title: Site-specific methylation changes in the glucocorticoid receptor exon 1F promoter in relation to life adversity: systematic review of contributing factors.
abstract: There has been recent interest in epigenetics in psychiatry since it offers a means of understanding how stressful life experiences, in interaction with the genotype, result in epigenetic changes that result in altered gene expression, ultimately affecting the risk for mental disorders. Many studies focused on methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor exon 1F promoter following an initial observation that changes in this region could be modulated by the environment. This review examines all published studies that have attempted to measure methylation in this region using different techniques, several tissue types, populations at different behavioral state and stages of development. Methodological issues have been raised with the aim of attempting to understand methylation quantification and site of action. We propose that it is useful to examine whether methylation at specific sites within the promoter region may be particularly relevant to psychiatric vulnerability to stress-related outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Traumatic Stress Studies Division, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA ; Mental Health Patient Care Center, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center Bronx, New York, NY, USA ; Laboratory of Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Nikolaos P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Daskalakis
authors.affiliation: Traumatic Stress Studies Division, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA ; Mental Health Patient Care Center, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center Bronx, New York, NY, USA ; Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yehuda
keywords: NR3C1; adversity; development; exon 1F; glucocorticoid receptor; promoter methylation; psychiatry; psychopathology