 2020). This phenome is linked to over 500 publications, including state-of-the-art proteome, metabolome (Williams et al, 2018(Williams et al, , 2020, epigenome (Baker et al, 2019;Sandoval-Sierra et al, 2019), and metagenome (Perez-Munoz et al, 2019) data sets available on GeneNetwork.org.…”

Metabolomic Analysis Uncovers Energy Supply Disturbance as an Underlying Mechanism of the Development of Alcohol‐Associated Liver Cirrhosis

“…( 18,23 ) Patients with alcoholic cirrhosis have the alterations in the level of CoQ, the mitochondrial respiratory chain carrier and a potent membrane anti‐oxidant. ( 19,24 ) The observation may be related to the changes in the inflammatory cytokines, leading to the depletion of CoQ in these patients. ( 25,26 ) Alcohol metabolism causes the accumulation of ROS products and intracellular oxidative stress.…”

Reaction Time and Visual Memory in Connection with Alcohol Use in Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder

“…Some animal model studies found negative association between alcohol and cognition mediated by reductions in cell density in the cerebral cortex [ 102 ] and alterations of cholinergic interneurons in the Nucleus Accumbens [ 103 ]. Other animal model studies suggested positive association between alcohol and cognition thought to be mediated by enhancement of brain metabolite clearance [ 104 ] and activation of the vagus nerve [ 105 ], antioxidant system [ 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 ], and other biological processes [ 110 , 111 , 112 ]. However, none of these findings have thus far been confirmed to be causally important.…”