1. Epigenome-wide meta-analysis of PTSD across 10 military and civilian cohorts identifies novel methylation loci
- Author
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Nathan A. Kimbrel, Melanie E. Garrett, Amstadter Ab, Caroline M. Nievergelt, Xuejun Qin, Allison E. Ashley-Koch, B. J. Luft, Lei Wang, Naviaux Jc, Eric Vermetten, Jean C. Beckham, Kerry J. Ressler, Elbert Geuze, Seyma Katrinli, Adriana Lori, Adam X. Maihofer, Guia Guffanti, Christiaan H. Vinkers, Michael A. Hauser, Karestan C. Koenen, Maria Dennis, Monica Uddin, Mark W. Logue, Andrew Ratanatharathorn, Alicia K. Smith, Pei Fen Kuan, Sandro Galea, Kilaru, Robert K. Naviaux, Allison E. Aiello, Victoria B. Risbrough, Nagy A. Youssef, Marco P. Boks, Evelyn J. Bromet, Kun Li, Rutten Bpf, Nicole R. Nugent, Dewleen G. Baker, Murray B. Stein, Robert J. Ursano, Mark W. Miller, and Ronald C. Kessler
- Subjects
Oncology ,0303 health sciences ,medicine.medical_specialty ,business.industry ,Locus (genetics) ,Methylation ,Epigenome ,Immune dysregulation ,medicine.disease_cause ,behavioral disciplines and activities ,3. Good health ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,CpG site ,Meta-analysis ,Internal medicine ,DNA methylation ,mental disorders ,medicine ,Epigenetics ,business ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,030304 developmental biology - Abstract
Differences in susceptibility to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be related to epigenetic differences between PTSD cases and trauma-exposed controls. Such epigenetic differences may provide insight into the biological processes underlying the disorder. Here we describe the results of the largest DNA methylation meta-analysis of PTSD to date with data from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) PTSD Epigenetics Workgroup. Ten cohorts, military and civilian, contributed blood-derived DNA methylation data (HumanMethylation450 BeadChip) from 1,896 PTSD cases (42%) and trauma-exposed controls (58%). Utilizing a common QC and analysis strategy, we identified ten CpG sites associated with PTSD (9.61E-07AHRR) locus and were associated with lower DNA methylation in PTSD cases relative to controls. Interestingly, this association appeared to uncorrelated with smoking status and was most pronounced in non-smokers with PTSD. Additional evaluation of metabolomics data supported our findings and revealed that AHRR methylation associated with kynurenine levels, which were lower among subjects with PTSD relative to controls. Overall, this study supports epigenetic differences in those with PTSD and suggests a role for decreased kynurenine as a contributor to immune dysregulation in PTSD.
- Published
- 2019
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