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The Regulation and Mechanisms of Genomics in Psychiatry
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The Regulation and Mechanisms of Genomics in Psychiatry

A special issue of Current Issues in Molecular Biology (ISSN 1467-3045). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 3268

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Siwei Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Psychiatric Genetics, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
Interests: neurobiology; developmental biolog; cell biology; functional genomics; mental disorders
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Psychiatric disorders are complex and multifactorial conditions that arise from a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Recent advances in genetics and genomics have provided insights into the genetic basis of these disorders. Therefore, understanding the underlying regulatory mechanisms, such as transcription factors, epigenetic modifications, signalling pathways, and high-dimensional chromatin structures, is crucial in identifying new therapeutic targets. Moreover, mechanistic insights into how these regulatory processes influence gene expression can provide new avenues for developing targeted therapies for psychiatric disorders. This field is rapidly evolving, and a better understanding of the regulation and mechanisms of genomics in psychiatry has the potential to revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of these debilitating conditions. Here, we invite researchers from all spectra and disciplines to contribute their discoveries in advancing our understanding of the regulation and mechanisms of genomics in psychiatry. We sincerely look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Dr. Siwei Zhang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Current Issues in Molecular Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • psychiatric genetics
  • GWAS in mental disorders
  • congenital neural disorders
  • human neurodevelopment
  • computational neuroscience

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 5515 KiB  
Article
Transgenic Drosophila melanogaster Carrying a Human Full-Length DISC1 Construct (UAS-hflDISC1) Showing Effects on Social Interaction Networks
by Bobana Samardžija, Milan Petrović, Beti Zaharija, Marta Medija, Ana Meštrović, Nicholas J. Bradshaw, Ana Filošević Vujnović and Rozi Andretić Waldowski
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(8), 8526-8549; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb46080502 - 3 Aug 2024
Viewed by 970
Abstract
Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a scaffold protein implicated in major mental illnesses including schizophrenia, with a significant negative impact on social life. To investigate if DISC1 affects social interactions in Drosophila melanogaster, we created transgenic flies with second or third [...] Read more.
Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a scaffold protein implicated in major mental illnesses including schizophrenia, with a significant negative impact on social life. To investigate if DISC1 affects social interactions in Drosophila melanogaster, we created transgenic flies with second or third chromosome insertions of the human full-length DISC1 (hflDISC1) gene fused to a UAS promotor (UAS-hflDISC1). Initial characterization of the insertion lines showed unexpected endogenous expression of the DISC1 protein that led to various behavioral and neurochemical phenotypes. Social interaction network (SIN) analysis showed altered social dynamics and organizational structures. This was in agreement with the altered levels of the locomotor activity of individual flies monitored for 24 h. Together with a decreased ability to climb vertical surfaces, the observed phenotypes indicate altered motor functions that could be due to a change in the function of the motor neurons and/or central brain. The changes in social behavior and motor function suggest that the inserted hflDISC1 gene influences nervous system functioning that parallels symptoms of DISC1-related mental diseases in humans. Furthermore, neurochemical analyses of transgenic lines revealed increased levels of hydrogen peroxide and decreased levels of glutathione, indicating an impact of DISC1 on the dynamics of redox regulation, similar to that reported in transgenic mammals. Future studies are needed to address the localization of DISC1 expression and to address how the redox parameter changes correlate with the observed behavioral changes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Regulation and Mechanisms of Genomics in Psychiatry)
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18 pages, 1210 KiB  
Article
DNA Methylation Patterns in Relation to Acute Severity and Duration of Anxiety and Depression
by Eva Vidovič, Sebastian Pelikan, Marija Atanasova, Katarina Kouter, Indre Pileckyte, Aleš Oblak, Brigita Novak Šarotar, Alja Videtič Paska and Jurij Bon
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2023, 45(9), 7286-7303; https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb45090461 - 6 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1841
Abstract
Depression and anxiety are common mental disorders that often occur together. Stress is an important risk factor for both disorders, affecting pathophysiological processes through epigenetic changes that mediate gene–environment interactions. In this study, we explored two proposed models about the dynamic nature of [...] Read more.
Depression and anxiety are common mental disorders that often occur together. Stress is an important risk factor for both disorders, affecting pathophysiological processes through epigenetic changes that mediate gene–environment interactions. In this study, we explored two proposed models about the dynamic nature of DNA methylation in anxiety and depression: a stable change, in which DNA methylation accumulates over time as a function of the duration of clinical symptoms of anxiety and depression, or a flexible change, in which DNA methylation correlates with the acute severity of clinical symptoms. Symptom severity was assessed using clinical questionnaires for anxiety and depression (BDI-II, IDS-C, and HAM-A), and the current episode and the total lifetime symptom duration was obtained from patients’ medical records. Peripheral blood DNA methylation levels were determined for the BDNF, COMT, and SLC6A4 genes. We found a significant negative correlation between COMT_1 amplicon methylation and acute symptom scores, with BDI-II (R(22) = 0.190, p = 0.033), IDS-C (R(22) = 0.199, p = 0.029), and HAM-A (R(22) = 0.231, p = 0.018) all showing a similar degree of correlation. Our results suggest that DNA methylation follows flexible dynamics, with methylation levels closely associated with acute clinical presentation rather than with the duration of anxiety and depression. These results provide important insights into the dynamic nature of DNA methylation in anxiety and affective disorders and contribute to our understanding of the complex interplay between stress, epigenetics, and individual phenotype. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Regulation and Mechanisms of Genomics in Psychiatry)
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