Chronic schizophrenia is associated with over-expression of the interleukin-2 receptor gamma gene.
Altered immune response, including low-grade inflammatory processes, is involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, a chronic psychiatric disorder with complex etiology. Distinct gene variants of a number of pro-inflammatory and chemotactic cytokines together with their receptors associate with this disorder. Interleukin-2 receptor gamma (IL-2RG) represents an important signaling component of many interleukin receptors and so far, no data on the functional state of this receptor in schizophrenia have been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate mRNA expression of the IL2RG gene (IL2RG) in schizophrenia patients in comparison with healthy subjects (controls). Total RNA was isolated from peripheral blood of 66 schizophrenia patients and 99 healthy subjects of Armenian population. The mRNA expression was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using PSMB2 as housekeeping gene. IL2RG mRNA expression was upregulated in peripheral blood of patients in comparison with controls (patients vs. controls, median [interquartile range]: 2.080 [3.428-1.046] vs. 0.324 [0.856-0.000], p<0.0001). In conclusion, our findings suggest that over-expression of the IL2RG gene may be implicated in altered immune response in schizophrenia and contribute to the pathomechanisms of this disorder.
Institute of Molecular Biology, National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA), 7 Hasratyan Street, 0014 Yerevan, Armenia; Laboratory of Immunogenomics and Immunoproteomics, Department of Pathological Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University, 6 I.P. Pavlova Street, 77520 Olomouc, Czech Republic. Electronic address: h_ghazaryan@mb.sci.am.
Hovsep
H
Ghazaryan
Laboratory of Immunogenomics and Immunoproteomics, Department of Pathological Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University, 6 I.P. Pavlova Street, 77520 Olomouc, Czech Republic. Electronic address: martin.petrek@fnol.cz.
Martin
M
Petrek
Institute of Molecular Biology, National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA), 7 Hasratyan Street, 0014 Yerevan, Armenia. Electronic address: aboyajyan@sci.am.
Anna
A
Boyajyan
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053631:Interleukin Receptor Common gamma Subunit / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology
D053631:Interleukin Receptor Common gamma Subunit; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2
Cytokine; Interleukin-2 receptor gamma; Over-expression; Schizophrenia; mRNA