Elsevier

Neuroscience Research

Volume 77, Issue 4, December 2013, Pages 208-214
Neuroscience Research

DNA methylation analysis of BDNF gene promoters in peripheral blood cells of schizophrenia patients

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neures.2013.08.004Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Higher DNA methylation of BDNF in peripheral blood of schizophrenia patients.

  • The DNA methylation status in peripheral blood was affected by gender.

  • The DNA methylation difference was prominent in male schizophrenia patients.

Abstract

Accumulating evidence suggests that epigenetic alterations in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promoters are associated with the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. Epigenetic changes in BDNF were reported not only in brain tissues but also in other tissues, including peripheral blood cells (PBC) and saliva. We examined DNA methylation levels of BDNF promoters I and IV using genomic DNA derived from PBC of healthy controls (n = 100), and patients with schizophrenia (n = 100), all from the Japanese population, by pyrosequencing. The examined CpG sites were chosen based on previous epigenetic studies that reported altered DNA methylation. We found a significantly higher level of methylation at BDNF promoter I in patients with schizophrenia compared to controls, although the difference was small. Subsequent analysis revealed that in controls, the methylation level of BDNF promoters was associated with sex, and the methylation difference observed in promoter I was more prominent in male patients with schizophrenia. Epigenetic alteration of BDNF in the PBC might reflect the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, and could be a potential biomarker.

Keywords

Pyrosequencing
Epigenetic
Gender difference
Peripheral blood

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These authors equally contributed to this work.