PMID- 23261523 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20130919 LR - 20211203 IS - 1878-4216 (Electronic) IS - 0278-5846 (Print) IS - 0278-5846 (Linking) VI - 43 DP - 2013 Jun 3 TI - Gene expression analysis of novel genes in the prefrontal cortex of major depressive disorder subjects. PG - 126-33 LID - S0278-5846(12)00321-1 [pii] LID - 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2012.12.010 [doi] AB - Dysregulation of the glutamatergic system has been implicated not only in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), but also in the excitotoxic effects of stress and anxiety on the prefrontal cortex, which may precede the onset of a depressive episode. Our previous studies demonstrate marked deficits in prominent postsynaptic proteins involved in glutamate neurotransmission in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), Brodmann's area 10 (BA 10) from subjects diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). In the same group of subjects we have identified deficits in expression and phosphorylation level of key components of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, known to regulate translation initiation. Based on our previous findings, we have postulated that glutamate-dependent dysregulation of mTOR-initiated protein synthesis in the PFC may underlie the pathology of MDD. The aim of this study was to use the NanoString nCounter System to perform analysis of genes coding for glutamate transporters, glutamate metabolizing enzymes, neurotrophic factors and other intracellular signaling markers involved in glutamate signaling that were not previously investigated by our group in the PFC BA 10 from subjects with MDD. We have analyzed a total of 200 genes from 16 subjects with MDD and 16 healthy controls. These are part of the same cohort used in our previous studies. Setting our cutoff p-value