Abstract: Objective · To explore the relationship between rs3758391 polymorphism of SIRT1 gene and depressive symptoms, and to further understand the role of SIRT1 gene in major depressive disorder. Methods · A total of 323 patients with major depressive disorder were retrospectively collected the Jinhua Second Hospital, Wenzhou Kangning Hospital and Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. A total of 347 healthy subjects were also recruited. Depressive symptoms were evaluatedusing the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), and rs3758391 polymorphism was genotypedusing the TaqMan SNP genotyping Assay. The effect of rs3758391 polymorphism on the of SIRT1 mRNA in brain was analyzedBRAINEAS database, and the difference of depressive symptom severity among three genotypes at rs3758391 polymorphism was comparedmultivariate analysis of variance. Results · The frequencies of C and T alleles of rs3758391 polymorphism in SIRT1 gene were 18.7% and 81.3% in the case group, and 14.3% and 85.7% in the control group, respectively. The allelic distribution frequencies between the two groups were significantly different (χ24.86, P0.03). There were significant differences in mood, cognitive impairment and HAMD scores among patients with different genotypes of rs3758391 polymorphism (PSIRT1 gene in occipital cortex (OCTX) (P0.003). Conclusion · rs3758391 polymorphism of SIRT1 gene may be a risk factor for major depressive disorder in Chinese Han population, and is associated with the severity of depressive symptoms, especially with emotional symptoms and cognitive impairment.

Key words: SIRT1 gene, depression, clinical dimension, Hamilton Depression Scale, quantitative trait analysis