Cataloging Recent Advances in Epigenetic Alterations in Major Mental Disorders and Autism

Abstract

During the last two decades, diverse epigenetic modifications including DNA methylation, histone modifications, RNA editing and miRNA dysregulation have been associated with psychiatric disorders. A few years ago, in a review we outlined the most common epigenetic alterations in major psychiatric disorders (e.g., aberrant DNA methylation of DTNBP1, HTR2A, RELN, MB-COMT and PPP3CC, and increased expression of miR-34a and miR-181b). Recent follow-up studies have uncovered other DNA methylation aberrations affecting several genes in mental disorders, in addition to dysregulation of many miRNAs. Here, we provide an update on new epigenetic findings and highlight potential origin of the diversity and inconsistencies, focusing on drug effects, tissue/cell specificity of epigenetic landscape and discuss shortcomings of the current diagnostic criteria in mental disorders.

Keywords::

• DTNBP1
• HTR2A
• HTR4
• LINE-1
• MB-COMT
• miR-137
• miR-181b
• miR-34a
• miR-451a
• RELN

Financial & competing interests disclosure

S Thiagalingam is supported in part by NIH grants (GM129437 and CA138509) and the research in this authors’ laboratory was supported in part by the NARSAD Independent Investigator Award and Boston University Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NIH NCATS award 1UL1TR001430). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

S Thiagalingam is supported in part by NIH grants (GM129437 and CA138509) and the research in this authors’ laboratory was supported in part by the NARSAD Independent Investigator Award and Boston University Clinical and Translational Science Institute (NIH NCATS award 1UL1TR001430). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.