title: Transcriptomic analyses and leukocyte telomere length measurement in subjects exposed to severe recent stressful life events.
abstract: Stressful life events occurring in adulthood have been found able to affect mood and behavior, thus increasing the vulnerability for several stress-related psychiatric disorders. However, although there is plenty of clinical data supporting an association between stressful life events in adulthood and an enhanced vulnerability for psychopathology, the underlying molecular mechanisms are still poorly investigated. Thus, in this study we performed peripheral/whole-genome transcriptomic analyses in blood samples obtained from 53 adult subjects characterized for recent stressful life events occurred within the previous 6 months. Transcriptomic data were analyzed using Partek Genomics Suite; pathway and network analyses were performed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis and GeneMANIA Software. We found 207 genes significantly differentially expressed in adult subjects who reported recent stressful life experiences (n=21) compared with those without such experiences (n=32). Moreover, the same subjects exposed to such stressful experiences showed a reduction in leukocyte telomere length. A correlation analyses between telomere length and transcriptomic data indicated an association between the exposures to recent stressful life events and the modulation of several pathways, mainly involved in immune-inflammatory-related processes and oxidative stress, such as natural killer cell signaling, interleukin-1 (IL-1) signaling, MIF regulation of innate immunity and IL-6 signaling. Our data suggest an association between exposures to recent stressful life events in adulthood and alterations in the immune, inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways, which could be also involved in the negative effect of stressful life events on leukocyte telomere length. The modulation of these mechanisms may underlie the clinical association between the exposure to recent Stressful life events in adulthood and an enhanced vulnerability to develop psychiatric diseases in adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Fatebenefratelli S. Giovanni di Dio, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lopizzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tosato
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Begni
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomassi
authors.affiliation: Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Fatebenefratelli S. Giovanni di Dio, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cattane
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barcella
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Turco
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Riva
authors.affiliation: Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology Laboratory, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, London, UK.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Pariante
authors.affiliation: Biological Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Fatebenefratelli S. Giovanni di Dio, Brescia, Italy.|Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology Laboratory, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, London, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cattaneo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics; D007249:Inflammation / Q000235:genetics*; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000235:genetics; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008016:Life Change Events; D016014:Linear Models; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000235:genetics*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D016615:Telomere / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C508600:IL6 protein, human; D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases; C515598:MIF protein, human; D006854:Hydrocortisone