title: Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 gene (KDR) polymorphisms and expression levels in depressive disorder.
abstract: Recent research findings suggest that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) participates in the development of depressive disorder. VEGF is involved in neurogenesis and neuroprotection processes, mediated by vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2). VEGFR2 also plays a role in angiogenesis, a process related to neurogenesis and other biological processes. We examined VEGFR2 (KDR) gene polymorphism, mRNA expression levels, as well as VEGFR2 protein levels in 268 patients diagnosed with a recurrent depressive disorder (rDD) using the ICD-10 criteria, and in 200 healthy controls. Genotyping and gene expression level analysis was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods. An Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was used for measurement of KDR protein levels. Our study found that distribution of KDR polymorphism +1416T/A differs significantly in patients with rDD when compared to healthy subjects, while A allele and AA genotype are risk factors for rDD. KDR mRNA and protein expression are higher in patients with rDD. We also observed a significant association between the -271A/G variant and gene and protein levels. Our study is the first to demonstrate that the KDR gene may serve as a novel genetic marker that could participate in the etiology of rDD. This new pathway may play a role in the inflammatory pathophysiology of depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Adult Psychiatry, Medical University of Łódź, Poland. piotr.galecki@umed.lodz.pl
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gałecki
authors.forename: Agata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orzechowska
authors.forename: Dominika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berent
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Talarowska
authors.forename: Kinga
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bobińska
authors.forename: Elżbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gałecka
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lewiński
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szemraj
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012008:Recurrence; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2