Journal article icon

Journal article

Effect of MAOA DNA methylation on human in vivo protein expression measured by [11C]harmine positron emission tomography

Abstract:
Background: Epigenetic modifications like DNA methylation are understood as an intermediary between environmental factors and neurobiology. Cerebral monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) levels are altered in depression, as are DNA methylation levels within the MAOA gene, particularly in the promoter/exon I/intron I region. An effect of MAOA methylation on peripheral protein expression was shown, but the extent to which methylation affects brain MAO-A levels is not fully understood.
Methods: Here, the influence of MAOA promoter/exon I/intron I region DNA methylation on global MAO-A distribution volume (VT), an index of MAO-A density, was assessed via [11C]harmine positron emission tomography in 22 patients (14 females) suffering from seasonal affective disorder and 30 healthy controls (17 females).
Results: No significant influence of MAOA DNA methylation on global MAO-A VT was found, despite correction for health status, sex, season, and MAOA variable number of tandem repeat genotype. However, season affected average methylation in women, with higher levels in spring and summer (Puncorr = .03). We thus did not find evidence for an effect of MAOA DNA methylation on brain MAO-A VT.
Conclusions: In contrast to a previous study demonstrating an effect of methylation of a MAOA promoter region located further 5’ on brain MAO-A, MAOA methylation of the region assessed here appears to affect brain protein levels to a limited extent at most. The observed effect of season on methylation levels is in accordance with extensive evidence for seasonal effects within the serotonergic system.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

Actions

Access Document

Files:
Publisher copy:
10.1093/ijnp/pyac085

Authors

More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
Psychiatry
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0003-3524-3646


Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Journal:
International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology More from this journal
Volume:
26
Issue:
2
Pages:
116-124
Publication date:
2022-12-27
Acceptance date:
2022-12-26
DOI:
EISSN:
1469-5111
ISSN:
1461-1457
Pmid:
36573644


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
2118972
Local pid:
pubs:2118972
Deposit date:
2025-04-18
ARK identifier:

Terms of use


Views and Downloads






If you are the owner of this record, you can report an update to it here: Report update to this record

TO TOP