Explorative study on the expression of neuregulin-1 gene in peripheral blood of schizophrenia

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 438; no. 1; pp. 1 - 5
• Main Authors: Zhang, Hong-Xing, Zhao, Jing-Ping, Lv, Lu-Xian, Li, Wen-Qiang, Xu, Lin, Ouyang, Xuan, Yuan, Zhi-Qing, Huang, Jin-Song
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 13.06.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Antipsychotic Agents - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Chemistry - genetics; DNA Mutational Analysis; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression - drug effects; Gene Expression - genetics; Genetic Markers - drug effects; Genetic Markers - genetics; Genetic Predisposition to Disease - genetics; Genetic Testing; Humans; Lymphocytes - chemistry; Lymphocytes - metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; mRNA; Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics; Neuregulin-1; Neuregulin-1 (NRG-1); Predictive Value of Tests; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychoses; RNA, Messenger - analysis; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - blood; Schizophrenia - drug therapy; Schizophrenia - genetics; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Schizophrenia; Neuregulin-1 (NRG-1); mRNA; Psychosis; Neuregulin
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2007.09.051

Neuregulin-1 (Nrg-1)11Italic abbreviation “Nrg-1” represent gene, “NRG-1” represent protein. gene has been considered as a schizophrenia susceptibility gene. In order to observe the association of Nrg-1 gene with schizophrenia, the study was designed to investigate the effect of anti-psychotic treatment on the Nrg-1 mRNA expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes of the patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The Nrg-1 mRNA expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) was measured by using semi-quantitative RT-PCR in 31 first-onset schizophrenia patients, 16 sibling controls and 31 no-sibship controls. Results showed that Nrg-1 mRNA expression in PBLs of patients was lower than that in other two control groups (F=6.722, P=0.002). However, as follow-up time extended, from the second week, Nrg-1 mRNA expression of PBLs in antipsychotic treated patients gradually increased and has obvious statistical significance compared the efficacy of taking anti-psychotic before and after therapy. These results demonstrated that Nrg-1 gene has association with schizophrenia. It is possible to select Nrg-1 mRNA expression of PBLs in schizophrenia patients as a potential therapeutic marker.