1.Research on the association between immune-related gene expression and panic disorder
Yuqian HE ; Geman WANG ; Rongting RAN ; Xuelian LI ; Yujie LI ; Min DENG ; Zhili ZOU
Sichuan Mental Health 2025;38(5):392-397
BackgroundGenetic factor plays an important role in the pathogenesis of panic disorder. Previous studies have revealed that immune system dysregulation is closely related to mental disorders such as panic disorder, while the relationship between panic disorder and immune-related gene expression remains unclear. ObjectiveTo explore the relationship between the expression of CXCL8, IL6R, JUN, PTGS2, TGFBR1, TLR2, CCR4 genes and panic disorder, providing references for the diagnosis and treatment of panic disorder. MethodsA total of 52 patients who met the diagnostic criteria for panic disorder according to the Diagnosed and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) were enrolled at the Psychosomatic Medicine Center of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2020 to March 2021. Another 72 healthy individuals matched for age and gender from Chengdu were concurrently recruited as control group. The Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) was used to assess the severity of symptoms in panic disorder patients. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect gene expression levels in two groups. Spearman correlation analysis was adopted to determine the correlation between PDSS score and immune-related gene expression in research group. ResultsThe expression of the JUN, PTGS2 and TGFBR1 genes were significant higher in panic disorder patients than those in control group (Z=-4.172, -2.086, -3.018, P<0.05 or 0.01). After false discovery rate (FDR) correction for multiple testing, the differential expression of JUN and TGFBR1 genes remained statistically significant between two groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression of CCR4, CXCL8, IL6R and TLR2 genes between two groups (P>0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that the expression of the JUN gene in panic disorder patients was positively correlated with PDSS score (r=0.360, P<0.01), while the CCR4, CXCL8, IL6R, PTGS2, TGFBR1 and TLR2 genes showed no statistically significant correlation with the PDSS score (P>0.05). ConclusionThe expression of the JUN and TGFBR1 genes may be associated with panic disorder, and the expression of the JUN gene correlated with the severity of panic disorder. [Funded by Science and Technology Plan Project of Sichuan Provincial Department of Science and Technology (number, 2021YJ0440)]

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