Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis in female veterans with military sexual trauma and comorbid PTSD/MDD.

Publisher: Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 7906073 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-2517 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01650327 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Affect Disord Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Amsterdam, Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press.

Veterans* ; Depressive Disorder, Major*/epidemiology ; Depressive Disorder, Major*/genetics ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*/epidemiology ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*/genetics ; Military Personnel* ; Sex Offenses*; Humans ; Female ; DNA Methylation ; Military Sexual Trauma

Background: Military sexual trauma (MST) is a prevalent issue within the U.S. military. Victims are more likely to develop comorbid diseases such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Nonetheless, not everyone who suffers from MST develops PTSD and/or MDD. DNA methylation, which can regulate gene expression, might give us insight into the molecular mechanisms behind this discrepancy. Therefore, we sought to identify genomic loci and enriched biological pathways that differ between patients with and without MST, PTSD, and MDD.
Methods: Saliva samples were collected from 113 female veterans. Following DNA extraction and processing, DNA methylation levels were measured through the Infinium HumanMethylationEPIC BeadChip array. We used limma and bump hunting methods to generate the differentially methylated positions and differentially methylated regions (DMRs), respectively. Concurrently, we used Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome to find enriched pathways.
Results: A DMR close to the transcription start site of ZFP57 was differentially methylated between subjects with and without PTSD, replicating previous findings and emphasizing the potential role of ZFP57 in PTSD susceptibility. In the pathway analyses, none survived multiple correction, although top GO terms included some potentially relevant to MST, PTSD, and MDD etiology.
Conclusion: We conducted one of the first DNA methylation analyses investigating MST along with PTSD and MDD. In addition, we found one DMR near ZFP57 to be associated with PTSD. The replication of this finding indicates further investigation of ZFP57 in PTSD may be warranted.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors has any conflicts of interest or any financial ties to disclose relevant to this work.
(Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

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K23 MH107654 United States MH NIMH NIH HHS; R01 MH119165 United States MH NIMH NIH HHS

Keywords: DNA methylation; Epigenetics; Major depressive disorder; Military sexual trauma; Posttraumatic stress disorder

Date Created: 20240203 Date Completed: 20240228 Latest Revision: 20240522

20240522

PMC11107447

10.1016/j.jad.2024.01.241

38309478