One-carbon metabolism gene polymorphism correlate with levels of dna methyltransferases in patients with migraine

Migraine is a common, disabling disorder characterized by attacks of 4 to 72 h of severe headache and associated autonomic and neurological symptoms. In the present study we analyzed the expression of DNMT1, DNMT3a, and DNMT3b in patients with migraine compared with healthy controls as well as the association between the levels of DNMTs and the LINE-1 methylation status in migraine patients with MTHFR C677T variant. Materials and Method: A total 48 individuals were enrolled in this study (24 patients with migraine and 24 age-matched healthy controls). The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tbilisi State Medical University. Results: We observed that methylation of LINE-1 were correlated with the levels of DNMT3a in migraine. In addition, levels of DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b in patients with TT genotypes of MTHFR gene rs1801133 polymorphism were significantly lower compared with individuals with CC genotypes. Conclusions: Differential levels DNMTs may play an important role in the pathogenesis of migraine. Further investigation of enzymes involved in DNA methylation with larger number of samples may provide important insight into the development of novel treatments for episodic and/or chronic migraine.