title: TrkB gene expression and DNA methylation state in Wernicke area does not associate with suicidal behavior.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alterations of DNA methylation and expression of suicide-related genes occurring in specific brain's areas have been associated to suicidal behavior. In the BDNF pathway, TrkB gene in frontal cortex and hippocampus, and BDNF gene in Wernicke area have been found hypermethylated and down-regulated in suicide subjects as compared to controls. In this work we investigated whether epigenetic modifications of TrkB gene occur in Wernicke area of 18 suicide subjects as compared to 18 controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  MassArray analysis was performed to determine the methylation degree of TrkB promoter in post-mortem samples. TrkB full length and TrkB-T1 mRNA levels were assessed by quantitative RT-PCR. Geometric averaging of four internal control genes was calculated for normalization of results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that TrkB and TrkB-T1 expression and promoter methylation in Wernicke area did not correlate with suicidal behavior whereas, in the same samples, the BDNF promoter IV was significantly hypermethylated in suicide with respect of controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data from a single brain's area in this study's sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data show that no correlation exists between TrkB gene methylation and suicide in Wernicke area, confirming that expression and methylation state of suicide-related genes, even belonging to the same pathway, may be specific for brain area.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy; CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarchiapone
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zarrilli
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tomaiuolo
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Carli
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Angrisano
authors.forename: Alja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Videtic
authors.forename: Felice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.forename: Raffaela
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pero
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: di Giannantonio
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iosue
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lembo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castaldo
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chiariotti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001344:Autopsy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019175:DNA Methylation; D015536:Down-Regulation; D057890:Epigenomics; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008745:Methylation; D008875:Middle Aged; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020813:Receptor, trkB / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D020813:Receptor, trkB