Paranoid schizophrenia and methamphetamine-induced paranoia are both characterized by a similar LINE-1 partial methylation profile, which is more pronounced in paranoid schizophrenia

Background There is evidence that schizophrenia is a neuro-immune disorder. Genes linked to intragenic LINE-1 methylation show a strong association with immune-associated disorders including psychosis. The aim of this study was to examine LINE-1 methylation patterns in paranoid schizophrenia and methamphetamine-induced paranoia, a model for schizophrenia. Methods This study recruited 31 patients with paranoid schizophrenia, 94 with methamphetamine-induced paranoia (MIP) and 163 normal controls. LINE-1 methylation patterns were assayed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and a combined bisulphite restriction analysis and COBRA were used to estimate global methylation (mC) and LINE-1 CpG dinucleotide methylation patterns, namely 2 methylated (mCmC) and 2 unmethylated (uCuC) CpGs and the partially methylated loci mCuC (5’m with 3’u) and uCmC (5’u with 3’m). Results Patients with paranoid schizophrenia show highly significant changes in LINE-1 partial methylation patterns, namely a higher % mCuC and lower % uCmC as compared with controls and MIP patients, while the latter show higher % mCuC but lower % uCmC as compared with controls. Higher % mCuC significantly predicts paranoid schizophrenia with a sensitivity of 51.6%, specificity of 97.5% and an area under the ROC curve of 0.895. Conclusions The results indicate that a common dysfunction in LINE-1 partial methylation may underpin both paranoid schizophrenia and MIP and that this methylation pattern is significantly more expressed in paranoid schizophrenia than MIP. Reciprocal links between impairments in LINE-1 methylation and neuro-immune and neuro-oxidative pathways may underpin the pathophysiology of both MIP and paranoid schizophrenia.