%0 Report %A Cole, Steven W. %A Conti, Gabriella %A Arevalo, Jesusa M. %A Ruggiero, Angela M. %A Heckman, James J. %A Suomi, Stephen J. %T Transcriptional Modulation of the Developing Immune System by Early Life Social Adversity %D 2012 %8 2012 Oct %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) %C Bonn %7 IZA Discussion Paper %N 6915 %U https://www.iza.org/publications/dp6915 %X To identify molecular mechanisms by which early life social conditions might influence adult risk of disease in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), we analyze changes in basal leukocyte gene expression profiles in 4-month-old animals reared under adverse social conditions. Compared to the basal condition of maternal rearing (MR), leukocytes from peer-reared (PR) animals and PR animals provided with an inanimate surrogate mother (surrogate/peer reared; SPR) show enhanced expression of genes involved in inflammation, cytokine signaling, and T lymphocyte activation, and suppression of genes involved in several innate antimicrobial defenses including Type I Interferon antiviral responses. Promoter-based bioinformatic analyses implicate increased activity of CREB and NF-κB transcription factors and decreased activity of Interferon Response Factors (IRFs) in structuring the observed differences in gene expression. Transcript origin analyses identify monocytes and CD4+ T lymphocytes as primary cellular mediators of transcriptional up-regulation and B lymphocytes as major sources of down-regulated genes. These findings show that adverse social conditions can become embedded within the basal transcriptome of primate immune cells within the first 4 months of life, and they implicate sympathetic nervous system-linked transcription control pathways as candidate mediators of those effects and potential targets for health-protective intervention. %K primates %K development %K social adversity %K stress %K gene expression %K immune system