POSSIBLE LINK FOUND BETWEEN GENE EXPRESSION AND ABUSE VICTIMS WHO COMMIT SUICIDE

A study by a team of scientists led by Moshe Szyff at the McGill University of Montreal has discovered a possible link between childhood abuse and differential gene expression compared to unabused people as observed in the brain of postmortem suicide victims.
Gene expression is turned off by the addition of methyl groups to dinucleotides. Environmental factors such as diet and stress may influence the addition of such groups. Szyff and colleagues revealed that rat pups neglected by their mothers have high methylation levels compared to those who were well cared for, indicating maternal care, could affect regulation of gene expression.
Eleven age and gender matches with a normal upbringing who had died from sudden accidents were compared to 13 suicide victims’ brains’ who had a history of neglect and/or abuse.
The part of the brain studied controls memory and mood and is known as the Hippocampus. Previous studies indicate that this area of the brain is relatively smaller in abuse victims. The genes examined in the hippocampus are found to be involved in controlling protein-produced RNA molecules. It was discovered that these specific genes in suicide victims are switched off; indicating less activity in the hippocampus, raising the question of whether methylation levels and the deactivation of certain genes is linked to suicide.
Barbara Wronski
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Reference:
Alison Motluk(2008)GENETICS: Abuse may trigger gene changes found in suicide victims. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/genetics/dn13844-abuse-may-trigger-gene-changes-found-in-suicide-victims.html [accessed 27/05/08]