Plasma total homocysteine is associated with DNA methylation in patients with schizophrenia

• DOI: 10.4161/epi.24621
• Publication Date: 2013-06-17T16:57:48Z
• Authors: Makoto Kinoshita; Shusuke Numata; Atsushi Tajima; Shinji Shimodera; Issei Imoto; Tetsuro Ohmori
• Keywords: CpG site

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a devastating psychiatric disorder with median lifetime prevalence rate of 0.7-0.8%. Elevated plasma total homocysteine has been suggested as risk factor for SCZ, and various biological effects hyperhomocysteinemia have proposed to be relevant the pathophysiology SCZ. As increased attention paid aberrant DNA methylation in attracting additional interest potential key substance. Homocysteine formed methionine cycle, which involved one-carbon methyl group-transfer metabolism, it acts donor when converted S-adenosyl-methionine. To date, no studies examined relationship between genome-wide We patterns peripheral leukocytes patients SCZ (n = 42) using quantitative high-resolution array (485,764 CpG sites). Significant homocysteine-related changes were observed at 1,338 sites that located across whole gene regions, including promoters, bodies 3'-untranslated regions. Of sites, 758 (56.6%) islands (CGIs) regions flanking CGIs (CGI: 15.8%; CGI shore: 28.2%; shelf: 12.6%), positive correlations predominantly CGIs. Our results suggest might play role pathogenesis via molecular mechanism involves alterations methylation.