Antipsychotic subtypes can be characterized by differences in their ability to modify GABAergic promoter methylation

Epigenomics. 2009 Oct;1(1):201-11. doi: 10.2217/epi.09.2.

Abstract

Recent advances in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder research suggest that a dysfunction of GABAergic neurotransmission that is operative in telencephalic structures may be an important dynamic mechanism associated with psychosis. We propose that this dysfunction is probably mediated by the hypermethylation of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67), reelin and other gene promoters expressed in GABAergic neurons. A pharmacological strategy that reduces the hypermethylation of GABAergic promoters is to administer drugs (i.e., valproate [VPA]) that induce DNA demethylation by facilitating chromatin remodeling. The enhanced clinical efficacy of atypical antipsychotics when co-administered with VPA prompted us to investigate whether this increased drug efficacy is related to a modification of GABAergic promoter methylation via chromatin remodeling. Our previous and present results strongly suggest that when associated with VPA, clozapine or sulpiride, but not haloperidol or olanzapine, facilitate chromatin remodeling. This molecular remodeling may contribute to the induction of reelin (RELN) and GAD(67) (GAD1) promoter demethylation, and may reverse the downregulation of various GABAergic mRNAs and proteins detected in the telencephalon of patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antipsychotic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Antipsychotic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bipolar Disorder / drug therapy
  • Bipolar Disorder / metabolism
  • Brain / drug effects
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / genetics
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / metabolism
  • Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly / drug effects
  • DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases / genetics
  • DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases / metabolism
  • DNA Methylation* / drug effects
  • Down-Regulation
  • Extracellular Matrix Proteins / genetics
  • Extracellular Matrix Proteins / metabolism
  • GABAergic Neurons / drug effects*
  • GABAergic Neurons / enzymology
  • GABAergic Neurons / metabolism
  • Glutamate Decarboxylase / genetics
  • Glutamate Decarboxylase / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / genetics
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Reelin Protein
  • Schizophrenia / drug therapy
  • Schizophrenia / metabolism
  • Serine Endopeptidases / genetics
  • Serine Endopeptidases / metabolism

Substances

  • Antipsychotic Agents
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal
  • Extracellular Matrix Proteins
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • Reelin Protein
  • DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases
  • RELN protein, human
  • Reln protein, mouse
  • Serine Endopeptidases
  • Glutamate Decarboxylase