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Free keywords:
amygdala; antidepressants; anxiety; FKBP51; PTSD
Abstract:
Anxiety-related psychiatric disorders represent one of the largest
health burdens worldwide. Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the FK506
binding protein 51 (FKBP51) gene have been repeatedly associated with
anxiety-related disorders and stress sensitivity. Given the intimate
relationship of stress and anxiety, we hypothesized that amygdala FKBP51
may mediate anxiety-related behaviors. Mimicking the stress effect by
specifically overexpressing FKBP51 in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) or
central amygdala resulted in increased anxiety-related behavior,
respectively. In contrast, application of a highly selective FKBP51
point mutant antagonist, following FKBP51(mut) BLA-overexpression,
reduced the anxiogenic phenotype. We subsequently tested a novel FKBP51
antagonist, SAFit2, in wild-type mice via BLA microinjections, which
reduced anxiety-related behavior. Remarkably, the same effect was
observed following peripheral administration of SAFit2. To our
knowledge, this is the first in vivo study using a specific FKBP51
antagonist, thereby unraveling the role of FKBP51 and its potential as a
novel drug target for the improved treatment of anxiety-related
disorders.
