Modifications on histone tails in psychiatric disorders

Area of Science:

• Epigenetics
• Neuroscience
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Histone tails are crucial regulatory regions of chromatin.
• Dysregulation of histone modifications is implicated in various diseases.
• Understanding these roles in psychiatric disorders is vital for therapeutic development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively review histone tail features and their functions.
• To systematically analyze the association between histone tail modifications and psychiatric disorders.
• To identify key histone modifications and affected psychiatric conditions.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a literature search of over 200 histone modifications and 20 psychiatric disorders.
• Analyzed positive associations between specific histone tail modifications and psychiatric conditions.
• Identified the most prevalent modifications and associated disorders.

Main Results:

• 26 histone tail modifications positively correlate with ten psychiatric disorders.
• H3 and H4 tails are most frequently modified, primarily at lysine residues.
• H3K9ac, H3K4me3, H3K27ac, H3K9me2, and γH2AX are top modifications linked to psychiatric disorders.
• Substance use disorders, Alzheimer's disease, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorders are the most studied.
• 92% of studies focused on these top five disorders.

Conclusions:

• Histone tail modifications play significant roles in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders.
• Targeting histone modifications and epigenetic regulators presents a promising therapeutic avenue.
• This research provides insights into molecular mechanisms underlying abnormal gene expression in psychiatric conditions.