Background

Exposure to traumatic events is a risk factor for negative physical and mental health outcomes. However, the underlying biological mechanisms that perpetuate these lasting effects are not known.

Methods

We investigated the impact and timing of sexual trauma, a specific type of interpersonal violence, experienced during key developmental windows of childhood, adolescence, or adulthood on adult health outcomes and associated biomarkers, including circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA levels and extracellular vesicles (EVs), in a predominantly Black cohort of women (N = 101).

Results

Significant changes in both biomarkers examined, circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA levels and EV proteome, were specific to developmental timing of sexual trauma. Specifically, we identified a large number of keratin-related proteins from EVs unique to the adolescent sexual trauma group. Remarkably, the majority of these keratin proteins belong to a 17q21 gene cluster, which suggests a potential local epigenetic regulatory mechanism altered by adolescent trauma to impact keratinocyte EV secretion or its protein cargo. These results, along with changes in fear-potentiated startle and skin conductance detected in these women, suggest that sexual violence experienced during the specific developmental window of adolescence may involve unique programming of the skin, the body’s largest stress organ.

Conclusions

Together, these descriptive studies provide novel insight into distinct biological processes altered by trauma experienced during specific developmental windows. Future studies will be required to mechanistically link these biological processes to health outcomes.

中文翻译：

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女性创伤的发育时间预测独特的细胞外囊泡蛋白质组特征

背景

暴露于创伤性事件是负面身心健康结果的风险因素。然而，使这些持久影响永久存在的潜在生物学机制尚不清楚。

方法

我们调查了性创伤（一种特定类型的人际暴力）对成人健康结果和相关生物标志物（包括循环无细胞线粒体 DNA 水平和细胞外囊泡 (EVs )，在一个以黑人为主的女性群体中 ( N  = 101)。

结果

所检查的两种生物标志物、循环无细胞线粒体 DNA 水平和 EV 蛋白质组的显着变化都特定于性创伤的发育时间。具体来说，我们从青少年性创伤组特有的 EV 中鉴定出大量角蛋白相关蛋白。值得注意的是，这些角蛋白中的大多数属于 17q21 基因簇，这表明潜在的局部表观遗传调控机制会因青少年创伤而改变，从而影响角化细胞 EV 分泌或其蛋白质货物。这些结果以及在这些女性中检测到的恐惧增强惊吓和皮肤电导的变化表明，在青春期特定发育窗口期间经历的性暴力可能涉及皮肤的独特编程，皮肤是身体最大的压力器官。

结论

总之，这些描述性研究提供了对特定发育窗口期间经历的创伤改变的不同生物过程的新见解。未来的研究将需要将这些生物过程与健康结果机械地联系起来。