title: Neuregulin 3 does not confer risk for schizophrenia and smooth pursuit eye movement abnormality in a Korean population.
abstract: Located on chromosome 10q22-q23, the human neuregulin3 (NRG3) is considered to be a strong positional and functional candidate gene for schizophrenia pathogenesis. Several case-control studies examining the association of polymorphisms in NRG3 with schizophrenia and/or related traits such as delusion have been reported recently in cohorts of Han Chinese, Ashkenazi Jews, Australians and white Americans of Western European ancestry. Thus, this study aimed to comprehensively investigate the association of NRG3 genetic variations with the risk of schizophrenia and smooth pursuit eye movement (SPEM) abnormality in a Korean population. Using TaqMan assay, six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the intronic region of NRG3 were genotyped and two major haplotypes were identified in 435 patients with schizophrenia as cases and 393 unrelated healthy individuals as controls. A total of 113 schizophrenia patients underwent an eye tracking task, and degree of SPEM abnormality was measured using the logarithmic values of the signal/noise (Ln S/N) ratio. Differences in frequency distributions were analyzed using logistic and regression models following various modes of genetic inheritance and controlling for age and sex as covariates. Subsequent analysis revealed that the frequency distributions of NRG3 polymorphisms and haplotypes were similar between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls of Korean ethnicity. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between the genetic variants tested for SPEM abnormality. By elucidating a lack of association in a Korean population, findings from this study may contribute to the understanding of the genetic etiology focusing on the role of NRG3 in schizophrenia pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science, Sogang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: C-F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Pasaje
authors.forename: J-S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: B-L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Cheong
authors.forename: J-H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: T-J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: J-S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: C-S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: B-J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: T-M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: I-G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: H-D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: S-I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Woo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004585:Electrooculography; D005260:Female; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020880:Neuregulins / Q000235:genetics*; D015835:Ocular Motility Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011698:Pursuit, Smooth / Q000235:genetics*; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012306:Risk; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C486357:NRG3 protein, human; D020880:Neuregulins