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2.
Nat Commun ; 7: 10594, 2016 Feb 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26839058

ABSTRACT

Intracellular trafficking of receptor proteins is essential for neurons to detect various extracellular factors during the formation and refinement of neural circuits. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the trafficking of neurotrophin receptors to synapses remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that a brain-enriched sorting nexin, ARHGAP33, is a new type of regulator for the intracellular trafficking of TrkB, a high-affinity receptor for brain-derived neurotrophic factor. ARHGAP33 knockout (KO) mice exhibit reduced expression of synaptic TrkB, impaired spine development and neuropsychiatric disorder-related behavioural abnormalities. These deficits are rescued by specific pharmacological enhancement of TrkB signalling in ARHGAP33 KO mice. Mechanistically, ARHGAP33 interacts with SORT1 to cooperatively regulate TrkB trafficking. Human ARHGAP33 is associated with brain phenotypes and reduced SORT1 expression is found in patients with schizophrenia. We propose that ARHGAP33/SORT1-mediated TrkB trafficking is essential for synapse development and that the dysfunction of this mechanism may be a new molecular pathology of neuropsychiatric disorders.


Subject(s)
Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport/metabolism , Behavior, Animal , Dendritic Spines/genetics , GTPase-Activating Proteins/genetics , Neurons/metabolism , Protein Transport/genetics , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Receptor, trkB/metabolism , Schizophrenia/genetics , Sorting Nexins/genetics , Synapses/genetics , Adult , Animals , Brain/metabolism , Brain/pathology , Case-Control Studies , Cells, Cultured , Dendritic Spines/metabolism , Female , GTPase-Activating Proteins/metabolism , HEK293 Cells , Hippocampus/cytology , Hippocampus/metabolism , Humans , Immunoblotting , Immunohistochemistry , In Situ Hybridization , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Mice , Mice, Knockout , Middle Aged , Patch-Clamp Techniques , Phenotype , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Schizophrenia/metabolism , Schizophrenia/pathology , Sorting Nexins/metabolism , Synapses/metabolism
3.
J Hum Genet ; 61(3): 199-206, 2016 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26582266

ABSTRACT

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex group of clinically heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders with unclear etiology and pathogenesis. Genetic studies have identified numerous candidate genetic variants, including de novo mutated ASD-associated genes; however, the function of these de novo mutated genes remains unclear despite extensive bioinformatics resources. Accordingly, it is not easy to assign priorities to numerous candidate ASD-associated genes for further biological analysis. Here we developed a convenient system for identifying an experimental evidence-based annotation of candidate ASD-associated genes. We performed trio-based whole-exome sequencing in 30 sporadic cases of ASD and identified 37 genes with de novo single-nucleotide variations (SNVs). Among them, 5 of those 37 genes, POGZ, PLEKHA4, PCNX, PRKD2 and HERC1, have been previously reported as genes with de novo SNVs in ASD; and consultation with in silico databases showed that only HERC1 might be involved in neural function. To examine whether the identified gene products are involved in neural functions, we performed small hairpin RNA-based assays using neuroblastoma cell lines to assess neurite development. Knockdown of 8 out of the 14 examined genes significantly decreased neurite development (P<0.05, one-way analysis of variance), which was significantly higher than the number expected from gene ontology databases (P=0.010, Fisher's exact test). Our screening system may be valuable for identifying the neural functions of candidate ASD-associated genes for further analysis and a substantial portion of these genes with de novo SNVs might have roles in neuronal systems, although further detailed analysis might eliminate false positive genes from identified candidate ASD genes.


Subject(s)
Autism Spectrum Disorder/genetics , Exome , Neurites , Sequence Analysis , Adult , Animals , Cell Line , Female , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Humans , Male , Mice , Middle Aged , Young Adult
4.
Schizophr Bull ; 41(4): 909-18, 2015 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25537281

ABSTRACT

Cognitive impairments are a core feature in patients with schizophrenia. These deficits could serve as effective tools for understanding the genetic architecture of schizophrenia. This study investigated whether genetic variants associated with cognitive impairments aggregate in functional gene networks related to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Here, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of a range of cognitive phenotypes relevant to schizophrenia were performed in 411 healthy subjects. We attempted to replicate the GWAS data using 257 patients with schizophrenia and performed a meta-analysis of the GWAS findings and the replicated results. Because gene networks, rather than a single gene or genetic variant, may be strongly associated with the susceptibility to schizophrenia and cognitive impairments, gene-network analysis for genes in close proximity to the replicated variants was performed. We observed nominal associations between 3054 variants and cognitive phenotypes at a threshold of P < 1.0 × 10(-) (4). Of the 3054 variants, the associations of 191 variants were replicated in the replication samples (P < .05). However, no variants achieved genome-wide significance in a meta-analysis (P > 5.0 × 10(-) (8)). Additionally, 115 of 191 replicated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have genes located within 10 kb of the SNPs (60.2%). These variants were moderately associated with cognitive phenotypes that ranged from P = 2.50 × 10(-) (5) to P = 9.40 × 10(-) (8). The genes located within 10 kb from the replicated SNPs were significantly grouped in terms of glutamate receptor activity (false discovery rate (FDR) q = 4.49 × 10(-) (17)) and the immune system related to major histocompatibility complex class I (FDR q = 8.76 × 10(-) (11)) networks. Our findings demonstrate that genetic variants related to cognitive trait impairment in schizophrenia are involved in the N-methyl-d-aspartate glutamate network.


Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/genetics , Gene Regulatory Networks/genetics , Genome-Wide Association Study , Receptors, Glutamate/metabolism , Schizophrenia/genetics , Adult , Cognition Disorders/classification , Cognition Disorders/etiology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Phenotype , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Schizophrenia/classification , Schizophrenia/complications , Young Adult
6.
Mol Brain ; 7: 74, 2014 Oct 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25298178

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The dysbindin-1 gene (DTNBP1: dystrobrevin binding protein 1) is a promising schizophrenia susceptibility gene, known to localize almost exclusively to neurons in the brain, and participates in the regulation of neurotransmitter release, membrane-surface receptor expression, and synaptic plasticity. Sandy mice, with spontaneous Dtnbp1 deletion, display behavioral abnormalities relevant to symptoms of schizophrenia. However, it remains unknown if dysbindin-1 gain-of-function is beneficial or detrimental. RESULTS: To answer this question and gain further insight into the pathophysiology and therapeutic potential of dysbindin-1, we developed transgenic mice expressing human DTNBP1 (Dys1A-Tg) and analyzed their behavioral phenotypes. Dys1A-Tg mice were born viable in the expected Mendelian ratios, apparently normal and fertile. Primary screening of behavior and function showed a marginal change in limb grasping in Dys1A-Tg mice. In addition, Dys1A-Tg mice exhibited increased hyperlocomotion after methamphetamine injection. Transcriptomic analysis identified several up- and down-regulated genes, including the immediate-early genes Arc and Egr2, in the prefrontal cortex of Dys1A-Tg mice. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings in Dys1A-Tg mice support the role of dysbindin-1 in psychiatric disorders. The fact that either overexpression (Dys1A-Tg) or underexpression (Sandy) of dysbindin-1 leads to behavioral alterations in mice highlights the functional importance of dysbindin-1 in vivo.


Subject(s)
Behavior, Animal , Dystrophin-Associated Proteins/metabolism , Animals , Behavior, Animal/drug effects , Brain/drug effects , Brain/metabolism , Brain/pathology , Dysbindin , Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects , Humans , Methamphetamine/pharmacology , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Transgenic , Phencyclidine/pharmacology
7.
Neurosci Lett ; 582: 93-8, 2014 Oct 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25218715

ABSTRACT

Hypofunction of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptors may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Many studies have investigated peripheral NMDA receptor-related glutamatergic amino acid levels because of their potential as biological markers. Peripheral d-serine levels and the ratio of d-serine to total serine have been reported to be significantly lower in patients with schizophrenia than in controls. Peripheral d-serine levels and the d-/l-serine ratio have also been reported to significantly increase in patients with schizophrenia as their clinical symptoms improve from the time of admission to the time of discharge. In this study, we examined whether peripheral NMDA receptor-related glutamatergic amino acids levels were altered in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia compared to controls and whether these peripheral amino acids levels were altered by clozapine treatment. Twenty-two patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia and 22 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled. The plasma levels of d-serine, l-serine, glycine, glutamate, and glutamine were measured before and after clozapine treatment. We found that the plasma levels of d-serine and the d-/l-serine ratio were significantly lower in the patients before clozapine treatment than in the controls. The d-/l-serine ratio was significantly increased by clozapine treatment in patients, and no significant difference was observed in the plasma levels of d-serine and the d-/l-serine ratio between the patients after clozapine treatment and the controls. We also found that plasma glycine levels and the glycine/l-serine ratio were significantly increased following clozapine treatment in the patients, and the glycine/l-serine ratio was significantly higher in the patients after clozapine treatment than in the controls. There was no significant difference in the plasma levels of glutamate and glutamine both between the controls and patients and between before and after clozapine treatment. This study firstly demonstrated changes of d-/l-serine and glycine/l-serine ratio between before and after clozapine treatment, suggesting that the plasma d-/l-serine ratio and glycine/l-serine ratio could be markers of therapeutic efficacy or clinical state in treatment-resistant schizophrenia.


Subject(s)
Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use , Clozapine/therapeutic use , Glycine/blood , Schizophrenia/drug therapy , Serine/blood , Adult , Case-Control Studies , Female , Glutamic Acid/blood , Glutamine/blood , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Schizophrenia/blood , Serine/chemistry , Stereoisomerism , Treatment Failure
8.
World J Psychiatry ; 4(2): 42-8, 2014 Jun 22.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25019056

ABSTRACT

AIM: To investigate executive function in Japanese adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared to Japanese controls. METHODS: Thirty-three individuals with ASD and 33 controls participated. The ASD and control groups' demographic variables were matched for gender (male/female: 20/13 vs 20/13), age (26.1 ± 11.5 vs 26.8 ± 9.6), years of education (13.2 ± 2.9 vs 14.2 ± 1.9), full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) (103.0 ± 16.7 vs 103.7 ± 14.7), performance IQ (96.2 ± 16.1 vs 97.8 ± 15.0), and verbal IQ (107.9 ± 16.3 vs 107.7 ± 14.4). Participants performed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), which assesses the executive processes involved in problem solving and cognitive flexibility, and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT), which assesses attention and impulsivity. Symptoms were assessed by the Autism-Spectrum Quotient Japanese version (AQ-J). First, we compared the scores of the WCST between the groups using a Mann-Whitney U-test and conducted an analysis of covariance for the variables with the scores of category archives and CPT scores as covariates. Second, we analyzed the correlation between the scores of the WCST and the AQ-J in the ASD group using Pearson's r. RESULTS: The total errors (TE) and the percentages of perseverative errors of the Milner type (%PEM) and Nelson type (%PEN) among the TE in the ASD group were significantly worse compared with the control group (ASD vs Control, respectively: TE: 16.0 ± 6.2 vs 12.6 ± 3.5, P = 0.012; %PEM: 11.7 ± 10.7 vs 6.6 ± 8.9, P = 0.037; %PEN: 20.1 ± 14.5 vs 8.7 ± 10.4, P = 0.0011). In contrast, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in the scores of categories achieved on the WCST or the CPT. An analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between the groups in the %PEN scores (P = 0.0062) but not in the TE or the %PEM scores. These results suggest that Japanese adolescents and adults with ASD have cognitive inflexibility. Furthermore, our results suggest that Japanese adolescents and adults with ASD may have difficulties using negative feedback because perseverative errors of the Nelson type indicate persistence in choosing the incorrect reaction. By contrast, there was no significant correlation between the WCST and AQ-J scores. CONCLUSION: We confirmed the presence of cognitive inflexibility in Japanese adolescents and adults with ASD. Our results also indicated that subjects with ASD may not use negative feedback effectively.

10.
Neurosci Lett ; 568: 12-6, 2014 May 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24686180

ABSTRACT

Many gene expression studies have examined postmortem brain tissues of patients with schizophrenia. However, only a few expression studies of the genes identified in genome-wide association study (GWAS) have been published to date. We measured the expression levels of the genes identified in GWAS (ZNF804A, OPCML, RPGRIP1L, NRGN, and TCF4) of the postmortem brain tissues of patients with schizophrenia and controls from two separate sample sets (i.e., the Australian Tissue Resource Center and Stanley Medical Research Institute). We also determined whether the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified in the GWAS were related to the gene expression changes in the prefrontal cortex. No difference was observed between the patients with schizophrenia and controls from the Australian Tissue Resource Center samples in the mRNA levels of ZNF804A, OPCML, RPGRIP1L, NRGN, or TCF4. The lack of mRNA change for these five transcripts was also found in the brain samples from the Stanley Medical Research Institute. In addition, no relationship between the schizophrenia-associated SNPs identified in the GWAS and the corresponding gene expression was observed in either sample set. Our results suggest that major changes in the transcript levels of the five candidate genes identified in the GWAS may not occur in adult patients with schizophrenia. The lack of linkage between the risk gene polymorphisms and the expression levels of their major transcripts suggests that the control of pan mRNA levels may not be a prominent mechanism by which the genes identified in the GWAS contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Further studies are needed to examine how the genes identified in the GWAS contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.


Subject(s)
Brain/metabolism , Schizophrenia/genetics , Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/genetics , Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism , Adult , Aged , Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors/genetics , Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors/metabolism , Case-Control Studies , Cell Adhesion Molecules/genetics , Cell Adhesion Molecules/metabolism , Female , GPI-Linked Proteins/genetics , GPI-Linked Proteins/metabolism , Gene Expression , Genome-Wide Association Study , Humans , Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors/genetics , Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors/metabolism , Male , Middle Aged , Neurogranin/genetics , Neurogranin/metabolism , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Schizophrenia/metabolism , Transcription Factor 4 , Transcription Factors/genetics , Transcription Factors/metabolism
11.
Neurosci Lett ; 566: 46-9, 2014 Apr 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24561090

ABSTRACT

Guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase 1 (GCH1) is the rate-limiting enzyme for the biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin, a cofactor for aromatic amino acid hydroxylases and nitric oxide synthases. As monoamine neurotransmitters are synthesized by the reactions catalyzed by tyrosine hydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase, alterations in the content of tetrahydrobiopterin affect the monoamine levels in the brain. Here, we examined the possible association of a functional single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the GCH1 gene, rs841 (C+243T), with attentional function as assessed by the Continuous Performance Test-Identical Pairs version (CPT-IP) in healthy individuals. We found that homozygous T/T genotype carriers of rs841 scored lower performance on the CPT-IP test. Our data suggest that alterations in GCH1 activity affect attentional function, especially sustained attention and vigilance.


Subject(s)
Attention , Cognition , GTP Cyclohydrolase/genetics , Adult , Female , Genetic Association Studies , Genotype , Humans , Male , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Young Adult
12.
Psychiatry Clin Neurosci ; 68(6): 456-62, 2014 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24417771

ABSTRACT

AIMS: Progressive cognitive decline has been an important issue in the treatment and care of patients with schizophrenia. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the rate-limiting enzyme for the biosynthesis of catecholamine, including dopamine and noradrenaline. In this report, we examined a possible association of a genetic variant in the TH promoter region. METHODS: Association of a genetic variant in the TH promoter region, C-824T (rs10770141), with intellectual ability in 132 patients with schizophrenia and 282 healthy subjects was examined. The transcriptional activity of the plasmids harboring the TH promoter region with either C or T nucleotide at -824 was assayed using a luciferase gene as a reporter. RESULTS: We found significant effects of the genotype on the full-scale IQ, verbal IQ, and performance IQ, in patients with schizophrenia. IQ was lower in individuals with the C/C genotype than those with T carriers. The plasmid with the T allele at -824 showed higher transcriptional activity than that with the C allele in a transient transfection experiment using a luciferase gene as a reporter, implying that the T carriers may have higher TH activities and retain higher levels of catecholamines in the brain. CONCLUSIONS: The present data suggest that the biosynthesis of catecholamine by the action of TH should be deeply involved in decreased intellectual ability in patients with schizophrenia. This is the first report, as far as we know, showing a correlation between TH expression and IQ in humans.


Subject(s)
Intelligence Tests , Intelligence/genetics , Schizophrenia/genetics , Schizophrenic Psychology , Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase/genetics , Adult , Alleles , Female , Genotype , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Polymorphism, Genetic/genetics , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics , Transcription, Genetic
13.
Psychiatry Clin Neurosci ; 68(7): 534-41, 2014 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24447376

ABSTRACT

AIM: Patients with schizophrenia have been reported to perform worse than non-schizophrenic populations on neuropsychological tests, which may be affected by cultural factors. The aim of this study was to examine the performance of a sizable number of patients with schizophrenia on the Japanese version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-III) compared with healthy controls. METHODS: Performance on the WAIS-III was evaluated in 157 Japanese patients with schizophrenia and in 264 healthy control subjects. RESULTS: All IQ scores and four indices from the WAIS-III were impaired for patients with schizophrenia compared with healthy controls. Processing Speed was markedly disturbed, approximately 2 SD below that of the healthy control group. Among the 13 subtests, Comprehension (z = -1.70, d = 1.55), Digit Symbol Coding (z = -1.84, d = 1.88), and Symbol Search (z = -1.85, d = 1.77) were profoundly impaired relative to the healthy controls. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the pattern and degree of impairment, as evaluated by the WAIS-III, in Japanese patients are similar to those previously reported in English-speaking patients and that the deficits of some neuropsychological domains relevant to functional outcomes are universally characteristic of schizophrenia.


Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/psychology , Comprehension , Intelligence , Schizophrenic Psychology , Adult , Asian People , Culture , Female , Humans , Japan , Male , Middle Aged , Psychometrics , Wechsler Scales , Young Adult
14.
Psychiatry Clin Neurosci ; 68(3): 234-41, 2014 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24313598

ABSTRACT

AIM: Patients with schizophrenia in remission have shown significantly higher levels of neurocognitive function than patients not in remission. However, previous studies have mainly examined the association between neurocognitive function and the remission status of schizophrenia without considering the time component of the definition for remission using cross-sectional methods. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations between remission status with considering time components and three cognitive functions of intellectual ability, memory and attention, which were examined before fulfilling the remission criteria, using longitudinal methods. METHODS: We assessed the remission status using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) on the same patients twice: at recruitment and at 6 months after the first PANSS assessment. Cognitive tests were performed within 3 months after recruitment. At recruitment, 337 patients were enrolled. Of the patients, 63 patients were followed up and completedthe first and second PANSS assessments and three cognitive tests at the end of study. RESULTS: Of the patients, 33 patients fulfilled the remission criteria, while 30 patients did not fulfill the criteria. Patients in remission showed significantly higher levels of 2-digit (P = 0.020) and 3-digit (P = 0.015) Continuous Performance Test scores, attention/concentration in the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (P = 0.034) and processing speeds in the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (P = 0.047) than patients not in remission. Additionally, these cognitive scores were positively correlated with each other (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that patients who achieve remission may demonstrate a pre-existing higher level of attention than patients who do not achieve remission.


Subject(s)
Attention , Intelligence , Memory , Schizophrenic Psychology , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Neuropsychological Tests , Young Adult
15.
Behav Brain Funct ; 9: 40, 2013 Oct 25.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24160291

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide significant associations of schizophrenia with eight SNPs in the CNNM2, MIR137, PCGEM1, TRIM26, CSMD1, MMP16, NT5C2 and CCDC68 genes have been identified in a recent mega-analysis of genome-wide association studies. To date, the role of these SNPs on gray matter (GM) volumes remains unclear. METHODS: After performing quality control for minor-allele frequency > 5% using a JPT HapMap sample and our sample, a genotyping call rate > 95% and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium testing (p > 0.01), five of eight SNPs were eligible for analysis. We used a comprehensive voxel-based morphometry (VBM) technique to investigate the effects of these five SNPs on GM volumes between major-allele homozygotes and minor-allele carriers in Japanese patients with schizophrenia (n = 173) and healthy subjects (n = 449). RESULTS: The rs7914558 risk variant at CNNM2 was associated with voxel-based GM volumes in the bilateral inferior frontal gyri (right T = 4.96, p = 0.0088, left T = 4.66, p = 0.031). These peak voxels, which were affected by the variant, existed in the orbital region of the inferior frontal gyri. Individuals with the risk G/G genotype of rs7914558 had smaller GM volumes in the bilateral inferior frontal gyri than carriers of the non-risk A-allele. Although several effects of the genotype and the genotype-diagnosis interaction of other SNPs on GM volumes were observed in the exploratory VBM analyses, these effects did not remain after the FWE-correction for multiple tests (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the genetic variant in the CNNM2 gene could be implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia through the GM volumetric vulnerability of the orbital regions in the inferior frontal gyri.


Subject(s)
Cyclins/genetics , Frontal Lobe/physiology , Schizophrenia/epidemiology , Schizophrenia/genetics , Adult , Asian People/genetics , Asian People/statistics & numerical data , Cation Transport Proteins , Female , Gene Frequency , Genetic Predisposition to Disease/epidemiology , Genetic Predisposition to Disease/genetics , Genome-Wide Association Study , Genotype , Homozygote , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Risk Factors , Young Adult
16.
Neurosci Lett ; 556: 37-41, 2013 Nov 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24141084

ABSTRACT

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates the survival and growth of neurons, and influences synaptic efficiency and plasticity. Peripheral BDNF levels in patients with schizophrenia have been widely reported in the literature. However, it is still controversial whether peripheral levels of BDNF are altered in patients with schizophrenia. The peripheral BDNF levels previously reported in patients with schizophrenia were total BDNF (proBDNF and mature BDNF) as it was unable to specifically measure mature BDNF due to limited BDNF antibody specificity. In this study, we examined whether peripheral levels of mature BDNF were altered in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) levels were also measured, as MMP-9 plays a role in the conversion of proBDNF to mature BDNF. Twenty-two patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia treated with clozapine and 22 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. The plasma levels of mature BDNF and MMP-9 were measured using ELISA kits. No significant difference was observed for mature BDNF however, MMP-9 was significantly increased in patients with schizophrenia. The significant correlation was observed between mature BDNF and MMP-9 plasma levels. Neither mature BDNF nor MMP-9 plasma levels were associated clinical variables. Our results do not support the view that peripheral BDNF levels are associated with schizophrenia. MMP-9 may play a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and serve as a biomarker for schizophrenia.


Subject(s)
Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use , Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/blood , Clozapine/therapeutic use , Matrix Metalloproteinase 9/blood , Protein Precursors/blood , Schizophrenia/drug therapy , Adult , Case-Control Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Schizophrenia/blood , Treatment Failure
17.
J Hum Genet ; 58(10): 700-5, 2013 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23903071

ABSTRACT

Genome-wide association studies have reported an association between schizophrenia and rs12807809 of the neurogranin (NRGN) gene. We have recently found that an rs12807809-rs12278912 haplotype of the gene is associated with schizophrenia in a Japanese population and that the NRGN expression of the high-risk TG haplotype is lower than that of the protective TA haplotype in immortalized lymphoblasts. In this study, we investigated the influences of neurogranin genotypes (rs12807809 and rs12278912), haplotypes and diplotypes and genetic variant-diagnosis interactions on intellectual ability in 414 Japanese patients with schizophrenia and healthy subjects. We detected possible effects of the genome-wide screen-supported rs12807809, haplotypes, diplotypes and their genetic variant-diagnosis interactions on intellectual abilities at the threshold level of P<0.05. After applying Bonferroni correction for 13 genotype measures and setting P-values for significance (P<0.0039; 0.05/13), three effects remained significant: the rs12807809-rs12278912 diplotype-diagnosis interactions on performance intelligence quotient (CG/CG: P=3.9 × 10(-13); TA/TA: P=1.1 × 10(-7)) and TA/TA diplotype on performance intelligence quotient in patients with schizophrenia (P=8.2 × 10(-8)) remained significant. The intellectual abilities of the high-risk TG/TG diplotype of the neurogranin gene were lower compared to those with the non-risk TA/TA diplotype. Our findings suggest that the genetic risk variant in the neurogranin gene may be related to reduced intellectual ability.


Subject(s)
Genome-Wide Association Study/methods , Intelligence/genetics , Neurogranin/genetics , Schizophrenia/genetics , Adult , Alleles , Asian People/genetics , Case-Control Studies , Female , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Haplotypes , Humans , Intellectual Disability/genetics , Male , Middle Aged , Neurogranin/metabolism , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Regression Analysis , Risk Factors , Young Adult
19.
Schizophr Res ; 146(1-3): 273-8, 2013 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23434502

ABSTRACT

ZNF804A has been implicated in susceptibility to schizophrenia by several genome-wide association studies (GWAS), follow-up association studies and meta-analyses. However, the biological functions of ZNF804A are not entirely understood. To identify the genes that are affected by ZNF804A, we manipulated the expression of the ZNF804A protein in HEK293 human embryonic kidney cell lines and performed a cDNA microarray analysis followed by qPCR. We found that ZNF804A-overexpression up-regulated four genes (ANKRD1, INHBE, PIK3AP1, and DDIT3) and down-regulated three genes (CLIC2, MGAM, and BIRC3). Furthermore, we confirmed that the expression of ANKRD1, PIK3AP1, INHBE and DDIT3 at the protein level was significantly increased by ZNF804A-overexpression. This is the first report to identify genes whose protein expressions are regulated by ZNF804A. ANKRD1, PIK3AP1, INHBE and DDIT3 are related to transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) signaling, which plays a crucial role in cell growth and differentiation. On the other hand, recent studies have reported that TGF-ß signaling is associated with schizophrenia. These results provide basis for a more progressive investigation of ZNF804A contributions to the susceptibility or pathophysiology of schizophrenia.


Subject(s)
Gene Expression Regulation/genetics , Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors/genetics , Signal Transduction/genetics , Transforming Growth Factor beta/metabolism , Cell Line, Transformed , Gene Expression Profiling , Humans , Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Statistics, Nonparametric , Transfection , Transforming Growth Factor beta/genetics
20.
Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi ; 115(12): 1203-10, 2013.
Article in Japanese | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24601093

ABSTRACT

A biomarker is defined as a biological indicator of normal or pathological processes, and a pharmacological response to a therapeutic intervention, whose characteristics can be measured and evaluated objectively. In medicine and health, biomarkers can be paraphrased as diagnostic methods objectively conducive to treatment. Here, we discuss biomarkers of schizophrenia as a representative mental illness, whose research has advanced compared with that of other disorders. Schizophrenia is a syndrome with a typical course and symptoms. Its pathophysiology and pathogenesis have not been elucidated (medically however, its underlying biological mechanisms are assumed to be present. That is, in biomarker discovery, when the pathogenesis and cause are elucidated, the patient group would not consiste of schizophrenia but, it is a new disease of "x x disease." For example, neurosyphilis is exogenous psychosis, by finding a biomarker of syphilis spirochete, a new disease concept of neurosyphilis could be distinguished from the schizophrenia). In this way, it can be said that biomarker research is essential for the development of new diagnostic and treatment methods for mental illness. There are several biomarker research methods such as genetic analysis, biological sample analysis, cognitive analysis, neurophysiology, neuroimaging, animal models, and post-mortem brain analysis. Further, studies have been made, however, biomarkers that can explain all of schizophrenia has not been found yet. As schizophrenia is assumed to be a heterogenous syndrome, it is believed that the etiology varies. Thus, there is a possibility that targeting schizophrenia as a whole will make it difficulty to find biomarkers for patients with schizophrenia. It is considered that appropriate subgroup analysis is needed. In order to overcome it, amount-of-resources strategy to find patients by using large of samples has been made mainly in Europe and the United States. In Japan, we have used sub-group analysis strategy to elaborate this issue such as the use of an intermediate phenotype. It is not possible to research a similar strategy, because of the limited funds and manpower in Japan compared to U. S. and Europe. As nationwide research organizations in Japan, such as IGC (Imaging genetics consortium), combination analysis of genetics and neuroimaging and COCORO (Cognitive genetics collaborative research organization), combination analysis of genetics and cognitive function, have been established, the development of biomarkers for mental illnesses is expected in the near future.


Subject(s)
Biomarkers/analysis , Mental Disorders/diagnosis , Humans , Schizophrenia/diagnosis
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