title: Investigation of a candidate gene for schizophrenia on Xq13 previously associated with mental retardation and hypothyroidism.
abstract: Weak support for linkage of schizophrenia to proximal Xq has previously been reported. In addition, an increased prevalence of thyroid disorder has been noted in families of individuals with schizophrenia. Recently, a gene mapped to Xq13 termed HOPA has been found to be associated with mental retardation, hypothyroidism, and depression and to function as a coactivator for the thyroid receptor. We therefore examined the HOPA gene in a group of 111 probands from a larger cohort of multiplex families with schizophrenia, several of whom (n = 53) also had a family history of hypothyroidism. Four males and two females were found with an alteration in exon 42 of the HOPA gene compared with 8/492 males and 18/471 females (942 X chromosomes) compared with consecutively screened newborns (chi(2) = 3.92, P < 0.05). However, when available family members of each of the probands with an exon 42 variation were subsequently screened, the mutation did not segregate with schizophrenia in three of five families, although all 6 probands with an exon 42 variation did have hypothyroidism in either themselves (n = 3) or their mothers (n = 3) (P < 0.008). These findings replicate prior findings demonstrating an association between HOPA polymorphisms and hypothyroidism. In addition, the increased frequency of HOPA variants in this population may also provide a genetic basis for the familial association of thyroid disease and schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, SUNY Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA. LdeLisi@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: DeLisi
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Razi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Sandhu
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Philibert
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D005796:Genes; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000235:genetics*; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010375:Pedigree; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011988:Receptors, Thyroid Hormone / Q000819:agonists*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012729:Sex Chromosome Aberrations / Q000235:genetics*; D013577:Syndrome; D014960:X Chromosome / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D011988:Receptors, Thyroid Hormone