P11: A potential biomarker for posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and disabling anxiety disorder that occurs after a traumatic event. It is associated with an increased risk of suicide and marked deficits in social and occupational functioning. Currently, the diagnosis for PTSD is established on the basis of a patient's clinical history, mental status examination, duration of symptoms, and clinician administered symptom checklist or patient self-report. However, there are no available laboratory biomarker tests for PTSD. To begin intervention at the earliest possible time, priority must be given to developing objective approaches to determine the presence of PTSD. Thus, using cutting-edge technology and skill to develop a simple blood test or a biomarker to detect PTSD at its earliest and most treatable stage would benefit both physician and patient. Several technologies and skills have been used in the identification biomarker research. We discuss three major methods in this chapter (blood RNA and DNA purification, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and Western blot), which have been used in our study to determine whether p11 is a potential biomarker for PTSD. Using these procedures will not only enhance the study of the molecular mechanisms of PTSD but also help the translation of basic science to a clinical setting.