title: No association between genetic variants at the ASCT1 gene and schizophrenia or bipolar disorder in a German sample.
abstract: Altered glutamatergic neurotransmission is considered a potential etiological factor of schizophrenia (SCZ) and affective disorders. The gene ASCT1 (SLC1A4) coding for a Na+-dependent neutral aminoacid transporter is a member of the glutamate transporter superfamily and is located on 2p13-14, a region showing linkage to both SCZ and bipolar disorder (BD). ASCT1 can thus be considered a candidate gene for both disorders. In a German sample, we tested for association between ASCT1 and both SCZ and BD. Allele and haplotype frequencies, however, did not differ between cases and controls. Recent findings on the associations between brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and SCZ and between G72/G30 and BD suggest that SCZ patients with a history of major depressive episodes (MDE) outside psychotic episodes and BD cases with a history of persecutory delusions constitute genetically distinct subgroups of these disorders. Thus, we hypothesized that restricting case definition to those 95 SCZ individuals with MDE and to those 107 BD patients with a history of persecutory delusions might clarify the relationship between BD, SCZ and ASCT1. However, these stratification approaches did not yield any significant association either. Allele and haplotype frequencies did not differ between cases and controls. Our results do not support an association of the ASCT1 gene with BD or SCZ in the German population.
authors.forename: Markus H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Skowronek
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Georgi
authors.forename: Rami Abou
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Jamra
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schmael
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deschner
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Höfels
authors.forename: Maren
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wulff
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Klopp
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Illig
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Propping
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cichon
authors.forename: Markus M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Nöthen
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rietschel
mesh_terms: D026962:Amino Acid Transport System ASC / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D026962:Amino Acid Transport System ASC; D017931:DNA Primers; C498848:SLC1A4 protein, human