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Association Study of Tryptophan Hydroxylase-2 Gene in Schizophrenia and Its Clinical Features in Chinese Han Population

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Abstract

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental illness which is characterized by the development of various detrimental clinical features, and its etiology still remains unknown. Based on the evidence from neurobiological and pharmacological research, dysfunctions in central serotonergic transmission may be involved in the development of schizophrenia. Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2), a newly identified isoform of tryptophan hydroxylase (the rate limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of serotonin), regulates the brain-specific serotonin synthesis. To further clarify the role of TPH2 in this disease, we performed a case-control study to examine the association of the TPH2 gene with schizophrenia and its clinical features. We genotyped three putative functional polymorphisms (rs4570625, rs7305115, and rs4290270) within the gene and carried out a case-control study consisting of 304 schizophrenia patients and 362 healthy subjects. The severity of psychotic symptoms was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The frequencies of genotypes and alleles of rs4570625, rs7305115, and rs4290270 did not differ significantly between schizophrenic patients and controls. However, the PANSS positive symptom subcore was significantly associated with rs4570625 (P = 0.022). These results suggest that rs4570625 of TPH2 may play an important role in the development of positive symptoms in Han Chinese schizophrenic patients.

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Acknowledgement

We are deeply grateful to all participants. This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (30500181 and 81000581) and Shanghai Natural Science Foundation (10ZR1425700).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 600 Wan Ping Nan Road, Shanghai, 200030, People’s Republic of China

    Chen Zhang, Zezhi Li, Yang Shao, Bin Xie, Yasong Du, Yiru Fang & Shunying Yu

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  1. Chen Zhang
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  2. Zezhi Li
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  3. Yang Shao
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  4. Bin Xie
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  5. Yasong Du
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  6. Yiru Fang
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  7. Shunying Yu
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Correspondence to Yiru Fang or Shunying Yu.

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Zhang, C., Li, Z., Shao, Y. et al. Association Study of Tryptophan Hydroxylase-2 Gene in Schizophrenia and Its Clinical Features in Chinese Han Population. J Mol Neurosci 43, 406–411 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-010-9458-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-010-9458-2

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