Genomic Screening of Chronic Migraine Patients Identified Genes Linked to Drug and Endogenous Substances Metabolism

Factors promoting chronification of migraine remain almost unknown. In the current research, we studied genetic characteristics of chronic migraine (CM) in comparison with healthy population control aiming to reveal new genetic biomarkers of this disabling disorder. The study included 16 female patients diagnosed with CM. Genetic analysis of blood samples was performed using our specifically designed PGRNseq-NDD panel for targeted sequencing of genes implicated in inflammation, immunoreactivity, neurodegeneration, metabolism and detoxification of drugs, xenobiotics, and endogenous substances. Genotype and allele frequencies were compared using either the standard Pearson’s chi-squared test or the two-sided Fisher’s exact test and Bonferroni correction for multiple tests. Out of 81 tested genes, our analyses revealed significant difference in genotype distribution between CM patients versus healthy control in four genes MOCS2 (rs62359375), ARG1 (rs34504481), CES2 (rs8192925), and SLCO2B1 (rs548541129) which variants were not previously described. Since these genes are implicated in metabolism of xenobiotics and endogenous substances, these data suggest the role of impaired detoxication processes predisposing to migraine chronification.