Transcriptomic Analysis of Glycosylation and Neuroregulatory Pathways in Rodent Models in Response to Psychedelic Molecules

Abstract

The potential for psychedelic molecules in impacting cognitive flexibility has long been supported and acknowledged across scientific reports. In the current study, an approach leveraging knowledge-based gene-set information analysis has been adopted to explore the potential impact of psychedelic molecules on both glycosylation, (a post-translational modifications (PTM)) and on neuro-regulatory pathways. Though limitations and restrictions rise from the scarcity of publicly available ‘omics’ data, targeted analysis enabled us to identify a number of key glycogenes (Hexb, Hs6st2, Col9a2, B3gat2, Mgat5, Bgn) involved the structural organization of extracellular matrix and neuroprotective factors (Kl, Pomc, Oxt, Gal, Avp, Cartpt) which play vital roles in neuron protection, development as well as synaptic stability. In response to psychedelic molecules, we found that these genes and associated pathways are transcriptional altered in rodent models. The approach used indicates the potential to exploit existing datasets for hypothesis generation and testing for the molecular processes which play a role in the physiological response to psychedelic molecule effects. These reported findings, which focused on alterations in glycogenes and neuro-regulatory factors may provide a novel range of biomarkers to track the beneficial, as well as potential toxicological effects of psychedelic molecules.