Article
Maternal care and DNA methylation of a glutamic acid decarboxylase 1 promoter in rat hippocampus.
Sackler Program for Epigenetics and Developmental Psychobiology at McGill University, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H4H 1R3, Canada.
Journal of Neuroscience (impact factor:
7.11).
09/2010;
30(39):13130-7.
DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1039-10.2010
pp.13130-7
Source: PubMed
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Citations (0)
- Cited In (3)
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Article: Gender differences in associations of glutamate decarboxylase 1 gene (GAD1) variants with panic disorder.
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ABSTRACT: Panic disorder is common (5% prevalence) and females are twice as likely to be affected as males. The heritable component of panic disorder is estimated at 48%. Glutamic acid dehydrogenase GAD1, the key enzyme for the synthesis of the inhibitory and anxiolytic neurotransmitter GABA, is supposed to influence various mental disorders, including mood and anxiety disorders. In a recent association study in depression, which is highly comorbid with panic disorder, GAD1 risk allele associations were restricted to females. Nineteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) tagging the common variation in GAD1 were genotyped in two independent gender and age matched case-control samples (discovery sample n = 478; replication sample n = 584). Thirteen SNPs passed quality control and were examined for gender-specific enrichment of risk alleles associated with panic disorder by using logistic regression including a genotype×gender interaction term. The latter was found to be nominally significant for four SNPs (rs1978340, rs3762555, rs3749034, rs2241165) in the discovery sample; of note, the respective minor/risk alleles were associated with panic disorder only in females. These findings were not confirmed in the replication sample; however, the genotype×gender interaction of rs3749034 remained significant in the combined sample. Furthermore, this polymorphism showed a nominally significant association with the Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire sum score. The present study represents the first systematic evaluation of gender-specific enrichment of risk alleles of the common SNP variation in the panic disorder candidate gene GAD1. Our tentative results provide a possible explanation for the higher susceptibility of females to panic disorder.PLoS ONE 01/2012; 7(5):e37651. · 4.09 Impact Factor -
Article: DNA methylation analysis of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene in major depression.
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ABSTRACT: The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) has been repeatedly discussed as susceptibility factor for major depression (MD) and the bi-directional relation between MD and cardiovascular disorders (CVD). In this context, functional polymorphisms of the ACE gene have been linked to depression, to antidepressant treatment response, to ACE serum concentrations, as well as to hypertension, myocardial infarction and CVD risk markers. The mostly investigated ACE Ins/Del polymorphism accounts for ~40%-50% of the ACE serum concentration variance, the remaining half is probably determined by other genetic, environmental or epigenetic factors, but these are poorly understood. The main aim of the present study was the analysis of the DNA methylation pattern in the regulatory region of the ACE gene in peripheral leukocytes of 81 MD patients and 81 healthy controls. We detected intensive DNA methylation within a recently described, functional important region of the ACE gene promoter including hypermethylation in depressed patients (p = 0.008) and a significant inverse correlation between the ACE serum concentration and ACE promoter methylation frequency in the total sample (p = 0.02). Furthermore, a significant inverse correlation between the concentrations of the inflammatory CVD risk markers ICAM-1, E-selectin and P-selectin and the degree of ACE promoter methylation in MD patients could be demonstrated (p = 0.01 - 0.04). The results of the present study suggest that aberrations in ACE promoter DNA methylation may be an underlying cause of MD and probably a common pathogenic factor for the bi-directional relationship between MD and cardiovascular disorders.PLoS ONE 01/2012; 7(7):e40479. · 4.09 Impact Factor -
Article: DNA methylation-mediated control of learning and memory.
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ABSTRACT: Animals constantly receive and respond to external or internal stimuli, and these experiences are learned and memorized in their brains. In animals, this is a crucial feature for survival, by making it possible for them to adapt their behavioral patterns to the ever-changing environment. For this learning and memory process, nerve cells in the brain undergo enormous molecular and cellular changes, not only in the input-output-related local subcellular compartments but also in the central nucleus. Interestingly, the DNA methylation pattern, which is normally stable in a terminally differentiated cell and defines the cell type identity, is emerging as an important regulatory mechanism of behavioral plasticity. The elucidation of how this covalent modification of DNA, which is known to be the most stable epigenetic mark, contributes to the complex orchestration of animal behavior is a fascinating new research area. We will overview the current understanding of the mechanism of modifying the methyl code on DNA and its impact on learning and memory.Molecular Brain 01/2011; 4:5.
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Keywords
altering GAD1 promoter methylation levels
Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays
cytosine methylation
environment influence
GABA system
GABAergic system
GAD1 mRNA levels
GAD1 promoter methylation
glutamic acid decarboxylase 1
high-LG mothers
high-LG pups
hippocampal GAD1 mRNA expression
hippocampal neuronal cultures
human schizophrenic brains
low pup licking/grooming
low-LG mothers
maternal care influences
maternal care stably influence DNA methylation
nursing bout
various psychopathologies
