[Identification of biomarkers associated with migraine]

The diagnosis of migraine can be difficult, even for headache specialists, because some patients do not necessarily fulfill the International Headache Society criteria for migraine. Hence, reliable disease markers of migraine are required for accurate migraine diagnosis. We performed "Omics" analysis such as transcriptomics, proteomics, and genomics utilizing the lymphoblast cell lines and serum obtained from migraineurs. We verified that αfodrin, which was among the identified 15 genes that were differentially expressed in lymphoblasts originating from patients with migraine, increased after cortical spreading depression in an animal model. We also investigated the alterations of protein expressions induced by migraine attacks using proteomics analysis. Notably, in two migraineurs, the level of apolipoprotein E protein expression during attacks was significantly higher than pre-attack levels. Recently, we have found a novel family lineage with migraine. They also exhibit severe myalgia with arms and legs. GC binding protein which binds to vitamin D was identified as the product of the causative gene in this family. Our omics approach will contribute to a better understanding of migraine pathophysiology.