Further evidence for association of variants in the AKT1 gene with schizophrenia in a sample of European sib-pair families.
BACKGROUND
Involvement of AKT signaling pathways in schizophrenia has been recently suggested, on the basis of several lines of evidence. In addition to impairment of protein-levels and phosphorylation levels in the pathway, association of DNA sequence variants in the AKT1 gene with schizophrenia has been detected in a family sample.


METHODS
We investigated the reported association of DNA sequence variants in the AKT1 gene in a sample of 79 sib-pair families with schizophrenia using the five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the original study and two additional SNPs in the neighborhood of the SNP for which association had been reported.


RESULTS
We obtained statistical significance for single markers (p = .002) and multilocus haplotypes (p = .0013) located in the same region as has been reported in the previous study.


CONCLUSIONS
The replication of association of variants in the AKT1 gene in a family sample with similar ethnical background as in the original study adds further evidence for involvement of AKT1 in development of schizophrenic disorders.
Schwab
Sibylle G
SG
Western Australian Institute of Medical Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Hoefgen
Barbara
B
Hanses
Claudia
C
Hassenbach
Margitta Borrmann
MB
Albus
Margot
M
Lerer
Bernard
B
Trixler
Matyas
M
Maier
Wolfgang
W
Wildenauer
Dieter B
DB
D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D008297:Male; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000235:genetics*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*
C494918:AKT1 protein, human; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt