DNA methylation differences in genes associated with human personal disorders and deviant behavior

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is involved in the progression of mental disorders, including deviant behavior, brain developmental, and personality disorders.

The large number of genes has been studied for their activity association with stress and depression; however, the obtained results for the majority of these genes are contradictory.

The aim of our study was to investigate the possible contribution of methylation level changes to the development of personality disorders and deviant behavior.

A systematic study of CpG Islands in 21 target regions, including the promoter and intron regions of the 12 genes was performed in DNA samples extracted from peripheral blood cells, to obtain an overview of their methylation status.

High-throughput sequencing of converted DNA samples was performed and calling of the methylation sites on the “original top strand” in CpG islands was carried out in the Bismark pipeline.

The initial methylation profile of 77 patients and 48 controls samples revealed a significant difference in 7 CpG sites in 6 genes.

The most significant hypermethylation was found for the target sites of the HTR2A (p-value = 1.2 × 10(−13)) and OXTR (p-value = 2.3 × 10(−7)) genes.

These data support the previous reports that alterations in DNA methylation may play an important role in the dysregulation of gene expression associated with personality disorders and deviant behavior, and confirm their potential use as biomarkers to improve thediagnosis, prognosis, and assessment of response to treatment.