Assessing the methylation of gene promotor of 5-HT1A receptor in serum of patients with Schizophrenia

Abstract

Schizophrenia is one of the most common serious mental disorders whose essential nature has not yet been correctly determined. Its multifactorial etiology and genetics play a crucial role in clinical phototypes and response to treatment. Recently, special attention has been paid to changes in serotonin receptors in the field of gene expression changes. Considering the importance of this issue, we investigated the methylation of the 5-HT1A gene in a study. Methods: One hundred patients with Schizophrenia were selected based on DSM-V criteria from those referred to Razi Hospital in Tabriz. After obtaining informed consent, blood sampling was done. At the same time, the peripheral blood of 100 healthy volunteers was taken as a control group. After centrifugation, peripheral blood leukocytes were separated. After PCR and DNA extraction, 5-HT3 gene methylation was checked by the HRM method. Results: The median methylation levels in the control and patient groups were 35% (range 10-100; IQR 25-60) and 52.5 (range 20-100; IQR 40-75), respectively. ROC curve test (p < 0.05) investigated the tests' sensitivity and specificity. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.678, with a P-value of 0.0056.