The research progress on related genes affecting depression and their roles in rodent models

Abstract

Depression is a kind of common mental disease, which seriously affects humans' physical and mental health. It is mainly induced by biological, environmental, psychological and genetic factors. The gene that regulates depression is TPH2. The gene encodes the protein in the causation of 5-HT biosynthesis, which has been shown to regulate anxiety, depression and other emotions. A new study recently found that small RNA (miR-RNA) also plays an important role in regulating depression. Among the many animal models, the mouse model was selected for the study of depression. Experiments have been performed in mouse models, and the results showed that serotonin deficiency caused depressionlike behavior in mice that were naturally serotonin deficient, while mice with the TPH2 deletion continued to exhibit depression-like behavior. In addition, over-expression and knockout of miR-323 in the mouse brain also led to increases and decreases in depression behaviors in mouse. In the mouse model, the TPH2 gene and 5-HT can be regulated by gene therapy, but these methods can only be used in the mouse model, and there is still no direct treatment for depression by CRISPR technology. We hope to be able to apply these methods to the treatment of human depression in the future.