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Epigenetic modulation in obsessive-compulsive disorder: Methylation and hydroxymethylation of the bdnf gene exon I promoter

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

S. Vanzetto ,
V. Alberto ,
D. Conti ,
M. Macellaro ,
B. Benatti ,
C. Daddario ,
F. Bellia  and
B. Dell’Osso
S. Vanzetto*
Affiliation:
Luigi Sacco Hospital, Psychiatry 2 Unit, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
V. Alberto
Affiliation:
Luigi Sacco Hospital, Psychiatry 2 Unit, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
D. Conti
Affiliation:
Luigi Sacco Hospital, Psychiatry 2 Unit, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
M. Macellaro
Affiliation:
Luigi Sacco Hospital, Psychiatry 2 Unit, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
B. Benatti
Affiliation:
Luigi Sacco Hospital, Psychiatry 2 Unit, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
C. Daddario
Affiliation:
Department Of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Department Of Bioscience, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
F. Bellia
Affiliation:
Department Of Bioscience, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
B. Dell’Osso
Affiliation:
Luigi Sacco Hospital, Psychiatry 2 Unit, University of Milan, Milan, Italy “centro Per Lo Studio Dei Meccanismi Molecolari Alla Base Delle Patologie Neuro-psico-geriatriche”, University of Milan, Milan, Italy “aldo Ravelli” Center For Nanotechnology And Neurostimulation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy Department Of Psychiatry And Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Several evidence recognizes Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) as a promising biomarker in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), considering the involvement of epigenetic regulation in BDNF altered expression.

Objectives

This study aims to investigate, in a sample of OCD patients, the epigenetic modulation in terms of levels of methylation and hydroxymethylation on the BDNF gene exon I promoter.

Methods

Fifty OCD patients, recruited from Psychiatry Unit 2, Sacco University Hospital in Milan and fifty healthy controls, comparable by age and gender. Saliva samples were collected by oral swab and epigenetic analysis were performed at the University of Teramo. Statistical analyses were performed with t test with Bonferroni correction.

Results

Data analysis showed a significant decrease in 5-methyl cytosine levels (5mC) (mean OCD: 1.221%; mean CTRL: 1.784%; p < 0.001) and a significant increase in 5-Hydroxy-methyl cytosine levels (5hmC) (mean OCD: 1.018%; mean CTRL: 0.527% p< 0.0001) in BDNF gene exon I promoter of OCD patients compared to controls. Regarding 5mC of site 3 and 5hmC of site 1 and 2 of the exon I promoter CpG islands, no statistical significance was found.

Conclusions

Present results showed significant differences in epigenetic modulation of BDNF gene, which might not be univocally interpreted. They could represent an intrinsic OCD characteristic or the effect of antidepressant drugs, assumed by all recruited patients. Further studies, comparing OCD subjects in treatment vs drug-free, are necessary to define BDNF epigenetic modulation role and its possible use as biomarker in the characterization of OCD.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

Molecular NeurobiologygeneticsObsessive-Compulsive disorderNeuroscience in Psychiatry
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S124
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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