Bellia Fabio, Piccinini Alessandro, Annunzi Eugenia, Cannito Loreta, Lionetti Francesca, Dell'Osso Bernardo, Adriani Walter, Dainese Enrico, Di Domenico Alberto, Pucci Mariangela, Palumbo Riccardo, D'Addario Claudio
Department of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy.
Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, University "G. D'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy.
Biomedicines. 2024 Sep 23;12(9):2149. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines12092149.
: Coping with stress is essential for mental well-being and can be critical for highly sensitive individuals, characterized by a deeper perception and processing of stimuli. So far, the molecular bases characterizing high-sensitivity traits have not been completely investigated and gene × environment interactions might play a key role in making some people more susceptible than others. : In this study, 104 young adult university students, subjects that might face overwhelming experiences more than others, were evaluated for the genetics and epigenetics of dopamine () and serotonin () transporter genes, in addition to the expression of miR-132, miR-491, miR-16, and miR-135. : We found an increase in DNA methylation at one specific CpG site at 5'UTR in highly sensitive students reporting high levels of perceived stress when compared to those less sensitive and/or less stressed. Moreover, considering VNTR at 3'UTR, we observed that this effect was even more pronounced in university students having the 9/9 genotype when compared to those with the 9/10 genotype. These data are corroborated by the higher levels of miR-491, targeting , in highly sensitive subjects with high levels of perceived stress. gene DNA methylation at one specific CpG site was reported to instead be higher in subjects reporting lower perceived stress when compared to more stressed subjects. Consistently, miR-135 expression, regulating , was lower in subjects with higher perceived stress. : We here suggest that the correlation of and genetic and epigenetic data with the analysis of stress and sensitivity might be useful to suggest possible biomarkers to monitor mental health wellness in vulnerable subjects.
应对压力对心理健康至关重要，对于高敏感个体而言可能尤为关键，这类个体对刺激的感知和处理更为深刻。到目前为止，表征高敏感特质的分子基础尚未得到充分研究，基因×环境相互作用可能在使一些人比其他人更易受影响方面发挥关键作用。
在本研究中，对104名年轻成年大学生（这类人群可能比其他人面临更多难以承受的经历）进行了多巴胺（）和血清素（）转运体基因的遗传学和表观遗传学评估，同时还评估了miR-132、miR-491、miR-16和miR-135的表达。
我们发现，与那些不太敏感和/或压力较小的学生相比，报告感知压力水平较高的高敏感学生在5'UTR的一个特定CpG位点的DNA甲基化增加。此外，考虑3'UTR处的VNTR，我们观察到，与9/10基因型的大学生相比，9/9基因型的大学生这种效应更为明显。这些数据得到了高敏感且感知压力水平高的受试者中靶向的miR-491较高水平的证实。据报道，与压力较大的受试者相比，报告感知压力较低的受试者在一个特定CpG位点的基因DNA甲基化反而更高。同样，调节的miR-135在感知压力较高的受试者中表达较低。
我们在此表明，基因和表观遗传数据与压力和敏感性分析之间的相关性可能有助于提出可能的生物标志物，以监测脆弱人群的心理健康状况。
