scholarly journals Oxytocin Receptor Gene Methylation as a Molecular Marker for Severity of Depressive Symptoms in Affective Disorder Patients

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit Ludwig ◽  
Laura Carlberg ◽  
Klemens Kienesberger ◽  
Patrick Swoboda ◽  
Marleen Swoboda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Promoter Region ◽  
Emotional Functioning ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Methylation Status ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Seelische Gesundheit ◽  
Present Sample ◽  
Severity Of Depression

Abstract Background: Oxytocin (OXT) is a neuropeptide and hormone involved in emotional functioning and also seems to play a role in moderating the stress response. Both preclinical and clinical studies point to an increased methylation status of the Oxytocin receptor (OXTR) promoter region with concomitant deficits in social, cognitive and emotional functioning. We hypothesize that methylation levels (%) of the oxytocin receptor promoter region correlate with the severity of depression symptoms within this present sample of affective disorder patients. Methodology: Eight hundred forty six Caucasian affective disorder patients were recruited at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the Medical University Vienna, the Karl Landsteiner University for Health and Science and Zentrum für seelische Gesundheit, BBRZ-Med Leopoldau. The assessment included an assemblage of psychiatric interviews (e.g. SCAN, HAMD, CTQ) and concomitantly DNA samples of peripheral blood cells were collected for Multiplexed and Sensitive DNA Methylation Testing. Results: Our data suggests a positive but not significant association between OXTR promoter Exons 1-3 methylation levels and severity of depression symptoms in affective disorder patients. Conclusions: Our findings contribute to elucidate the role of OXTR in affective disorders, but further longitudinal studies in particular are necessary to broaden the current state of knowledge.

scholarly journals DNA methylation of the KLK8 gene in depression symptomatology

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Starnawska ◽  
Lina Bukowski ◽  
Ana Chernomorchenko ◽  
Betina Elfving ◽  
Heidi Kaastrup Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Promoter Region ◽  
Multiple Testing ◽  
Monozygotic Twins ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Methylation Array ◽  
Depression Diagnosis ◽  
Cpg Sites ◽  
Severity Of Depression ◽  
Depression Symptomatology

Abstract Background Depression is a common, complex, and debilitating mental disorder estimated to be under-diagnosed and insufficiently treated in society. Liability to depression is influenced by both genetic and environmental risk factors, which are both capable of impacting DNA methylation (DNAm). Accordingly, numerous studies have researched for DNAm signatures of this disorder. Recently, an epigenome-wide association study of monozygotic twins identified an association between DNAm status in the KLK8 (neuropsin) promoter region and severity of depression symptomatology. Methods In this study, we aimed to investigate: (i) if blood DNAm levels, quantified by pyrosequencing, at two CpG sites in the KLK8 promoter are associated with depression symptomatology and depression diagnosis in an independent clinical cohort and (ii) if KLK8 DNAm levels are associated with depression, postpartum depression, and depression symptomatology in four independent methylomic cohorts, with blood and brain DNAm quantified by either MBD-seq or 450 k methylation array. Results DNAm levels in KLK8 were not significantly different between depression cases and controls, and were not significantly associated with any of the depression symptomatology scores after correction for multiple testing (minimum p value for KLK8 CpG1 = 0.12 for ‘Depressed mood,’ and for CpG2 = 0.03 for ‘Loss of self-confidence with other people’). However, investigation of the link between KLK8 promoter DNAm levels and depression-related phenotypes collected from four methylomic cohorts identified significant association (p value < 0.05) between severity of depression symptomatology and blood DNAm levels at seven CpG sites. Conclusions Our findings suggest that variance in blood DNAm levels in KLK8 promoter region is associated with severity of depression symptoms, but not depression diagnosis.

SUV39H1-Mediated DNMT1 is Participated in the Epigenetic Regulation of Smad3 in Cervical Cancer

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Zhang ◽  
Sijuan Tian ◽  
Minyi Zhao ◽  
Ting Yang ◽  
Shimin Quan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Epigenetic Regulation ◽  
Promoter Region ◽  
Methylation Status ◽  
Regulation Mechanism ◽  
Methylation Specific Pcr ◽  
Specific Pcr ◽  
Immune Factor ◽  
Cancer Tissues

Background: Smad3 is a pivotal intracellular mediator for participating in the activation of multiple immune signal pathway. Objective: The epigenetic regulation mechanism of the positive immune factor Smad3 in cervical cancer remains unknown. Therefore, the epigenetic regulation on Smad3 is investigated in this study. Methods: The methylation status of SMAD3 was detected by Methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR) and Quantitative Methylation-specific PCR (MS-qPCR) in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. The underlying molecular mechanisms of SUV39H1-DNMT1-Smad3 regulation was elucidated using cervical cancer cell lines containing siRNA or/and overexpression system. Confirmation of the regulation of DNMT1 by SUV39H1 used Chromatin immunoprecipitation-qPCR (ChIP-qPCR). The statistical methods used for comparing samples between groups were paired t tests and one-way ANOVAs. Results: H3K9me3 protein which regulated by SUV39H1 directly interacts with the DNMT1 promoter region to regulate its expression in cervical cancer cells, resulting in the reduce expression of the downstream target gene DNMT1. In addition, DNMT1 mediates the epigenetic modulation of the SMAD3 gene by directly binding to its promoter region. The depletion of DNMT1 effectively restores the expression of Smad3 in vitro. Moreover, in an in vivo assay, the expression profile of SUV39H1-DNMT1 was found to correlate with Smad3 expression in accordance with the expression at the cellular level. Notably, the promoter region of SMAD3 was hypermethylated in cervical cancer tissues, and this hypermethylation inhibits the subsequent gene expression. Conclusion: These results indicate that SUV39H1-DNMT1 is a crucial Smad3 regulatory axis in cervical cancer. SUV39H1-DNMT1 axis may provide a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of cervical cancer.

The Hormonal Underpinnings of Sexual Communication

2020 ◽  
pp. 234-260
Author(s):  
Amanda Denes ◽  
Anuraj Dhillon ◽  
Ambyre L. P. Ponivas ◽  
Kara L. Winkler
Keyword(s):  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Sexual Communication ◽  
Receptor Gene ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor ◽  
Communication Research ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽  
Broad Domain ◽  
Relational Outcomes

Sexual communication is a pivotal part of interpersonal relationships; recent research reveals associations between sexual communication and various relational outcomes. Within the broad domain of sexual communication, current scholarship specifically addresses the role of postsex communication in relationships and its links to physiological and genetic markers. Given these advancements, the present chapter offers an overview of research linking physiology, hormones, and genes to communication after sexual activity. The chapter first presents reviews of two key hormones in sexual communication research: testosterone (T) and oxytocin (O). The oxytocin receptor gene and its link to social behavior broadly, and sexual behavior specifically, is also explored. The chapter then offers a review of several theories relevant to understanding the hormonal underpinnings of sexual communication, as well as future directions for research exploring sexual communication and physiology.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document