Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms and gene-environment interactions with major depressive disorder in Chinese

We conducted a case-control study to investigate the effects of genetics and gene-environment interactions on major depressive disorders (MDD) in the Chinese population. Using targeted-exome sequencing, we included 984 patients with MDD and 508 healthy controls in our study. A logistic regression model was employed to analyze the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and MDD. Additionally, a linear regression model was utilized to examine the associations between (1) gene-environment interaction and the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, (2) SNPs and the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation-Chinese version, and gene-environment interaction and the Beck scale for suicide ideation-Chinese version. The association analysis between SNPs and MDD revealed that the following loci reached genome-wide significance: rs2305554 of the <i>cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha 7 subunit</i>, rs9459173 of <i>synaptojanin 2</i>, rs372369000 of <i>beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase 6</i>, rs866666526 of <i>dopa decarboxylase</i>, rs1254882194 of <i>calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase ID</i>, rs199880487 of <i>reelin</i>, rs1167948188 of <i>reelin</i>, rs1390140186 of <i>QKI, KH domain containing RNA binding</i>, and rs1776342 of <i>period circadian regulator 3</i>. The association analysis between SNPs and the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation-Chinese version indicated that rs264272 and rs1774784888 of <i>piezo type mechanosensitive ion channel component 2</i> reached genome-wide significance. These findings may enhance our understanding of MDD and contribute to the development of new potential targets for its diagnosis and treatment.