Rapid Fractionation and Isolation of Whole Blood Components in Samples Obtained from a Community-based Setting

Collection and processing of whole blood samples in a non-clinical setting offers a unique opportunity to evaluate community-dwelling individuals both with and without preexisting conditions. Rapid processing of these samples is essential to avoid degradation of key cellular components. Included here are methods for simultaneous peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC), DNA, RNA and serum isolation from a single blood draw performed in the homes of consenting participants across a metropolitan area, with processing initiated within 2 hr of collection. We have used these techniques to process over 1,600 blood specimens yielding consistent, high quality material, which has subsequently been used in successful DNA methylation, genotyping, gene expression and flow cytometry analyses. Some of the methods employed are standard; however, when combined in the described manner, they enable efficient processing of samples from participants of population- and/or community-based studies who would not normally be evaluated in a clinical setting. Therefore, this protocol has the potential to obtain samples (and subsequently data) that are more representative of the general population

Elevated systemic expression of ER stress related genes is associated with stress-related mental disorders in the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study

The role of Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress response in mental illness is not well understood. Human studies and animal models of depression show elevated brain ER stress response. In addition, some ER stress associated disorders (e.g. cardiovascular disease) show higher rates of depression compared to the general population, raising the possibility that ER stress response contributes to depression risk. It remains unknown, however, if ER stress response is present among individuals suffering from other stress-related mental illness, and whether such a response would be evident in a non-clinical sample. This study tests for systemic changes in ER stress response associated with major depressive disorder (MDD) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among community-dwelling individuals

Molecular Variation at the SLC6A3 Locus Predicts Lifetime Risk of PTSD in the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study

Recent work suggests that the 9-repeat (9R) allele located in the 3′UTR VNTR of the SLC6A3 gene increases risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, no study reporting this association to date has been based on population-based samples. Furthermore, no study of which we are aware has assessed the joint action of genetic and DNA methylation variation at SLC6A3 on risk of PTSD. In this study, we assessed whether molecular variation at SLC6A3 locus influences risk of PTSD. Participants (n = 320; 62 cases/258 controls) were drawn from an urban, community-based sample of predominantly African American Detroit adult residents, and included those who had completed a baseline telephone survey, had provided blood specimens, and had a homozygous genotype for either the 9R or 10R allele or a heterozygous 9R/10R genotype. The influence of DNA methylation variation in the SLC6A3 promoter locus was also assessed in a subset of participants with available methylation data (n = 83; 16 cases/67 controls). In the full analytic sample, 9R allele carriers had almost double the risk of lifetime PTSD compared to 10R/10R genotype carriers (OR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.02–3.86), controlling for age, sex, race, socioeconomic status, number of traumas, smoking, and lifetime depression. In the subsample of participants with available methylation data, a significant (p = 0.008) interaction was observed whereby 9R allele carriers showed an increased risk of lifetime PTSD only in conjunction with high methylation in the SLC6A3 promoter locus, controlling for the same covariates. Our results confirm previous reports supporting a role for the 9R allele in increasing susceptibility to PTSD. They further extend these findings by providing preliminary evidence that a “double hit” model, including both a putatively reduced-function allele and high methylation in the promoter region, may more accurately capture molecular risk of PTSD at the SLC6A3 locus

Rapid Fractionation and Isolation of Whole Blood Components in Samples Obtained from a Community-based Setting

Collection and processing of whole blood samples in a non-clinical setting offers a unique opportunity to evaluate community-dwelling individuals both with and without preexisting conditions. Rapid processing of these samples is essential to avoid degradation of key cellular components. Included here are methods for simultaneous peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC), DNA, RNA and serum isolation from a single blood draw performed in the homes of consenting participants across a metropolitan area, with processing initiated within 2 hr of collection. We have used these techniques to process over 1,600 blood specimens yielding consistent, high quality material, which has subsequently been used in successful DNA methylation, genotyping, gene expression and flow cytometry analyses. Some of the methods employed are standard; however, when combined in the described manner, they enable efficient processing of samples from participants of population- and/or community-based studies who would not normally be evaluated in a clinical setting. Therefore, this protocol has the potential to obtain samples (and subsequently data) that are more representative of the general population

Allele frequencies of <i>SLC6A3</i> 3′-UTR VNTR polymorphism in trauma-exposed participants (n = 362).

*<p>6 individuals failed <i>SLC6A3</i> 3-‘UTR VNTR genotyping.</p

Descriptive statistics and bivariate comparisons of participants with and without lifetime PTSD and effect of <i>SLC6A3</i> 3′UTR VNTR polymorphism on risk of lifetime PTSD in the full analytic sample^* (n = 320).

<p>SES: socio-economic status; PTEs: potential traumatic events; UTR: untranslated region; VNTR: variable number tandem repeat.</p>*<p>Full analytic sample includes 320 participants who were trauma exposed and had <i>SLC6A3</i> 3′-UTR VNTR polymorphism of either 9R/9R, 9R/10R, or 10R/10R genotypes.</p>**<p>Variables are presented by mean and standard deviation.</p

Main effects of <i>SLC6A3</i> 3′UTR VNTR polymorphism and promoter region methylation and interactive on risk of lifetime PTSD in the methylation subsample (n = 83).

<p>SES: socio-economic status; PTEs: potential traumatic events; UTR: untranslated region; VNTR: variable number tandem repeat; PBMC: peripheral blood mononuclear cell counts.</p>*<p>Median-split.</p>†<p>Continuous, centered to the mean.</p>‡<p>Assessed at cg13202751.</p

Elevated systemic expression of ER stress related genes is associated with stress-related mental disorders in the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study

BACKGROUND: The role of Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress response in mental illness is not well understood. Human studies and animal models of depression show elevated brain ER stress response. In addition, some ER stress associated disorders (e.g. cardiovascular disease) show higher rates of depression compared to the general population, raising the possibility that ER stress response contributes to depression risk. It remains unknown, however, if ER stress response is present among individuals suffering from other stress-related mental illness, and whether such a response would be evident in a non-clinical sample. This study tests for systemic changes in ER stress response associated with major depressive disorder (MDD) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among community-dwelling individuals. METHODS: We analyzed expression of BiP, EDEM1, CHOP, and XBP1, the major indicators of ER stress response, with Real-Time PCR in leukocyte-derived RNA samples from 86 participants of the Detroit Neighborhood Health Study. Participants were selected based on the presence of either past year MDD or past year PTSD; controls were age and sex matched. RESULTS: Relative to controls, MDD is associated with a 1.34-fold increase in BiP (P=0.004), 1.35-fold increase in EDEM1 (P=0.001), 1.68-fold increase in CHOP (P=0.002), and 1.60-fold increase in XBP1 (P=0.004). These results remained significant after correction for multiple testing. In contrast, PTSD is associated with a 1.27 fold increase in EDEM1 expression only (P=0.027), a result that is attenuated to non-significance following adjustment for multiple testing; however, a subsample of participants with past month PTSD showed elevated expression of BiP and EDEM1 (uncorrected p value 0.049 and 0.017, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate systemic and persistent activation of the ER stress response pathway in MDD among community-dwelling individuals. Systemic activation of the ER stress response may also occur in PTSD among persons with more recent symptoms