LPS-induced neuroinflammation induces changes in the transcriptional profile of members of the CoRest repressive complex in the hippocampus

The action of Corepressor for Element Silencing Transcription Factor 1 (CoREST) is primarily related to neural fate decisions. However, the molecular mechanisms linking neuroinflammation to the histone modifying complex remain unclear. CoREST is a hub for several cofactors that play important roles in epigenetic remodeling and transcriptional regulation. It allows us to question their functions during the inflammatory response in the Central Nervous System. The impact of LPS-induced neuroinflammation on the transcriptional epigenetic control of members with CoRest repressive complex in the hippocampus was investigated. Characterizing the basal transcriptional profile in the hippocampus of members with CoREST repressive complex showed that the Rcor3 is the most expressed gene, and the Rcor2 is the least expressed one. It was also demonstrated that the levels of Lsd1, CoREST1 (Rcor1), and CoREST2 (Rcor2) transcripts increased in the hippocampus after LPS i.p. administration, while for CoREST3 (Rcor3), no significant difference was observed. A significant increase was noticed in the percentages of the 5-meC mark (Hypermethylation) for the Rcor1 and Lsd1 genes with a positive Pearson correlation between methylation and expression. However, the correlation was directly proportional, ruling out DNA methylation as the main mechanism in transcriptional control.