A genetic mechanism implicates chromosome 11 in schizophrenia and bipolar diseases.
The causes of schizophrenia and bipolar human psychiatric disorders are unknown. A novel somatic cell genetic model postulated nonrandom segregation of "Watson" vs. "Crick" DNA chains of both copies of a chromosome to specific daughter cells. Such an oriented asymmetric cell division causes development of healthy, functionally nonequivalent brain hemispheres. Genetic translocations of the chromosome may cause disease by disrupting the biased strand-segregation process. Only one-half of chromosome 1 and 11 translocation carriers developing disease were recently explained as a result consistent with the model (Klar 2002). Is chromosome 1 or 11 involved? Does the translocation breakpoint cause disease? Remarkably, two other unrelated chromosome 11 translocations discovered from the literature likewise caused disease in approximately 50% of carriers. Together, their breakpoints lie at three distinct regions spanning approximately 40% of chromosome 11. Thus, chromosome 11 is implicated but the breakpoints themselves are unlikely to cause the disease. The results suggest that the genetically caused disease develops without a Mendelian gene mutation.
Klar
Amar J S
AJ
Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702-1201, USA. klar@ncifcrf.gov
D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002878:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 1 / Q000235:genetics; D002880:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11 / Q000235:genetics*; D004261:DNA Replication; D006801:Humans; D008957:Models, Genetic; D015995:Prevalence; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D014178:Translocation, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*