Analysis of peripheral immune activation in schizophrenia using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Immune system abnormalities in schizophrenia include a shift from a Type 1 (cellular) to a Type 2 (humoral) immune response. To characterize the activation status of the immune system in schizophrenia, we examined the pattern of gene expression in peripheral blood cells for three Th1 cytokines (interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-2 (IL-2)), and one Th2 cytokine (interleukin-10 (IL-10)). In a cross-sectional study, we used quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to compare the mRNA levels of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-2, and IL-10 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) between 15 schizophrenia patients and 15 matched healthy controls. Expression of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha was significantly reduced in patients with schizophrenia compared with normal controls. No differences in IL-2 and IL-10 gene expression were observed. These results are consistent with impaired Type 1 cellular immunity in schizophrenia. While the data illustrate the potential utility of mRNA-based approaches for the identification and analysis of immune biomarkers for neuropsychiatric disorders, correlation of gene expression with direct measures of cytokine concentrations is required.
Freudenreich
Oliver
O
Schizophrenia Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States. ofreudenreich@partners.org
Brockman
Mark A
MA
Henderson
David C
DC
Evins
A Eden
AE
Fan
Xiaoduo
X
Walsh
Jared P
JP
Goff
Donald C
DC
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D016207:Cytokines