Association of CBS 844ins68, MTR A2756G and MTRR A66G gene polymorphisms with depression: A population-based study from North India

Background: Depression is one of the major global health problem currently affecting about 350 million people worldwide. Its cause is a multi-factorial which involves a complex mechanism of social, physiological, and biological factors. Mutations of genes in one-carbon metabolic pathway such as cystathionine-beta-synthase (CBS 844ins68), methyltransferase (MTR A2756G) and methyltransferase reductase (MTRR A66G) have been impli-cated in various neurological disorders.Objective: In the present study, we attempted to understand the association of these gene polymorphisms with depression among a North Indian population.Methods: A total of 808 participants aged between 30-and 70 years of either sex were recruited through door-to-door household survey. Depression status was identified by administering BDI-II. Genotyping of the selected gene polymorphisms were performed following previously reported protocols.Results: The result revealed that only MTR A2756G gene polymorphism was significantly associated with mild depression [OR 1.65 (95 % CI: 0.05-2.62) p = 0.03] but not with moderate and severe depression among the studied population. Since CBS, MTR and MTRR genes are found in OCMP, MTR A2756G gene polymorphism was found to be associated with mild depression but not with CBS 844in68 and MTRR A66G gene polymorphisms in the present study. Conclusion: Identification of susceptible genes involved in depressive disorder and early screening for mild depression may create better opportunity for timely intervention and further improve the quality of life.