Cited by 43Epigenetics and DNA MethylationGenetic Associations and EpidemiologyTreatment of Major Depression

Methylome-wide association study of antidepressant use in Generation Scotland and the Netherlands Twin Register implicates the innate immune system

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Barbu, Miruna C., Huider, Floris, Campbell, Archie, Amador, Carmen, Adams, Mark J., Lynall, Mary-Ellen, Howard, David M., Walker, Rosie M. +9 more·2022·Molecular Psychiatry

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Abstract

Abstract Antidepressants are an effective treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), although individual response is unpredictable and highly variable. Whilst the mode of action of antidepressants is incompletely understood, many medications are associated with changes in DNA methylation in genes that are plausibly linked to their mechanisms. Studies of DNA methylation may therefore reveal the biological processes underpinning the efficacy and side effects of antidepressants. We performed a methylome-wide association study (MWAS) of self-reported antidepressant use accounting for lifestyle factors and MDD in Generation Scotland (GS:SFHS, N = 6428, EPIC array) and the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR, N = 2449, 450 K array) and ran a meta-analysis of antidepressant use across these two cohorts. We found ten CpG sites significantly associated with self-reported antidepressant use in GS:SFHS, with the top CpG located within a gene previously associated with mental health disorders, ATP6V1B2 ( β = −0.055, p corrected = 0.005). Other top loci were annotated to genes including CASP10, TMBIM1, MAPKAPK3 , and HEBP2 , which have previously been implicated in the innate immune response. Next, using penalised regression, we trained a methylation-based score of self-reported antidepressant use in a subset of 3799 GS:SFHS individuals that predicted antidepressant use in a second subset of GS:SFHS ( N = 3360, β = 0.377, p = 3.12 × 10 −11 , R 2 = 2.12%). In an MWAS analysis of prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, we showed convergent findings with those based on self-report. In NTR, we did not find any CpGs significantly associated with antidepressant use. The meta-analysis identified the two CpGs of the ten above that were common to the two arrays used as being significantly associated with antidepressant use, although the effect was in the opposite direction for one of them. Antidepressants were associated with epigenetic alterations in loci previously associated with mental health disorders and the innate immune system. These changes predicted self-reported antidepressant use in a subset of GS:SFHS and identified processes that may be relevant to our mechanistic understanding of clinically relevant antidepressant drug actions and side effects.

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  • Cross-referencing of presently identified hits with the 10 CpGs reported to be associated with antidepressant use in a recent EWAS did not reveal any overlap.

    “However, cross-referencing of the presently identified hits suggestively predicting antidepressant treatment response with the 10 CpGs reported to be associated with antidepressant use in a recent EWAS (Barbu et al., 2022) did not reveal any overlap.”

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [57]Liu C Marioni RE Hedman AK Pfeiffer L Tsai PC Reynolds LM A DNA methylation biomarker of alcohol consumption Mol Psychiatry 2018 23 422 33 10.1038/mp.2016.192 27843151 PMC5575985 · DOI · Paper page
  2. [58]Joehanes R Just AC Marioni RE Pilling LC Reynolds LM Mandaviya PR Epigenetic signatures of cigarette smoking Circ Cardiovasc Genet 2016 9 436 47 10.1161/CIRCGENETICS.116.001506 27651444 PMC5267325 · DOI

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Authors
Barbu, M. C., Huider, F., Campbell, A., Amador, C., Adams, M. J., Lynall, M.-E., Howard, D. M., Walker, R. M., Morris, S. W., Van Dongen, J., Porteous, D. J., Evans, K. L., Bullmore, E., Willemsen, G., Boomsma, D. I., Whalley, H. C., & McIntosh, A. M.
Affiliations
  • Royal Edinburgh Hospital (GB)
  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
  • Institute of Genetics and Cancer (GB)
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
  • King's College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Barbu, Miruna C.
Venue
Molecular Psychiatry
Published
2021-12-08
Volume
27
Issue
3
Pages
1647-1657
ISSN
  • 1359-4184 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-5578
OpenAlex
W4200085093
Cited by
43
References
82
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 1
FWCI
2.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Molecular Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • medRxiv (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • VU Research Portal (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Edinburgh Research Explorer (University of Edinburgh) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Apollo (cc-by)
Funders
  • National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (27404)
  • Wellcome Trust (220857/Z/20/Z, 220857, 213674/Z/18/Z, 104036/Z/14/Z, 104036, 213674)
  • Scottish Government (CZD/16/6)
  • Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research (NF-SI-0513-10051, NIHR200256)
  • Scottish Funding Council (HR03006)
  • Guarantors of Brain
  • Chief Scientist Office, Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorate (HR03006, CZD/16/6)
  • Medical Research Council (104036/Z/14/Z, MC_G0802534, MR/W014386/1, MC_UU_00007/10, MR/S006257/1)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
Keywords
antidepressant use, DNA methylation, methylome-wide association study, innate immune system, major depressive disorder, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, ATP6V1B2, caspase-10, MAPKAPK3, epigenetic biomarkers, antidepressant side effects, Generation Scotland, Netherlands Twin Register
MeSH terms
Heme-Binding Proteins, Epigenome, Antidepressive Agents, Major Depressive Disorder, Humans, Immune System, Netherlands, Pregnancy Proteins, Scotland

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