Euthymic and depressed bipolar patients are characterized by different RNA editing patterns in blood

Abstract

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a worldwide leading cause of disability. Inflammation roles in this disease is well established. ADAR1-mediated RNA editing is one of the key mechanisms regulating the inflammatory response. We have identified a panel of RNA editing-based blood biomarkers which allowed to discriminate unipolar from BD depression with high accuracy. We confirmed here the diagnostic value of this panel in a new cohort of BD patients recruited in Brazil. We also identified new combinations which allow a clear discrimination of BD from healthy controls and among BD subgroups, confirming that RNA editing is a key mechanism in BD.

Keywords: Bipolar disorder; Blood biomarker; RNA editing.