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Evaluation of polymorphism, hypermethylation and expression pattern of CTLA4 gene in a sample of Iranian patients with schizophrenia

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Abstract

The cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 gene (CTLA4) has a crucial role in regulation of T cell proliferation and mediates T cell apoptosis by encoding the T cell receptor. Schizophrenia (SCZ) patients often have abnormalities in terms of the function and development of the immune system. The aim of the present study was to investigate promoter variation and expression profile of the CTLA4 gene in patients with SCZ. We isolated genomic DNA from peripheral blood of 94 individuals with SCZ and 99 healthy control subjects. Genotypic analysis of CTLA4 (−318) was done by Tetra-ARMS-PCR. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MS-PCR) was used to estimate promoter hypermethylation of the CTLA4 gene. In addition, we investigated CTLA4 mRNA levels in 34 blood samples from cases and healthy controls using real-time reverse transcription PCR. The CT genotype of CTLA4 has a significantly protective effect on the risk to SCZ (OR = 0.44; 95 % CI 0.18–1.06, P = 0.007) in comparison with the wild CC genotype. Promoter methylation of the CTLA4 gene increased the risk of disease statistically (OR = 3.82, 95 % CI 1.34–10.9, P = 0.015) in cases when compared to healthy controls in blood samples. The mRNA expression level results showed statistically significant differences (P < 0.0001) between cases (n = 17) and healthy controls (n = 17). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evidence showing that promoter methylation of the CTLA4 gene along with transition of C to T was linked to a significantly higher expression of CTLA4 mRNA levels in patients with SCZ.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the University of Sistan and Baluchestan for financially supporting this project through grants to DMKT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, P.O. Box 98155-987, Zahedan, Iran

    Dor Mohammad Kordi-Tamandani, Nahid Dahmardeh & Adam Torkamanzehi

  2. Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Roodehen Branch, Tehran, Iran

    Shahram Vaziri

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  1. Dor Mohammad Kordi-Tamandani
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Correspondence to Dor Mohammad Kordi-Tamandani.

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Kordi-Tamandani, D.M., Vaziri, S., Dahmardeh, N. et al. Evaluation of polymorphism, hypermethylation and expression pattern of CTLA4 gene in a sample of Iranian patients with schizophrenia. Mol Biol Rep 40, 5123–5128 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-013-2614-3

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