Advisor Information
Rosemary Strasser
Location
MBSC 304
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
6-3-2020 9:00 AM
End Date
6-3-2020 10:15 AM
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) has been linked to endocrine dysregulation, insecure attachment styles, and adult psychopathology. The enduring effects of ELS are likely regulated by epigenetic mechanisms in which the environment influences gene transcription and protein expression. We investigated oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) methylation as a potential underlying mechanism by which early life stress affects stress reactivity and attachment later in life in a dog model system. 47 dog-owner dyads were grouped by dog early life history (ELS and non-ELS) and provided blood and saliva samples. Dyads participated in a behavioral attachment paradigm. ELS dogs showed increased methylation at one specific CpG site near the OXTR promotor. Dogs from ELS backgrounds initiated contact with and maintained proximity to owners at higher levels than non-ELS dogs before separation from owners. A significant interaction was found between methylation at CpG site -727 and ELS, such that in ELS dogs, increased methylation was associated with an increased change in cortisol, longer duration of affiliative behaviors, and greater proximity before separation from their owner, but no such relationship was observed for non-ELS dogs. These results suggest that dogs with ELS histories may be more sensitive to the effects of DNA methylation, or that these effects may be compounded in ELS dogs due to methylation across other endocrine systems, like the HPA axis. These results are consistent with literature on ELS and OXTR and support the dog model system as a useful tool in studying the prolonged effects of ELS on social behavior.
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Included in
Is the Relationship Between Early Life Stress and Attachment Modulated by DNA Methylation of the Oxytocin Receptor Gene?
MBSC 304
Early life stress (ELS) has been linked to endocrine dysregulation, insecure attachment styles, and adult psychopathology. The enduring effects of ELS are likely regulated by epigenetic mechanisms in which the environment influences gene transcription and protein expression. We investigated oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) methylation as a potential underlying mechanism by which early life stress affects stress reactivity and attachment later in life in a dog model system. 47 dog-owner dyads were grouped by dog early life history (ELS and non-ELS) and provided blood and saliva samples. Dyads participated in a behavioral attachment paradigm. ELS dogs showed increased methylation at one specific CpG site near the OXTR promotor. Dogs from ELS backgrounds initiated contact with and maintained proximity to owners at higher levels than non-ELS dogs before separation from owners. A significant interaction was found between methylation at CpG site -727 and ELS, such that in ELS dogs, increased methylation was associated with an increased change in cortisol, longer duration of affiliative behaviors, and greater proximity before separation from their owner, but no such relationship was observed for non-ELS dogs. These results suggest that dogs with ELS histories may be more sensitive to the effects of DNA methylation, or that these effects may be compounded in ELS dogs due to methylation across other endocrine systems, like the HPA axis. These results are consistent with literature on ELS and OXTR and support the dog model system as a useful tool in studying the prolonged effects of ELS on social behavior.