title: No association between the tumor necrosis factor-alpha gene promoter polymorphisms and schizophrenia in a Japanese population.
abstract: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a pleiotrophic cytokine and exerts neuroprotective and neurodegenerative effects in brain. Several studies have indicated that TNF-alpha is likely related to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Recent genetic investigations have revealed that a TNF-alpha gene promoter polymorphism (-G308A) is associated with schizophrenia, although negative findings have also been reported. To assess whether the TNF-alpha gene promoter variants including -G308A could be implicated in vulnerability to schizophrenia, we conducted a case-control association analysis (265 cases and 424 controls) and the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) analysis (83 trios) for four polymorphisms (-G238A, -G308A, -C857T and -T1031C) in Japanese subjects. In a case-control analysis, there was no significant association between the promoter polymorphisms or haplotypes in the TNF-alpha gene and schizophrenia. In the TDT analysis, we also did not observe transmission distortion. Our results suggest that the above four polymorphisms in the promoter region of the TNF-alpha gene appear not to confer increased susceptibility for schizophrenia in a Japanese population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Asahimachi-dori 1-757, Niigata 951-8510, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Tatsuyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muratake
authors.forename: Naoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nara
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Someya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha