Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34799556›Full record

ArticleTranslational psychiatry2021

Genome-wide differentially methylated genes associated with posttraumatic stress disorder and longitudinal change in methylation in rape survivors.

Jani Nöthling, Naeemah Abrahams, Sylvanus Toikumo, Matthew Suderman, Shibe Mhlongo, Carl Lombard, Soraya Seedat, Sian Megan Joanna Hemmings

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational psychiatry, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Jani NöthlingDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa. janinothling@sun.ac.za.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4123-7568
Naeemah AbrahamsGender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa.
Sylvanus ToikumoDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Matthew SudermanMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Shibe MhlongoGender and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa.
Carl LombardBiostatistics Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa.
Soraya SeedatDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5118-786X
Sian Megan Joanna HemmingsDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
South African Medical Research Council · ZAUniversity of Bristol · GB

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_UU_00011/5
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Rape is associated with a high risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). DNA methylation changes may confer risk or protection for PTSD following rape by regulating the expression of genes implicated in pathways affected by PTSD. We aimed to: (1) identify epigenome-wide differences in methylation profiles between rape-exposed women with and without PTSD at 3-months post-rape, in a demographically and ethnically similar group, drawn from a low-income setting; (2) validate and replicate the findings of the epigenome-wide analysis in selected genes (BRSK2 and ADCYAP1); and (3) investigate baseline and longitudinal changes in BRSK2 and ADCYAP1 methylation over six months in relation to change in PTSD symptom scores over 6 months, in the combined discovery/validation and replication samples (n = 96). Rape-exposed women (n = 852) were recruited from rape clinics in the Rape Impact Cohort Evaluation (RICE) umbrella study. Epigenome-wide differentially methylated CpG sites between rape-exposed women with (n = 24) and without (n = 24) PTSD at 3-months post-rape were investigated using the Illumina EPIC BeadChip in a discovery cohort (n = 48). Validation (n = 47) and replication (n = 49) of BRSK2 and ADCYAP1 methylation findings were investigated using EpiTYPER technology. Longitudinal change in BRSK2 and ADCYAP1 was also investigated using EpiTYPER technology in the combined sample (n = 96). In the discovery sample, after adjustment for multiple comparisons, one differentially methylated CpG site (chr10: 61385771/ cg01700569, p = 0.049) and thirty-four differentially methylated regions were associated with PTSD status at 3-months post-rape. Decreased BRSK2 and ADCYAP1 methylation at 3-months and 6-months post-rape were associated with increased PTSD scores at the same time points, but these findings did not remain significant in adjusted models. In conclusion, decreased methylation of BRSK2 may result in abnormal neuronal polarization, synaptic development, vesicle formation, and disrupted neurotransmission in individuals with PTSD. PTSD symptoms may also be mediated by differential methylation of the ADCYAP1 gene which is involved in stress regulation. Replication of these findings is required to determine whether ADCYAP1 and BRSK2 are biomarkers of PTSD and potential therapeutic targets.

Indexed as

RapeStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticDNA MethylationEpigenesis, GeneticFemaleHumansProtein Serine-Threonine KinasesSurvivorsBrsk2 protein, humanProtein Serine-Threonine Kinases

Identifiers

PMID34799556
PMCPMC8604994
OpenAlexW3214452808

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.