| 1. |
- Boström, Adrian, et al.
(författare)
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A MIR4646 associated methylation locus is hypomethylated in adolescent depression
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Affective Disorders. - : Elsevier BV. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 220, s. 117-128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Studies of epigenetics and transcriptional activity in adolescents may provide knowledge about possible preventive strategies of depression. Methods: We present a methylome-wide association study (MWAS) and cohort validation analysis of depression in adolescents, in two separate cohorts: discovery (n = 93) and validation data set 1 (n = 78). The genome-wide methylation pattern was measured from whole blood using the Illumina 450K array. A second validation cohort, validation data set 2, consists of post-mortem brain biopsies from depressed adults (n = 58). We performed a MWAS by robust multiple linear regressions of methylation to a modified risk-score assessment of depression. Methylation levels of candidate CpG sites were correlated with expression levels of the associated gene in an independent cohort of 11 healthy volunteers. Results: The methylation state of two CpG sites reliably predicted ratings of depression in adolescents (cg13227623 and cg04102384) (p < 10E-06). Cohort validation analysis confirmed cg04102384 - located in the promoter region of microRNA 4646 (MIR4646) - to be hypomethylated in both validation data set 1 and validation data set 2 (p < 0.05). Cg04102384 was inversely correlated to expression levels of MIR4646-3p in healthy controls (p < 0.05). Limitations: MIR4646 was not differentially expressed in a subset of samples with adolescent depression measured by qRT-PCR measurements. Conclusion: We identify a specific MIR4646 associated epigenetic risk site to be associated with depression in adolescents. Cg04102384 putatively regulates gene expression of MIR4646-3p. Target gene prediction and gene set overrepresentation analysis revealed involvement of this miRNA in fatty acid elongation, a process related to omega-3 fatty acids, previously associated with depression.
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| 2. |
- Boström, Adrian Desai E., et al.
(författare)
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Epigenetic changes in the CYP2D6 gene are related to severity of suicide attempt : A cross-sectional study of suicide attempters
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Psychiatric Research. - : Elsevier. - 0022-3956 .- 1879-1379. ; 160, s. 217-224
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The ability to accurately estimate risk of suicide deaths on an individual level remains elusive.Methods: This study reports on a case-control study set-up from a well-characterized cohort of 88 predominantly female suicide attempters (SA), stratified into low- (n = 57) and high-risk groups (n = 31) based on reports of later death by suicide, as well as degree of intent-to-die and lethality of SA method. We perform an unbiased analysis of 12,930 whole-blood derived CpG-sites (Illumina Infinium EPIC BeadChip) previously demonstrated to be more conciliable with brain-derived variations. The candidate site was validated by pyrosequencing. External replication was performed in (1) relation to age at index suicide attempt in 97 women with emotionally unstable personality disorder (whole-blood) and (2) death by suicide in a mixed group of 183 prefrontal-cortex (PFC) derived samples who died by suicide or from non-psychiatric etiologies.Results: CYP2D6-coupled CpG-site cg07016288 was hypomethylated in severe suicidal behavior (p < 10E-06). Results were validated by pyrosequencing (p < 0.01). Replication analyses demonstrate hypomethylation of cg07016288 in relation to age at index SA in females (p < 0.05) and hypermethylation in PFC of male suicide completers (p < 0.05). Limitations: Genotyping of CYP2D6 was not performed and CpG-site associations to gene expression were not explored.Conclusions: CYP2D6-coupled epigenetic markers are hypomethylated in females in dependency of features known to confer increased risk of suicide deaths and hypermethylated in PFC of male suicide completers. Further elucidating the role of CYP2D6 in severe suicidality or suicide deaths hold promise to deduce clinically meaningful results.
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| 3. |
- Boström, Adrian E., et al.
(författare)
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Longitudinal genome-wide methylation study of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass patients reveals novel CpG sites associated with essential hypertension
- 2016
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Ingår i: BMC Medical Genomics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1755-8794. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Essential hypertension is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Emerging research suggests a role of DNA methylation in blood pressure physiology. We aimed to investigate epigenetic associations of promoter related CpG sites to essential hypertension in a genome-wide methylation approach. Methods: The genome-wide methylation pattern in whole blood was measured in 11 obese patients before and six months after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery using the Illumina 450 k beadchip. CpG sites located within 1500 bp of the transcriptional start site of adjacent genes were included in our study, resulting in 124 199 probes investigated in the subsequent analysis. Percent changes in methylation states and SBP measured before and six months after surgery were calculated. These parameters were correlated to each other using the Spearman's rank correlation method (Edgeworth series approximation). To further investigate the detected relationship between candidate CpG sites and systolic blood pressure levels, binary logistic regression analyses were performed in a larger and independent cohort of 539 individuals aged 19-101 years to elucidate a relationship between EH and the methylation state in candidate CpG sites. Results: We identified 24 promoter associated CpG sites that correlated with change in SBP after RYGB surgery (p < 10-16). Two of these CpG loci (cg00875989, cg09134341) were significantly hypomethylated in dependency of EH (p < 10-03). These results were independent of age, BMI, ethnicity and sex. Conclusions: The identification of these novel CpG sites may contribute to a further understanding of the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying the development of essential hypertension.
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| 4. |
- Boström, Adrian, et al.
(författare)
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Hypermethylation-associated downregulation of microRNA-4456 in hypersexual disorder with putative influence on oxytocin signalling : A DNA methylation analysis of miRNA genes
- 2020
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Ingår i: Epigenetics. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1559-2294 .- 1559-2308. ; 15:1-2, s. 145-160
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hypersexual disorder (HD) was proposed as a diagnosis in the DSM-5 and the classification ‘Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder’ is now presented as an impulse-control disorder in ICD-11. HD incorporates several pathophysiological mechanisms; including impulsivity, compulsivity, sexual desire dysregulation and sexual addiction. No previous study investigated HD in a methylation analysis limited to microRNA (miRNA) associated CpG-sites. The genome wide methylation pattern was measured in whole blood from 60 subjects with HD and 33 healthy volunteers using the Illumina EPIC BeadChip. 8,852 miRNA associated CpG-sites were investigated in multiple linear regression analyses of methylation M-values to a binary independent variable of disease state (HD or healthy volunteer), adjusting for optimally determined covariates. Expression levels of candidate miRNAs were investigated in the same individuals for differential expression analysis. Candidate methylation loci were further studied for an association with alcohol dependence in an independent cohort of 107 subjects. Two CpG-sites were borderline significant in HD – cg18222192 (MIR708)(p < 10E-05,pFDR = 5.81E-02) and cg01299774 (MIR4456)(p < 10E-06, pFDR = 5.81E-02). MIR4456 was significantly lower expressed in HD in both univariate (p < 0.0001) and multivariate (p < 0.05) analyses. Cg01299774 methylation levels were inversely correlated with expression levels of MIR4456 (p < 0.01) and were also differentially methylated in alcohol dependence (p = 0.026). Gene target prediction and pathway analysis revealed that MIR4456 putatively targets genes preferentially expressed in brain and that are involved in major neuronal molecular mechanisms thought to be relevant for HD, e.g., the oxytocin signalling pathway. In summary, our study implicates a potential contribution of MIR4456 in the pathophysiology of HD by putatively influencing oxytocin signalling.
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| 5. |
- Bränn, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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Inflammatory markers in late pregnancy in association with postpartum depression-A nested case-control study.
- 2017
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 79, s. 146-159
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent studies indicate that the immune system adaptation during pregnancy could play a significant role in the pathophysiology of perinatal depression. The aim of this study was to investigate if inflammation markers in a late pregnancy plasma sample can predict the presence of depressive symptoms at eight weeks postpartum. Blood samples from 291 pregnant women (median and IQR for days to delivery, 13 and 7-23days respectively) comprising 63 individuals with postpartum depressive symptoms, as assessed by the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS≥12) and/or the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) and 228 controls were analyzed with an inflammation protein panel using multiplex proximity extension assay technology, comprising of 92 inflammation-associated markers. A summary inflammation variable was also calculated. Logistic regression, LASSO and Elastic net analyses were implemented. Forty markers were lower in late pregnancy among women with depressive symptoms postpartum. The difference remained statistically significant for STAM-BP (or otherwise AMSH), AXIN-1, ADA, ST1A1 and IL-10, after Bonferroni correction. The summary inflammation variable was ranked as the second best variable, following personal history of depression, in predicting depressive symptoms postpartum. The protein-level findings for STAM-BP and ST1A1 were validated in relation to methylation status of loci in the respective genes in a different population, using openly available data. This explorative approach revealed differences in late pregnancy levels of inflammation markers between women presenting with depressive symptoms postpartum and controls, previously not described in the literature. Despite the fact that the results do not support the use of a single inflammation marker in late pregnancy for assessing risk of postpartum depression, the use of STAM-BP or the novel notion of a summary inflammation variable developed in this work might be used in combination with other biological markers in the future.
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| 6. |
- Chatzittofis, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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HPA axis dysregulation is associated with differential methylation of CpG-sites in related genes
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- DNA methylation shifts in Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis related genes is reported in psychiatric disorders including hypersexual disorder. This study, comprising 20 dexamethasone suppression test (DST) non-suppressors and 73 controls, examined the association between the HPA axis dysregulation, shifts in DNA methylation of HPA axis related genes and importantly, gene expression. Individuals with cortisol level ≥ 138 nmol/l, after the low dose (0.5 mg) dexamethasone suppression test (DST) were classified as non-suppressors. Genome-wide methylation pattern, measured in whole blood using the EPIC BeadChip, investigated CpG sites located within 2000 bp of the transcriptional start site of key HPA axis genes, i.e.: CRH, CRHBP, CRHR-1, CRHR-2, FKBP5 and NR3C1. Regression models including DNA methylation M-values and the binary outcome (DST non-suppression status) were performed. Gene transcripts with an abundance of differentially methylated CpG sites were identified with binomial tests. Pearson correlations and robust linear regressions were performed between CpG methylation and gene expression in two independent cohorts. Six of 76 CpG sites were significantly hypermethylated in DST non-suppressors (nominal P < 0.05), associated with genes CRH, CRHR1, CRHR2, FKBP5 and NR3C1. NR3C1 transcript AJ877169 showed statistically significant abundance of probes differentially methylated by DST non-suppression status and correlated with DST cortisol levels. Further, methylation levels of cg07733851 and cg27122725 were positively correlated with gene expression levels of the NR3C1 gene. Methylation levels of cg08636224 (FKBP5) correlated with baseline cortisol and gene expression. Our findings revealed that DNA methylation shifts are involved in the altered mechanism of the HPA axis suggesting that new epigenetic targets should be considered behind psychiatric disorders.
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| 7. |
- Chatzittofis, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Normal Testosterone but Higher Luteinizing Hormone Plasma Levels in Men With Hypersexual Disorder
- 2020
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Ingår i: Sexual Medicine. - : Elsevier. - 2050-1161. ; 8:2, s. 243-250
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Hypersexual disorder as suggested to be included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 integrates aspects of sexual desire deregulation, impulsivity, and compulsivity. However, it is unknown how it affects gonadal activity and the function of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis.Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in hypersexual men compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, we investigated associations between epigenetic markers and hormone levels.Methods: Basal morning plasma levels of testosterone, LH, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were assessed in 67 hypersexual men (mean age: 39.2 years) compared with 39 age-matched healthy controls (mean age: 37.5 years). The Sexual Compulsivity Scale and the Hypersexual Disorder: Current Assessment Scale were used for assessing hypersexual behavior, the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale-self rating was used for depression severity, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) was used for assessing history of childhood adversity. The genome-wide methylation pattern of more than 850 K CpG sites was measured in whole blood using the Illumina Infinium Methylation EPIC BeadChip. CpG sites located within 2,000 bp of the transcriptional start site of hypothalamus pituitary adrenal (HPA) and HPG axis-coupled genes were included.Main Outcome Measures: Testosterone and LH plasma levels in association with clinical rating and a secondary outcome was the epigenetic profile of HPA and HPG axis-coupled CpG sites with testosterone and LH levels.Results: LH plasma levels were significantly higher in patients with hypersexual disorder than in healthy volunteers. No significant differences in plasma testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone, prolactin, and SHBG levels were found between the groups. There were no significant associations between DNA methylation of HPA and HPG axis-coupled genes and plasma testosterone or LH levels after multiple testing corrections.Conclusions: Subtle dysregulation of the HPG axis, with increased LH plasma levels but no difference in testosterone levels may be present in hypersexual men.
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| 8. |
- Ciuculete, Diana-Maria, et al.
(författare)
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A methylome-wide mQTL analysis reveals associations of methylation sites with GAD1 and HDAC3 SNPs and a general psychiatric risk score
- 2017
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Ingår i: Translational Psychiatry. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2158-3188. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genome-wide association studies have identified a number of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with psychiatric diseases. Increasing body of evidence suggests a complex connection of SNPs and the transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of gene expression, which is poorly understood. In the current study, we investigated the interplay between genetic risk variants, shifts in methylation and mRNA levels in whole blood from 223 adolescents distinguished by a risk for developing psychiatric disorders. We analyzed 37 SNPs previously associated with psychiatric diseases in relation to genome-wide DNA methylation levels using linear models, with Bonferroni correction and adjusting for cell-type composition. Associations between DNA methylation, mRNA levels and psychiatric disease risk evaluated by the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) score were identified by robust linear models, Pearson's correlations and binary regression models. We detected five SNPs (in HCRTR1, GAD1, HADC3 and FKBP5) that were associated with eight CpG sites, validating five of these SNP-CpG pairs. Three of these CpG sites, that is, cg01089319 (GAD1), cg01089249 (GAD1) and cg24137543 (DIAPH1), manifest in significant gene expression changes and overlap with active regulatory regions in chromatin states of brain tissues. Importantly, methylation levels at cg01089319 were associated with the DAWBA score in the discovery group. These results show how distinct SNPs linked with psychiatric diseases are associated with epigenetic shifts with relevance for gene expression. Our findings give a novel insight on how genetic variants may modulate risks for the development of psychiatric diseases.
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| 9. |
- Ciuculete, Diana-Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Changes in methylation within the STK32B promoter are associated with an increased risk for generalized anxiety disorder in adolescents
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Psychiatric Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-3956 .- 1879-1379. ; 102, s. 44-51
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is highly prevalent among adolescents. An early detection of individuals at risk may prevent later psychiatric condition. Genome-wide studies investigating single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) concluded that a focus on epigenetic mechanisms, which mediate the impact of environmental factors, could more efficiently help the understanding of GAD pathogenesis. We investigated the relationship between epigenetic shifts in blood and the risk to develop GAD, evaluated by the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) score, in 221 otherwise healthy adolescents. Our analysis focused specifically on methylation sites showing high inter-individual variation but low tissue-specific variation, in order to infer a potential correlation between results obtained in blood and brain. Two statistical methods were applied, 1) a linear model with limma and 2) a likelihood test followed by Bonferroni correction. Methylation findings were validated in a cohort of 160 adults applying logistic models against the outcome variable "anxiety treatment obtained in the past" and studied in a third cohort with regards to associated expression changes measured in monocytes. One CpG site showed 1% increased methylation in adolescents at high risk of GAD (cg16333992, P-adj. = 0.028, estimate = 3.22), as confirmed in the second cohort (p = 0.031, estimate = 1.32). The identified and validated CpG site is located within the STK32B promoter region and its methylation level was positively associated with gene expression. Gene ontology analysis revealed that STK32B is involved in stress response and defense response. Our results provide evidence that shifts in DNA methylation are associated with a modulated risk profile for GAD in adolescence.
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| 10. |
- Desai Boström, Adrian, 1990-
(författare)
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Epigenetic dysregulation in relation to psychiatric traits in adolescence and adulthood
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Epigenetics has evolved into a key research focus in the field of psychiatry. DNA methylation is the most researched epigenetic mechanism. In paper I-III, 130 and 93 adolescents were randomly recruited at two separate intervals. Subjects were evaluated by web-based diagnostic interviews using the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA), providing computer generated diagnostic predictions of probability of diagnosis, covering several psychiatric disorders. For Paper I-II, the genome-wide DNA methylation pattern was measured from whole blood using the Illumina 450K array, and for paper IV by the Illumina EPIC BeadChip. In paper I, a methylome-wide association study (MWAS) was conducted (n=93) followed by a validation analysis (n=78), contrasting methylation levels in groups stratified by DAWBA depression risk scores. A microRNA4646 (MIR4646) associated methylation locus was differentially methylated in the MWAS (pbonf<0.05) and results were replicated in the validation cohort (p<0.05). Methylation levels at the identified locus correlated inversely with gene expression levels of MIR4456 (p<0.05). In silico analysis suggests MIR4646 may influence synthesis of omega-3 fatty acids, previously implicated in major depressive disorder. In paper II, 37 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP:s) previously associated with psychiatric disease were evaluated in relation to genome-wide DNA methylation levels in 130 adolescents in a methylome-wide (mQTL) analysis. Five SNP-CpG pairs were identified (pbonf<0.05) and replicated (p<0.05). Methylation of three of these were shown to be significantly correlated with gene expression levels of the associated genes (p<0.05). One identified GAD1-coupled methylation site was differentially methylated to a general psychiatric risk score in adolescents (p<0.05). In Paper III, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis coupled DNA methylation loci were investigated in 88 suicide attempters to identify associations to severity of suicide attempt. One corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH)-associated CpG-site was significantly hypomethylated in the high-risk group of suicide-attempters (n=31)(cg19035496, p<0.001) and exhibited hypermethylation in an external study group of adolescents in dependency of a general psychiatric risk score (p<0.05). In paper IV, 8,852 microRNA (miRNA) associated CpG-sites were investigated for an association with hypersexual disorder (HD). A microRNA-4456 (MIR4456) associated CpG-site (cg01299774) was borderline significant in HD (pFDR=5.81E-02) and differentially methylated in alcohol dependence (p<0.05) in an independent study group. Methylation levels at cg01299774 correlated inversely with expression levels of MIR4456 (p<0.01) and MIR4456 was lower expressed in HD (p<0.05). In-silico analyses suggests MIR4456 putatively targets genes preferentially expressed in brain and that are involved in major neuronal molecular mechanisms thought to be relevant for HD, e.g., the oxytocin signaling pathway.
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