Abstract
Abnormal expansion of genes with trinucleotide repeat (TNR) polymorphism has been found in a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. These disorders and the major psychoses, schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder, appear to share an interesting phenomenon: genetic anticipation. Because TNR expansion correlates with anticipation, these unstable DNA sites are considered important candidate loci for the major psychoses. We investigated genes with TNR polymorphisms, includingB1, B33, B37, and theN-cadherin gene, in unrelated Caucasian North American and Italian schizophrenics (n = 53 to 74), and matched controls. Also, unrelated Caucasian North American patients with bipolar I affective disorder were screened for the B33 andN-cadherin genes (n = 49 and 63, respectively). No unusually long alleles that would suggest abnormal expansion of the TNR were observed for any of these genes. Also, no statistically significant results were found in tests for genetic association between any of these genes and schizophrenia. For B37, a trend toward a difference in allele counts between schizophrenics and controls was observed. However, no clear evidence for a role of these TNR-containing genes in schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorders was found.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alda M, Lit W, Ahrens B, Labelle A, Zvolsky P, Jones BD, Cameron P (1994) Age of onset in sporadic and familial schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 11:101
Basset AS, Honer WG (1994) Evidence of anticipation in schizophrenia. Am J Hum Genet 54:864–870
Bogerts B (1993) Recent advances in the neuropathology of schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 19:431–445
Koide R, Ikeuchi T, Onodera O, Tanaka H, Igarashi S, Endo K, Takahashi H, Kondo R, Ishikawa A, Hayashi T, Saito M, Tomoda A, Miike T, Naito H, Ikuta F, Tsuji S (1994) Unstable expansion of CAG repeat in hereditary dentatorubal-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA). Nat Genet 4:9–13
Li S-H, McInnis MG, Margolis RL, Antonarakis SE, Ross CA (1993) Novel triplet repeat containing genes in human brains: cloning, expression, and length polymorphisms. Genomics 16:572–579
McInnis MG, McMahon FJ, Chase GA, Simpson SG, Ross CA, DePaulo JR Jr (1993) Anticipation in bipolar affective disorder. Am J Hum Genet 53:385–390
Penrose LS (1971) Critical survey of schizophrenia genetics. In: Howells JG (ed) Modern perspectives in world psychiatry. Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh, pp 3–19
Petronis A, Kennedy JL (1995) Unstable genes, unstable mind? Am J Psychiatry 152:164–172
Riggins GJ, Lokey LK, Chastain JL, Leiner HA, Sherman SL, Wilkinson KD (1992) Human genes containing polymorphic trinucleotide repeats. Nat Genet 2:186–191
Ross CA, McInnis MG, Margolis RL, Li S-H (1993) Genes with triplet repeats: candidate mediators of neuropsychiatric disorders. Trends Neurosci 16:254–260
Sharma T, Brynjolfsson J, Butler R, Murphy P, Petursson H, Read T, Sigmundsson T, Gurling HMD (1994) Anticipation in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 11:141
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sasaki, T., Billett, E., Petronis, A. et al. Psychosis and genes with trinucleotide repeat polymorphism. Hum Genet 97, 244–246 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02265274
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02265274