Environmental Health Sciences Research Center

University of Iowa College of Public Health

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Marie Gaine, PhD

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The Gaine Lab is dedicated to understanding the role of genetics and epigenetics in the development and treatment of psychiatric disorders, and how environmental factors can influence this. Projects primarily focus on DNA methylation and methylation quantitative trait loci (meQTLs) as well as novel biomarkers such as extracellular vesicles and cell-free DNA, which hold promise for non-invasive diagnostics and precision medicine approaches.

Dr. Gaine’s research prioritizes high-risk populations, including pregnant people, individuals with bipolar disorder, and individuals exposed to pesticides. By integrating cutting-edge sequencing techniques and interdisciplinary approaches using human samples and mouse models, her group strives to advance knowledge and develop tools that can improve outcomes for individuals affected by these psychiatric disorders.

Selected Publications:

  1. Alrfooh A, Casten LG, Gringer Richards J, Wemmie JA, Magnotta VA, Fiedorowicz JG, Michaelson JJ, Williams AJ, Gaine ME (2026). Investigating the relationship between DNA methylation, genetic variation, and suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder. Arch Suicide Res 30(1):203-223. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2025.2511264. PMID: 40476679. PMCID: PMC12309415
  2. Argue MB, Casten LG, Richards JG, McCool S, Alrfooh A, Gringer Richards J, Wemmie JA, Magnotta VA, Williams AJ, Michaelson JJ, Fiedorowicz JG, Scroggins S, Gaine ME (2025). Immune Dysregulation in Bipolar Disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders. PMID: 39818340
  3. Benjamin-Zukerman T*, Shimon G*, Gaine ME*, Dakwar A, Peled N, Aboraya M, Masri-Ismail A, Safadi-Safa R, Solomon M, Lev-Ram V, Rissman RA, Mayrhofer JE, Raffeiner A, Mol M, Argue BMR, McCool S, Doan B, van Swieten J, Stefan E, Abel T#, and Ilouz R# *Joint First Authors, #Joint Last Authors. (2024). Mutation in protein kinase A R1 beta (PRKARIB) drives pathological mechanisms of neurodegeneration across species. Brain. PMCID: PMC11531844
  4. Glebov-McCloud AGP, Saide WS, Gaine ME, Strack S (2024). Protein Kinase A in neurological disorders. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. PMCID: PMC10936040.
  5. Khan KM, Gaine ME, Daniel AD, Chilamkuri P, Rohlman DS (2024). Organophosphorus pesticide exposure from house dust and parent-reported child behavior in Latino children from an orchard community. Neurotoxicology. PMCID: PMC11684323.
  6. Kim J, Vanrobaeys Y, Peterson Z, Kelvington B, Gaine ME, Nickl-Jockschat T, Abel T (2024). Dissecting 16p11.2 hemi-deletion to study sex-specific striatal phenotypes of neurodevelopmental disorders. Molecular Psychiatry. PMCID: PMC9949238.
  7. Mirza S, Lima CdC, Del Favero-Campbell A, Rubinstein A, Topolski N, Cabrera-Mendoza B, Kovács EHC, Blumberg HP, Gringer Richards J, Williams AJ, Wemmie JA, Magnotta VA, Fiedorowicz JG, Gaine ME, Walss-Bass C, Quevedo J, Soares JC, Fries GR (2024). Blood epigenome-wide association studies of suicide attempt in adults with bipolar disorder. Translational Psychiatry. PMCID: PMC10831084.
  8. Harmata GIS, Barsotti EJ, Casten LG, Fiedorowicz JG, Williams A, Shaffer JJ, Gringer Richards J, Sathyaputri L, Schmitz SL, Christensen GE, Long JD, Gaine ME, Xu J, Michaelson JJ, Wemmie JA, Magnotta VA (2023). Cerebellar Morphological Differences in Bipolar Disorder Type I. Journal of Affective Disorders. PMCID: PMC10529949.
  9. Lima, C. N., Kovács, E. H., Mirza, S., Del Favero-Campbell, A., Diaz, A. P., Quevedo, J., Argue, B. M., Richards, J. G., Williams, A., Wemmie, J. A., Magnotta, V. A., Fiedorowicz, J. G., Soares, J. C., Gaine, M. E. & Fries, G. R. (2023). Association between the epigenetic lifespan predictor GrimAge and history of suicide attempt in bipolar disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology 48 954–962. DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01557-9.
  10. Kim, J., Vanrobaeys, Y., Peterson, Z., Kelvington, B., Gaine, M. E., Nickl-Jockschat, T. & Abel, T. (2023). Dissecting 16p11.2 hemi-deletion to study sex-specific striatal phenotypes of neurodevelopmental disorders. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.09.527866.
  11. Gaine, M. E., Bahl, E., Chatterjee, S., Michaelson, J. J., Abel, T. & Lyons, L. C. (2021). Altered hippocampal transcriptome dynamics following sleep deprivation. Molecular Brain 14 (1). DOI: 10.1186/s13041-021-00835-1.