Plasma proteomic signature of major depressive episode in the elderly

Depression is a complex and multifactorial disease, affecting about 6.5% of the elderly population in what is referred to as late-life depression (LLD). Despite its public health relevance, there is still limited information about the molecular mechanisms of LLD. We analyzed the blood plasma of 50 older adults through untargeted mass spectrometry and used systems biology tools to identify biochemical pathways and biological processes dysregulated in the disease. We found 96 differentially expressed proteins between LLD patients and control individuals. Using elastic-net regression, we generated a panel of 75 proteins that comprises a potential model for determining the molecular signature of LLD. We also showed that biological pathways related to vesicle-mediated transport and voltage-dependent calcium channels may be dysregulated in LLD. These data can help to build an understanding of the molecular basis of LLD, offering an integrated view of the biomolecular alterations that occur in this disorder.

抑郁症是一种复杂的多因素疾病，约影响6.5%的老年人群体，这类发病于老年阶段的抑郁症被称为晚发性抑郁症（late-life depression, LLD）。尽管晚发性抑郁症具有重要的公共卫生意义，目前对其分子机制的认知仍较为有限。本研究通过非靶向质谱技术分析了50名老年人的血浆样本，并借助系统生物学工具，识别出该疾病中失调的生化通路与生物学过程。研究共鉴定出晚发性抑郁症患者与健康对照个体间存在96个差异表达蛋白。通过弹性网回归分析，本研究构建了包含75种蛋白的分类面板，该面板可作为识别晚发性抑郁症分子特征的潜在模型。此外，本研究证实，与囊泡介导运输、电压依赖性钙通道相关的生物学通路可能在晚发性抑郁症中存在失调现象。本研究数据有助于加深对晚发性抑郁症分子基础的理解，为解析该疾病发生过程中的生物分子改变提供了整合视角。