Methylation in CpG sites in candidate genes were not predictors of depression at significance levels corrected for whole genome testing, but maltreated and control children did have significantly different β values after Bonferroni correction at multiple methylation sites in these candidate genes (e.g., BDNF, NR3C1, FKBP5).
Polymorphisms in the FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5) gene have been shown to influence glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity, stress response regulation, and depression risk in traumatized subjects, with most consistent findings reported for the functional variant rs1360780.
Network modeling and animal experiments suggest that these genetic differences in GR-induced transcriptional activation may mediate the risk for depression and other psychiatric disorders by altering a network of functionally related stress-sensitive genes in blood and brain.
We investigated PTSD and depression severity, plasma cortisol, GR and mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) levels, and methylation status of NR3C1 and NR3C2 promoter regions in 25 women exposed to the Tutsi genocide during pregnancy and their children, and 25 women from the same ethnicity, pregnant during the same period but not exposed to the genocide, and their children.