PRODH polymorphisms, cortical volumes and thickness in schizophrenia

PLoS One. 2014 Feb 3;9(2):e87686. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087686. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder with high heritability. Several lines of evidence indicate that the PRODH gene may be related to the disorder. Therefore, our study investigates the effects of 12 polymorphisms of PRODH on schizophrenia and its phenotypes. To further evaluate the roles of the associated variants in the disorder, we have conducted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to assess cortical volumes and thicknesses. A total of 192 patients were evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID), Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Calgary Depression Scale, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) instruments. The study included 179 controls paired by age and gender. The samples were genotyped using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-PCR and Sanger sequencing methods. A sample of 138 patients and 34 healthy controls underwent MRI scans. One polymorphism was associated with schizophrenia (rs2904552), with the G-allele more frequent in patients than in controls. This polymorphism is likely functional, as predicted by PolyPhen and SIFT, but it was not associated with brain morphology in our study. In summary, we report a functional PRODH variant associated with schizophrenia that may have a neurochemical impact, altering brain function, but is not responsible for the cortical reductions found in the disorder.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cerebral Cortex / metabolism*
  • Cerebral Cortex / pathology
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
  • Female
  • Gene Frequency
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease / genetics*
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Linkage Disequilibrium
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*
  • Proline Oxidase / genetics*
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Schizophrenia / diagnosis
  • Schizophrenia / enzymology
  • Schizophrenia / genetics*

Substances

  • Proline Oxidase
  • PRODH protein, human

Grants and funding

Funding for this study was provided by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Brazil) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP, 2011/50740-5 and 2007/58736-1, Brazil), which had no further role in study design, data collection and analysis, in the writing of the paper, and in the decision of submitting the paper for publication.