Section of Biology and Genetics, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia; Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy.
Genes (Basel). 2020 Jul 31;11(8):872. doi: 10.3390/genes11080872.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a major health problem with significant limitations in functioning and well-being. The World Health Organization (WHO) evaluates MDD as one of the most disabling disorders in the world and with very high social cost. Great attention has been given to the study of the molecular mechanism underpinning MDD at the genetic, epigenetic and proteomic level. However, the importance of RNA modifications has attracted little attention until now in this field. RNA molecules are extensively and dynamically altered by a variety of mechanisms. Similar to "epigenomic" changes, which modify DNA structure or histones, RNA alterations are now termed "epitranscriptomic" changes and have been predicted to have profound consequences for gene expression and cellular functionality. Two of these modifications, adenosine to inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing and m6A methylations, have fascinated researchers over the last years, showing a new level of complexity in gene expression. In this review, we will summary the studies that focus on the role of RNA editing and m6A methylation in MDD, trying to underline their potential breakthroughs and pitfalls.
重度抑郁症（MDD）是一个主要的健康问题，其功能和幸福感受到显著限制。世界卫生组织（WHO）将 MDD 评估为世界上最致残的疾病之一，且具有非常高的社会成本。人们非常关注在遗传、表观遗传和蛋白质组学水平上研究 MDD 的分子机制。然而，直到现在，在这个领域中，RNA 修饰的重要性还没有引起太多关注。RNA 分子通过多种机制广泛而动态地改变。类似于“表观基因组”改变，即改变 DNA 结构或组蛋白，RNA 改变现在被称为“表观转录组”改变，并被预测对基因表达和细胞功能有深远的影响。在过去的几年里，这两种修饰，即腺苷到肌苷（A-to-I）RNA 编辑和 m6A 甲基化，引起了研究人员的极大兴趣，为基因表达展示了一个新的复杂水平。在这篇综述中，我们将总结专注于 RNA 编辑和 m6A 甲基化在 MDD 中作用的研究，试图强调它们的潜在突破和陷阱。
