title: Relationship between GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms and schizophrenia: a case-control study in a Tunisian population.
abstract: There is substantial evidence found in the literature that supports the fact that the presence of oxidative stress may play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) forms one of the major detoxifying groups of enzymes responsible for eliminating products of oxidative stress. Interindividual differences observed in the metabolism of xenobiotics have been attributed to the genetic polymorphism of genes coding for enzymes involved in detoxification. Thus, in this study we investigated the association of glutathione S-transferase Mu-1 (GSTM1) and glutathione S-transferase theta-1 (GSTT1) gene deletion polymorphisms and schizophrenia in a Tunisian population. A case-control study including 138 schizophrenic patients and 123 healthy controls was enrolled. The GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms were analyzed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). No association was found between the GSTM1 genotype and schizophrenia, whereas the prevalence of the GSTT1 active genotype was significantly higher in the schizophrenic patients (57.2%) than in the controls (45.5%) with (OR=0.6, IC 0.37-0.99, p=0.039). Thus, we noted a significant association between schizophrenia and GSTT1 active genotype. Furthermore, the combination of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes showed a non-significant trend to an increased risk of schizophrenia. The present finding indicated that GSTT1 seems to be a candidate gene for susceptibility to schizophrenia in at least Tunisian population.
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratory of "Trace elements, free radicals and antioxidants", Biophysical Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Monastir, 5000 Monastir, Tunisia. raffa_monia@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Monia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raffa
authors.forename: Ramzi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lakhdar
authors.forename: Meriem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghachem
authors.forename: Sana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barhoumi
authors.forename: Mohamed Taher
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Safar
authors.forename: Besma
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bel Hadj Jrad
authors.forename: Amel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haj Khelil
authors.forename: Abdelhamid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kerkeni
authors.forename: Anwar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mechri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D017353:Gene Deletion; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D005838:Genotype; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D060885:Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D005982:Glutathione Transferase; C413545:glutathione S-transferase T1