Journal article

Publication year: 2016

Journal: International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Volume number: 17

Issue number: 1

ISSN: 1422-0067

eISSN: 1422-0067

Open access status: Gold

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17010067

Publisher: MDPI

Abstract: 

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious psychic disease with a high risk for suicide. DNA methylation is a hallmark for aberrant epigenetic regulation and could be involved in the etiology of BPD. Previously, it has been reported that increased DNA methylation of neuropsychiatric genes is found in the blood of patients with BPD compared to healthy controls. Here, we analyzed DNA methylation patterns of the ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA promoter region and 5′-external transcribed spacer/5′ETS) and the promoter of the proline rich membrane anchor 1 gene (PRIMA1) in peripheral blood samples of 24 female patients (mean age (33 ± 11) years) diagnosed with DSM-IV BPD and in 11 female controls (mean age (32 ± 7) years). A significant aberrant methylation of rDNA and PRIMA1 was revealed for BPD patients using pyrosequencing. For the promoter of PRIMA1, the average methylation of six CpG sites was 1.6-fold higher in BPD patients compared to controls. In contrast, the methylation levels of the rDNA promoter region and the 5′ETS were significantly lower (0.9-fold) in patients with BPD compared to controls. Thus, for nine CpGs located in the rDNA promoter region and for four CpGs at the 5′ETS decreased methylation was found in peripheral blood of patients compared to controls. Our results suggest that aberrant methylation of rDNA and PRIMA1 is associated with the pathogenesis of BPD.

Harvard Citation style: Teschler, S., Gotthardt, J., Dammann, G. and Dammann, R. (2016) Aberrant DNA Methylation of rDNA and PRIMA1 in Borderline Personality Disorder, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 17(1), Article 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17010067

APA Citation style: Teschler, S., Gotthardt, J., Dammann, G., & Dammann, R. (2016). Aberrant DNA Methylation of rDNA and PRIMA1 in Borderline Personality Disorder. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 17(1), Article 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17010067