The Role Of COX7A2 In Depression And Metabolism: My First Abstract
Hi this is my first abstract I've written. It is published in GIDAS 2017 High School Research Conference.
THE ROLE OF COX7A2 IN DEPRESSION AND METABOLISM
Prasanna Padmanabham, 10th grade
High Tech High School, San Diego, California, USA
Introduction: The economy loses about $30.4 billion a year not from earthquakes or war, but from depression. Contrary to common opinion, depression isn’t normal regardless of age, gender or situation. Depression is a medical problem with biochemical origins involving genetic expression. The World Health Organization predicts that depression will be the second highest cause of medical disability in 2030, second to HIV/AIDS. Although treatment is about 80% effective, 20% of victims are still struggling against the terrifying clutch of depression. New research suggests that depression could be linked to metabolism. By finding a way to stimulate the COX7A2 gene, patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression could potentially be treated. Method: This study was based on a publicly available GES19738 dataset that compares the gene expression of people with Major Depression Disorder (MDD) and those without MDD. After finding the top 250 genes with the lowest p-value, we analyzed the corresponding proteins using String-db.com. Gene cards were then used to analyze specific genes and formulate a hypothesis on the role of COX7A2 in depression. Results: COX7A2 has a p-value of 0.014562 and a logFC value of -0.27 and a t-test value of -2.51. COXY7A2 is an important part of the mitochondrial respiratory chain as it transports the electrons from cytochrome c to oxygen. This may explain why the first medication for depression is to walk or exercise every day. Conclusion: Due to the downregulation of COX7A2, greater emphasis should be placed on regulating metabolism to help prevent metabolic diseases in patients with depression. Perhaps metabolism plays a bigger role in depression than once thought. Controlling metabolic problems and addressing the under expression of COX7A2 could be an alternative treatment for depression that allows patients to reap other benefits that accompany healthy metabolism. Links:
http://www.genecards.org/cgi-bin/carddisp.pl?gene=COX7A2&keywords=COX7A2#drugs_compounds http://facts.randomhistory.com/random-facts-about-depression.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE19738
