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ZBTB7A regulates MDD-specific chromatin signatures and astrocyte-mediated stress vulnerability in orbitofrontal cortex
- PMID: 37205394
- PMCID: PMC10187272
- DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.04.539425
ZBTB7A regulates MDD-specific chromatin signatures and astrocyte-mediated stress vulnerability in orbitofrontal cortex
Update in
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Major-depressive-disorder-associated dysregulation of ZBTB7A in orbitofrontal cortex promotes astrocyte-mediated stress susceptibility.Neuron. 2025 Aug 20;113(16):2656-2672.e13. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2025.05.023. Epub 2025 Jun 13. Neuron. 2025. PMID: 40516534 Free PMC article.
Abstract
Hyperexcitability in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is a key clinical feature of anhedonic domains of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). However, the cellular and molecular substrates underlying this dysfunction remain unknown. Here, cell-population-specific chromatin accessibility profiling in human OFC unexpectedly mapped genetic risk for MDD exclusively to non-neuronal cells, and transcriptomic analyses revealed significant glial dysregulation in this region. Characterization of MDD-specific cis-regulatory elements identified ZBTB7A - a transcriptional regulator of astrocyte reactivity - as an important mediator of MDD-specific chromatin accessibility and gene expression. Genetic manipulations in mouse OFC demonstrated that astrocytic Zbtb7a is both necessary and sufficient to promote behavioral deficits, cell-type-specific transcriptional and chromatin profiles, and OFC neuronal hyperexcitability induced by chronic stress - a major risk factor for MDD. These data thus highlight a critical role for OFC astrocytes in stress vulnerability and pinpoint ZBTB7A as a key dysregulated factor in MDD that mediates maladaptive astrocytic functions driving OFC hyperexcitability.
Conflict of interest statement
Competing financial interests The authors declare no competing financial interests.
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References
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