The exact etiology of schizophrenia remains
undetermined but accumulating evidence suggests
that disturbances in neurodevelopment may
represent one contributory factor. Netrin G1, a
recently cloned gene from the mouse, has been
shown to play a potential role in the formation of
neural circuitry. To determine whether this gene is
involved in the development of psychosis, we performed
a genetic association study of human
netrin G1 gene in schizophrenia. First, we determined
the human genomic structure of netrin G1
by direct comparisons between cDNA and
genome sequences, and by database searches. For
the subsequent examination of heterozygosity, we
selected 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms
(SNPs) for an association test in case (n = 180) and
control (n = 180) samples. Among these SNPs,
IVS8-1467C>T showed significant allelic association
(nominal P = 0.020) with disease. This SNP is
located in a haplotype block of
~40 kb and haplotypes
in this block also displayed significant
association (most significant P = 0.017). These
findings suggest that netrin G1 or a nearby gene
may contribute to the overall genetic risk for
schizophrenia.
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