Correlation between rs3740051 polymorphism of SIRT1 gene and volume of brain gray matter in depression patients

Abstract

Objective To investigate the correlation between the polymorphism of SIRT1 locus rs3740051 and the structure of brain gray matter in patients with first-onset untreated depression as well as in healthy controls. Methods Clinical data of 75 patients (15 males and 60 females) with first-onset depression treated in our hospital from March 2018 to September 2019 were recruited, and another 43 volunteers were enrolled as healthy controls. Their brain structural data were collected from high resolution images after magnetic resonance imaging, and the allelic and genotypic frequencies of rs3740051 polymorphisms of SIRT1 gene were determined with DNA sequencing in the 2 groups. Based on the detected genotypes, the depression patients and healthy controls were classified into 4 groups: depression (AA), depression (AG/GG), control (AA) and control (AG/GG) groups. The interaction effects of SIRT1 rs3740051 genotypes (AA or AG/GG) and disease diagnosis (depression or control), as well as their respective main effects on brain gray matter, on brain gray matter volume were analyzed. Results ① Diagnostic and genotype interaction effects on the gray matter volume were shown in all the 4 groups. In the left parahippocampal gyrus and left inferior parietal marginal angular gyrus, the gray matter volume was larger in the depression (AG/GG) group than depression (AA) group (P 0.05). At the right precuneus, the gray matter volume was larger in both depression (AG/GG) and depression (AA) groups as compared with the corresponding control groups (P < 0.05). ③Genotype main effects were also found on gray matter volume of the 4 groups. In the right medial superior frontal gyrus and left supplementary motor area, the gray matter volume was larger in both depression (AG/GG) and control (AG/GG) groups than the corresponding (AA) genotype groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion The polymorphism of SIRT1 rs3740051 may be related to the alteration of brain gray matter volume in patients with depression. Patients carrying G allele (AG/GG) have more changes in gray matter volume than those not carrying (AA), and these changes may play a role in the pathogenesis of depression.

Keywords

• depression
• sirt1 gene
• rs3740051 locus
• volume of gray matter