Changes in gene expression and methylation in the blood of patients with first-episode psychosis

Author(s):Show less -

Ota, Vanessa Kiyomi ^{[1, 2]} ; Noto, Cristiano ^{[3, 4, 2]} ; Gadelha, Ary ^{[4, 2]} ; Santoro, Marcos Leite ^{[1, 2]} ; Spindola, Leticia Maria ^{[1, 2]} ; Gouvea, Eduardo Sauerbronn ^{[3, 4]} ; Stilhano, Roberta Sessa ^[5] ; Ortiz, Bruno Bertolucci ^[4] ; Silva, Patricia Natalia ^{[1, 4, 2]} ; Sato, Joao Ricardo ^{[2, 6]} ; Han, Sang Won ^[5] ; Cordeiro, Quirino ^{[3, 4]} ; Bressan, Rodrigo Affonseca ^{[4, 2]} ; Belangero, Sintia Iole ^{[1, 4, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Morphol & Genet, Div Genet, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, LiNC Interdisciplinary Lab Clin Neurosci, BR-04023900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] ISCMSP, Dept Psychiat, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Psychiat, BR-04023900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[5] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Biophys, BR-04023900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[6] Univ Fed ABC, Ctr Math Computat & Cognit, Santo Andre, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH; v. 159, n. 2-3, p. 358-364, NOV 2014.
• Web of Science Citations: 22

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a severe mental health disorder with high heritability. The investigation of individuals during their first-episode psychosis (FEP), before the progression of psychotic disorders and especially before treatment with antipsychotic medications, is particularly helpful for understanding this complex disease and for the identification of potential biomarkers. In this study, we compared the expression of genes that are involved in neurotransmission and neurodevelopment of antipsychotic-naive FEP in the peripheral blood of patients (n=51) and healthy controls (n=51). In addition, we investigated the differentially expressed genes with respect to a) DNA methylation, b) the correlation between gene expression and clinical variables (PANSS), and c) gene expression changes after risperidone treatment. Expression levels of 11 genes were quantified with SYBR Green. For methylation analysis, bisulfite sequencing was performed. A significant decrease in GCH1 mRNA levels was observed in FEP patients relative to controls. Also, when we compare the FEP patients after risperidone treatment with controls, this difference remains significant, and no significant differences were observed in GCH1 mRNA levels when comparing patients before and after risperidone treatment. Additionally, although the differences were non-significant after Bonferroni correction, the expression of GCH1 seemed to be correlated with PANSS scores, and the GCH1 promoter region was more methylated in FEP than in controls, thus corroborating the results obtained at the mRNA level. Few studies have been conducted on GCH1, and future studies are needed to clarify its potential role in the progression of schizophrenia. (C) 2014 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/08968-6 - Investigation of genetic and epigenetic markers: a translational approach for schizophrenia treatment
• Grantee: Síntia Iole Nogueira Belangero
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 11/50740-5 - Prevention in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder from neuroscience to the community: a multiphase, multimodal and translational platform for research and intervention
• Grantee: Rodrigo Affonseca Bressan
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/10498-6 - Machine learning in neuroimaging: development of methods and clinical applications in psychiatric disorders
• Grantee: João Ricardo Sato
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 10/19176-3 - Gene expression and DNA methylation analysis in drug-naive first episode of psychosis patients
• Grantee: Vanessa Kiyomi Ota Kuniyoshi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate