Integrative DNA Methylation and Gene Expression Analysis in the Prefrontal Cortex of Mexicans Who Died by Suicide.

BACKGROUND: Suicide represents a major health concern, especially in developing countries. While many demographic risk factors have been proposed, the underlying molecular pathology of suicide remains poorly understood. A body of evidence suggests that aberrant DNA methylation and expression is involved. In this study, we examined DNA methylation profiles and concordant gene expression changes in the prefrontal cortex of Mexicans who died by suicide. METHODS: In collaboration with the coroner's office in Mexico City, brain samples of males who died by suicide (n = 35) and age-matched sudden death controls (n = 13) were collected. DNA and RNA were extracted from prefrontal cortex tissue and analyzed with the Infinium Methylation480k and the HumanHT-12 v4 Expression Beadchips, respectively. RESULTS: We report evidence of altered DNA methylation profiles at 4430 genomic regions together with 622 genes characterized by differential expression in cases vs controls. Seventy genes were found to have concordant methylation and expression changes. Metacore-enriched analysis identified 10 genes with biological relevance to psychiatric phenotypes and suicide (ADCY9, CRH, NFATC4, ABCC8, HMGA1, KAT2A, EPHA2, TRRAP, CD22, and CBLN1) and highlighted the association that ADCY9 has with various pathways, including signal transduction regulated by the cAMP-responsive element modulator, neurophysiological process regulated by the corticotrophin-releasing hormone, and synaptic plasticity. We therefore went on to validate the observed hypomethylation of ADCY9 in cases vs control through targeted bisulfite sequencing. CONCLUSION: Our study represents the first, to our knowledge, analysis of DNA methylation and gene expression associated with suicide in a Mexican population using postmortem brain, providing novel insights for convergent molecular alterations associated with suicide.

NFE2L2 Gene Variants and Arsenic Susceptibility: A Lymphoblastoid Model.

Arsenic (As) exposure is a major risk for several types of cancer and metabolic diseases such as diabetes. The transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) is a key mediator in the cellular defense against As-induced adverse effects. The -653G/A and -617C/A gene variants modulate expression levels of the Nrf2 coding gene (NFE2L2) and are postulated to be associated with several illnesses. In this study the functional effect of these polymorphisms was investigated in the cellular sensitivity to As-mediated effects. Using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) the basal levels of NFE2L2 mRNA and the induced levels of NFE2L2 and its target gene NQO1 were measured in lymphoblastoid cells carrying different genotypes for -653G/A and -617C/A polymorphisms following As exposure. The effects of different NFE2L2 gene genotypes on cell proliferation were also explored after chronic metal exposure. A tendency toward reduction in basal levels of NFE2L2 mRNA was noted in the heterozygous (GA/CA) and risk homozygous (AA/AA) genotypes of both polymorphisms in immortalized lymphoblastoid cells. Although the expression of NFE2L2 and NQO1 after acute acute iAs exposure was not markedly influenced by -653G/A and -617C/A genotype, it was found that these single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were correlated with a differential sensitivity to chronic exposure to the metalloid. Further studies are needed to completely understand the role of -653G/A and -617C/A SNPs in regulation of the NFE2L2 gene.

Analysis of the dynamic aberrant landscape of DNA methylation and gene expression during arsenic-induced cell transformation.

Inorganic arsenic is a well-known carcinogen associated with several types of cancer, but the mechanisms involved in arsenic-induced carcinogenesis are not fully understood. Recent evidence points to epigenetic dysregulation as an important mechanism in this process; however, the effects of epigenetic alterations in gene expression have not been explored in depth. Using microarray data and applying a multivariate clustering analysis in a Gaussian mixture model, we describe the alterations in DNA methylation around the promoter region and the impact on gene expression in HaCaT cells during the transformation process caused by chronic exposure to arsenic. Using this clustering approach, the genes were grouped according to their methylation and expression status in the epigenetic landscape, and the changes that occurred during the cellular transformation were identified adequately. Thus, we present a valuable method for identifying epigenomic dysregulation.

Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Completed Suicides in Mexico City 2014-2015.

Objective: To analyze sex differences in demographic and clinical characteristics of individuals who died by suicide in Mexico City. Method: Statistical analysis of residents of Mexico City whose cause of death was suicide, during two years period from January 2014 to December 2015, with a coroner's report. Suicide mortality rates were calculated by age, sex, and location within the city. The Chi-squared test was used to assess statistical differences. Results: From January 2014 to December 2015, 990 residents of Mexico City died by suicide (men: 78.28%, women: 21.72%). Among males, the highest mortality rates were among the groups of 20-24 and 75-79 years old, whereas in women, the group with the highest mortality rate was 15 to 19 years old. 74% of the sample used hanging as suicide method. However, men had higher rates of a positive result in the toxicology test (40%) (p < 0.05). There was no concordance between male and female suicide by city jurisdictions. Conclusion: Our results provide evidence that the characteristics of Mexico City's residents who committed suicide had significant sex-related differences, including where they used to live. Understanding the contributory factors associated with completed suicide is essential for the development of effective preventive strategies.