Studying the epigenetic regulations of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using a social defeat mouse model

Traumatic stress responses manifest as an anxiety syndrome (PTSD) that develops after exposure to traumatic life events. Only some of the exposed individuals develop PTSD, these individual differences in susceptibility and maladaptive response to stress have led to an increased interest in elucidating the underlying genetic regulation. Epigenetic mechanisms help understand the integrated effect of predisposition and traumatic exposure on PTSD. We developed a social defeat mouse model which parallels the classic symptoms of PTSD like avoidance, increased startle response and sleep disturbance. Functionally relevant regions of the brain were harvested from successfully developed model. DNA was extracted by TRIzol method and DNA methylation microarray performed by mouse oligo aCGH/ChIP‐on‐chip. Feature extraction and statistical analysis show that the epigenetic profiles between the stressed and the control animals vary significantly. Furthermore, genes like neuropilin‐2 (Nrp2), nuclear receptor coactivator 2 (Ncoa2), actin related protein 1 (Actr1b) whose methylation levels are differentially regulated serve as biomarkers for stress vulnerability and stress resilience. We extend our heartfelt thanks to United States Army Medical Research and Material Command (MRMC) for their support.