DNA methylation differences associated with social anxiety disorder and early life adversity
Abstract Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by extensive fear in social situations. Multiple genetic and environmental factors are known to contribute to its pathogenesis. One of the main environmental risk factors is early life adversity (ELA). Evidence is emergin...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Publishing Group
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Translational Psychiatry |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01225-w |
| _version_ | 1818611544595890176 |
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| author | Ariane Wiegand Benjamin Kreifelts Matthias H. J. Munk Nadja Geiselhart Katia E. Ramadori Julia L. MacIsaac Andreas J. Fallgatter Michael S. Kobor Vanessa Nieratschker |
| author_facet | Ariane Wiegand Benjamin Kreifelts Matthias H. J. Munk Nadja Geiselhart Katia E. Ramadori Julia L. MacIsaac Andreas J. Fallgatter Michael S. Kobor Vanessa Nieratschker |
| author_sort | Ariane Wiegand |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by extensive fear in social situations. Multiple genetic and environmental factors are known to contribute to its pathogenesis. One of the main environmental risk factors is early life adversity (ELA). Evidence is emerging that epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation might play an important role in the biological mechanisms underlying SAD and ELA. To investigate the relationship between ELA, DNA methylation, and SAD, we performed an epigenome-wide association study for SAD and ELA examining DNA from whole blood of a cohort of 143 individuals using DNA methylation arrays. We identified two differentially methylated regions (DMRs) associated with SAD located within the genes SLC43A2 and TNXB. As this was the first epigenome-wide association study for SAD, it is worth noting that both genes have previously been associated with panic disorder. Further, we identified two DMRs associated with ELA within the SLC17A3 promoter region and the SIAH3 gene and several DMRs that were associated with the interaction of SAD and ELA. Of these, the regions within C2CD2L and MRPL28 showed the largest difference in DNA methylation. Lastly, we found that two DMRs were associated with both the severity of social anxiety and ELA, however, neither of them was found to mediate the contribution of ELA to SAD later in life. Future studies are needed to replicate our findings in independent cohorts and to investigate the biological pathways underlying these effects. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T15:32:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8336876a49ba499cb161bc7e780c3701 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2158-3188 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T15:32:01Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Translational Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-8336876a49ba499cb161bc7e780c37012022-12-21T22:26:18ZengNature Publishing GroupTranslational Psychiatry2158-31882021-02-0111111010.1038/s41398-021-01225-wDNA methylation differences associated with social anxiety disorder and early life adversityAriane Wiegand0Benjamin Kreifelts1Matthias H. J. Munk2Nadja Geiselhart3Katia E. Ramadori4Julia L. MacIsaac5Andreas J. Fallgatter6Michael S. Kobor7Vanessa Nieratschker8Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenDepartment of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, BC Children’s Hospital Research InstituteDepartment of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, BC Children’s Hospital Research InstituteDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenDepartment of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, BC Children’s Hospital Research InstituteDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenAbstract Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by extensive fear in social situations. Multiple genetic and environmental factors are known to contribute to its pathogenesis. One of the main environmental risk factors is early life adversity (ELA). Evidence is emerging that epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation might play an important role in the biological mechanisms underlying SAD and ELA. To investigate the relationship between ELA, DNA methylation, and SAD, we performed an epigenome-wide association study for SAD and ELA examining DNA from whole blood of a cohort of 143 individuals using DNA methylation arrays. We identified two differentially methylated regions (DMRs) associated with SAD located within the genes SLC43A2 and TNXB. As this was the first epigenome-wide association study for SAD, it is worth noting that both genes have previously been associated with panic disorder. Further, we identified two DMRs associated with ELA within the SLC17A3 promoter region and the SIAH3 gene and several DMRs that were associated with the interaction of SAD and ELA. Of these, the regions within C2CD2L and MRPL28 showed the largest difference in DNA methylation. Lastly, we found that two DMRs were associated with both the severity of social anxiety and ELA, however, neither of them was found to mediate the contribution of ELA to SAD later in life. Future studies are needed to replicate our findings in independent cohorts and to investigate the biological pathways underlying these effects.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01225-w |
| spellingShingle | Ariane Wiegand Benjamin Kreifelts Matthias H. J. Munk Nadja Geiselhart Katia E. Ramadori Julia L. MacIsaac Andreas J. Fallgatter Michael S. Kobor Vanessa Nieratschker DNA methylation differences associated with social anxiety disorder and early life adversity Translational Psychiatry |
| title | DNA methylation differences associated with social anxiety disorder and early life adversity |
| title_full | DNA methylation differences associated with social anxiety disorder and early life adversity |
| title_fullStr | DNA methylation differences associated with social anxiety disorder and early life adversity |
| title_full_unstemmed | DNA methylation differences associated with social anxiety disorder and early life adversity |
| title_short | DNA methylation differences associated with social anxiety disorder and early life adversity |
| title_sort | dna methylation differences associated with social anxiety disorder and early life adversity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01225-w |
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