Immune DNA methylation in depression: cross-sectional and longitudinal study
Background Immune dysregulation contributes to the pathophysiology of depression and is a potential link between depression and comorbid medical conditions. DNA methylation is a dynamic transcriptional regulator of the immune system. Aims To study changes in DNA methylation of disease- and comor...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | BJPsych Open |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472425100653/type/journal_article |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849319989554708480 |
|---|---|
| author | Marisol Herrera-Rivero Matthias Nauck Klaus Berger Bernhard T. Baune |
| author_facet | Marisol Herrera-Rivero Matthias Nauck Klaus Berger Bernhard T. Baune |
| author_sort | Marisol Herrera-Rivero |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Background
Immune dysregulation contributes to the pathophysiology of depression and is a potential link between depression and comorbid medical conditions. DNA methylation is a dynamic transcriptional regulator of the immune system.
Aims
To study changes in DNA methylation of disease- and comorbidity-associated immune genes in patients with and without depression diagnoses from the German BiDirect Study.
Method
We performed a cross-sectional (baseline, y0) and longitudinal (consecutive assessments at 3-year intervals, y0, y3, y6) differential methylation analyses of 382 immune-related genes associated with depression, obesity, diabetes and/or gout in 276 patients with depression and in 207 individuals without a lifetime depression diagnosis from the BiDirect Study. In addition, we applied unsupervised clustering to identify subgroups of individuals with depression based on longitudinal methylation patterns.
Results
There were no significant methylation changes between individuals with depression and controls at baseline. Follow-up analyses used to assess the top (P < 0.05) 151 methylation probes longitudinally identified 42 CpG sites that showed time-dependent changes associated with depression, and defined 3 depression clusters with differential profiles of serum inflammation markers at baseline. The implicated genes corresponded in the majority to those associated with diabetes risk, and were enriched in processes relevant for haematopoiesis.
Conclusions
Our results suggest that immune dysregulation associated with DNA methylation profiles contributes to the pathophysiology of depression and is a plausible link to chronic medical conditions such as diabetes.
|
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-04e5a4cae584461aa6ddf689ed6ebfa3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2056-4724 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-04e5a4cae584461aa6ddf689ed6ebfa32025-08-20T03:50:16ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242025-07-011110.1192/bjo.2025.10065Immune DNA methylation in depression: cross-sectional and longitudinal studyMarisol Herrera-Rivero0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7064-9487Matthias Nauck1Klaus Berger2Bernhard T. Baune3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6548-426XDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment (JICE), University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Münster, Germany Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, GermanyInstitute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Greifswald, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, GermanyInstitute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment (JICE), University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Münster, Germany Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia Background Immune dysregulation contributes to the pathophysiology of depression and is a potential link between depression and comorbid medical conditions. DNA methylation is a dynamic transcriptional regulator of the immune system. Aims To study changes in DNA methylation of disease- and comorbidity-associated immune genes in patients with and without depression diagnoses from the German BiDirect Study. Method We performed a cross-sectional (baseline, y0) and longitudinal (consecutive assessments at 3-year intervals, y0, y3, y6) differential methylation analyses of 382 immune-related genes associated with depression, obesity, diabetes and/or gout in 276 patients with depression and in 207 individuals without a lifetime depression diagnosis from the BiDirect Study. In addition, we applied unsupervised clustering to identify subgroups of individuals with depression based on longitudinal methylation patterns. Results There were no significant methylation changes between individuals with depression and controls at baseline. Follow-up analyses used to assess the top (P < 0.05) 151 methylation probes longitudinally identified 42 CpG sites that showed time-dependent changes associated with depression, and defined 3 depression clusters with differential profiles of serum inflammation markers at baseline. The implicated genes corresponded in the majority to those associated with diabetes risk, and were enriched in processes relevant for haematopoiesis. Conclusions Our results suggest that immune dysregulation associated with DNA methylation profiles contributes to the pathophysiology of depression and is a plausible link to chronic medical conditions such as diabetes. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472425100653/type/journal_articleDepressiondiabetesDNA methylationimmunityinflammation |
| spellingShingle | Marisol Herrera-Rivero Matthias Nauck Klaus Berger Bernhard T. Baune Immune DNA methylation in depression: cross-sectional and longitudinal study BJPsych Open Depression diabetes DNA methylation immunity inflammation |
| title | Immune DNA methylation in depression: cross-sectional and longitudinal study |
| title_full | Immune DNA methylation in depression: cross-sectional and longitudinal study |
| title_fullStr | Immune DNA methylation in depression: cross-sectional and longitudinal study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Immune DNA methylation in depression: cross-sectional and longitudinal study |
| title_short | Immune DNA methylation in depression: cross-sectional and longitudinal study |
| title_sort | immune dna methylation in depression cross sectional and longitudinal study |
| topic | Depression diabetes DNA methylation immunity inflammation |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472425100653/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marisolherrerarivero immunednamethylationindepressioncrosssectionalandlongitudinalstudy AT matthiasnauck immunednamethylationindepressioncrosssectionalandlongitudinalstudy AT klausberger immunednamethylationindepressioncrosssectionalandlongitudinalstudy AT bernhardtbaune immunednamethylationindepressioncrosssectionalandlongitudinalstudy |