Cited by 188Epigenetics and DNA MethylationNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorStress Responses and Cortisol

Stress-Related Methylation of the Catechol- O -Methyltransferase Val 158 Allele Predicts Human Prefrontal Cognition and Activity

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Ursini, Gianluca, Bollati, Valentina, Fazio, Leonardo, Porcelli, Annamaria, Iacovelli, Luisa, Catalani, Assia, Sinibaldi, Lorenzo, Gelao, Barbara +10 more·2011·The Journal of Neuroscience

Abstract

DNA methylation at CpG dinucleotides is associated with gene silencing, stress, and memory. The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val(158) allele in rs4680 is associated with differential enzyme activity, stress responsivity, and prefrontal activity during working memory (WM), and it creates a CpG dinucleotide. We report that methylation of the Val(158) allele measured from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of Val/Val humans is associated negatively with lifetime stress and positively with WM performance; it interacts with stress to modulate prefrontal activity during WM, such that greater stress and lower methylation are related to reduced cortical efficiency; and it is inversely related to mRNA expression and protein levels, potentially explaining the in vivo effects. Finally, methylation of COMT in prefrontal cortex and that in PBMCs of rats are correlated. The relationship of methylation of the COMT Val(158) allele with stress, gene expression, WM performance, and related brain activity suggests that stress-related methylation is associated with silencing of the gene, which partially compensates the physiological role of the high-activity Val allele in prefrontal cognition and activity. Moreover, these results demonstrate how stress-related DNA methylation of specific functional alleles impacts directly on human brain physiology beyond sequence variation.

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Crossref · 10.1523/jneurosci.6631-10.2011

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Authors
Ursini, G., Bollati, V., Fazio, L., Porcelli, A., Iacovelli, L., Catalani, A., Sinibaldi, L., Gelao, B., Romano, R., Rampino, A., Taurisano, P., Mancini, M., Di Giorgio, A., Popolizio, T., Baccarelli, A., De Blasi, A., Blasi, G., & Bertolino, A.
Affiliations
  • University of Bari Aldo Moro (IT)
  • University of Milan (IT)
  • Sapienza University of Rome (IT)
  • Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (IT)
  • Harvard University (US)
Venue
The Journal of Neuroscience
Published
2011-05-04
Volume
31
Issue
18
Pages
6692-6698
ISSN
  • 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
  • 1529-2401
OpenAlex
W2008679805
Cited by
188
References
61
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 22
FWCI
8.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) (submittedVersion)
  • Università Politecnica delle Marche (Università Politecnica delle Marche) (submittedVersion)
  • CINECA IRIS Institutional Research Information System (University of Bari Aldo Moro) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
Keywords
catechol-O-methyltransferase, DNA methylation, CpG, working memory, prefrontal cortex, gene silencing, epigenetics, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, gene expression, enzyme activity, rats
MeSH terms
Adult, Alleles, Animals, Catechol O-Methyltransferase, Cognition, Female, Genotype, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Neuropsychological Tests, Polymorphism, Genetic, Surveys and Questionnaires, Stress, Psychological, Blotting, Western, Rats, Wistar, Prefrontal Cortex, DNA Methylation, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Rats

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