We uncovered remarkable sex differences in gene expression, including elevated expression of the EP3 receptor in females-which we leverage to illustrate the behavioral and pharmacologic relevance of these findings-and of Slc6a15 and Lin28b, both major depressive disorder (MDD)-associated genes.
Collectively, our data demonstrate that reduced Slc6a15 in NAc occurs in MDD individuals and that Slc6a15 reduction in NAc D2-neurons underlies stress susceptibility.<b>SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT</b> Our study demonstrates a role for reduced Slc6a15, a neutral amino acid transporter, in nucleus accumbens (NAc) in depression and stress susceptibility.
In the present study, we investigated the effect of the SLC6A15 gene polymorphism, rs1545843, on resting-state brain function in MDD with the imaging genomic technology and the regional homogeneity (ReHo) method.
Effects of a Polymorphism of the Neuronal Amino Acid Transporter SLC6A15 Gene on Structural Integrity of White Matter Tracts in Major Depressive Disorder.