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Chen P, Wang D, Xiu M, Chen D, Lackey B, Wu HE, Wang L, Zhang X. Association of Transferrin Gene Polymorphism with Cognitive Deficits and Psychiatric Symptoms in Patients with Chronic Schizophrenia. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11216414. [PMID: 36362642 PMCID: PMC9654946 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11216414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A large amount of recent literature has focused on impaired iron homeostasis in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Specifically, microarray analysis has illustrated associations between the transferrin locus and schizophrenia. To elaborate on the effects of transferrin on schizophrenia and its psychiatric phenotypes, our study aimed to investigate whether transferrin gene polymorphism was correlated with cognitive deficits and clinical symptoms in schizophrenia. We recruited 564 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 422 healthy controls (HCs) in a Han Chinese population, collected phenotypic data, and genotyped the rs3811655 polymorphism of the transferrin gene. Our results showed that the rs3811655 polymorphism was related to cognitive performance in both patients and HCs, as well as negative symptoms in patients (all p < 0.05), and patients carrying at least one G-allele showed worsened cognition/severe negative symptoms (all p < 0.05). Further analyses also found that the rs3811655 polymorphism in combination with cognition may exert small but significant contributions to the negative (β = −0.10, t = −2.48, p < 0.05) or total psychiatric symptoms (β = −0.08, t = −1.92, p < 0.05) in patients. Our findings indicated that the rs3811655 polymorphism may be implicated in the cognitive deficits of schizophrenia and HCs as well as psychiatric symptoms in patients, which suggested the possible iron regulatory mechanism in the pathology of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinhong Chen
- Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Dongmei Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Meihong Xiu
- Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Dachun Chen
- Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Blake Lackey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hanjing E. Wu
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lubin Wang
- Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing 100850, China
| | - Xiangyang Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Correspondence:
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Chen P, Wang D, Xiu M, Chen D, Lackey B, Wu HE, Zhou J, Zhang X. Polymorphism of Transferrin Gene Impacts the Mediating Effects of Psychotic Symptoms on the Relationship between Oxidative Stress and Cognition in Patients with Chronic Schizophrenia. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:antiox11010125. [PMID: 35052629 PMCID: PMC8772796 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11010125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A series of studies indicated that iron distribution that partly derives from transferrin-bound iron in the peripheral nervous system in the brain may act in processes such as myelination and brain development. However, the relationship between schizophrenia, its psychotic symptoms, and the transferrin (TF) gene has not been systematically explored. Our study aimed to investigate how a particular polymorphism of the transferrin gene, rs3811655, affects the superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), psychotic symptoms, cognition, or the mediation model between antioxidant enzymes and cognition via symptoms. A total of 564 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 468 healthy control subjects were recruited. The psychotic symptoms and cognition were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), respectively. Furthermore, the serum SOD, MDA activity, and transferrin gene polymorphism were measured in patients. Our results demonstrated that patients with the G allele possessed more severe negative symptoms, worse cognitive performance with respect to attention, and higher serum Mn-SOD activity. Additionally, the rs3811655 polymorphism may act as a moderator in the association between Cu/Zn-SOD activity and cognition, as well as psychotic symptoms in patients suffering from schizophrenia. According to this study, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3811655 polymorphism may fail to contribute to the susceptibility of schizophrenia in an individual but is involved in the iron-induced oxidative stress disturbance and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. This deepens our understanding of the critical role of iron-induced oxidative stress that might underlie the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinhong Chen
- Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing 100850, China;
| | - Dongmei Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China;
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Meihong Xiu
- Beijing HuiLongGuan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100096, China; (M.X.); (D.C.)
| | - Dachun Chen
- Beijing HuiLongGuan Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100096, China; (M.X.); (D.C.)
| | - Blake Lackey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (B.L.); (H.E.W.)
| | - Hanjing E. Wu
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (B.L.); (H.E.W.)
| | - Jin Zhou
- Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing 100850, China;
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xiangyang Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China;
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); (X.Z.)
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Malt EA, Juhasz K, Malt UF, Naumann T. A Role for the Transcription Factor Nk2 Homeobox 1 in Schizophrenia: Convergent Evidence from Animal and Human Studies. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:59. [PMID: 27064909 PMCID: PMC4811959 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a highly heritable disorder with diverse mental and somatic symptoms. The molecular mechanisms leading from genes to disease pathology in schizophrenia remain largely unknown. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have shown that common single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with specific diseases are enriched in the recognition sequences of transcription factors that regulate physiological processes relevant to the disease. We have used a “bottom-up” approach and tracked a developmental trajectory from embryology to physiological processes and behavior and recognized that the transcription factor NK2 homeobox 1 (NKX2-1) possesses properties of particular interest for schizophrenia. NKX2-1 is selectively expressed from prenatal development to adulthood in the brain, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, lungs, skin, and enteric ganglia, and has key functions at the interface of the brain, the endocrine-, and the immune system. In the developing brain, NKX2-1-expressing progenitor cells differentiate into distinct subclasses of forebrain GABAergic and cholinergic neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. The transcription factor is highly expressed in mature limbic circuits related to context-dependent goal-directed patterns of behavior, social interaction and reproduction, fear responses, responses to light, and other homeostatic processes. It is essential for development and mature function of the thyroid gland and the respiratory system, and is involved in calcium metabolism and immune responses. NKX2-1 interacts with a number of genes identified as susceptibility genes for schizophrenia. We suggest that NKX2-1 may lie at the core of several dose dependent pathways that are dysregulated in schizophrenia. We correlate the symptoms seen in schizophrenia with the temporal and spatial activities of NKX2-1 in order to highlight promising future research areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva A Malt
- Department of Adult Habilitation, Akershus University HospitalLørenskog, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Ahus Campus University of OsloOslo, Norway
| | - Katalin Juhasz
- Department of Adult Habilitation, Akershus University Hospital Lørenskog, Norway
| | - Ulrik F Malt
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOslo, Norway; Department of Research and Education, Institution of Oslo University HospitalOslo, Norway
| | - Thomas Naumann
- Centre of Anatomy, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin Berlin, Germany
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Liu Y, Zhang D, Cheng Y, Li Z. Elevated serum immunoinflammation-related protein complexes are associated with psychosis. Psychiatry Res 2015; 230:96-101. [PMID: 26337482 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.08.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Revised: 07/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests an underlying immune and inflammatory response for a variety of psychiatric disorders. Herein, we employed an optimized native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to isolate psychosis-related serum immunoinflammation-related protein complexes (IIRPCs) from 147 patients with schizophrenia (SCH), 158 patients with bipolar disorder (BPD), 132 patients with other psychosis, and 145 normal controls. All participants could be classified into four categories based on serum IIRPCs, which correspond to 290, 215, 70, and 7 serum samples, correspondingly. For each category, significantly enhanced levels of serum IIRPCs in patients with SCH, BPD, and other psychosis groups were observed compared with normal controls. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that serum IIRPCs have excellent diagnostic performance to differentiate SCH, BPD, and other psychosis groups from normal controls, with high sensitivities and specificities of >85%. Total serum amounts of IgG, IgA, and IgM in all patients were significantly decreased compared with normal controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Liu
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China
| | - Dan Zhang
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China
| | - Yuhang Cheng
- Clinical Examination and Experimental Center, Beijing An Ding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, PR China.
| | - Zhili Li
- Department of Biophysics and Structural Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, PR China.
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Jahanshad N, Rajagopalan P, Thompson PM. Neuroimaging, nutrition, and iron-related genes. Cell Mol Life Sci 2013; 70:4449-61. [PMID: 23817740 PMCID: PMC3827893 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-013-1369-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Revised: 04/23/2013] [Accepted: 05/13/2013] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Several dietary factors and their genetic modifiers play a role in neurological disease and affect the human brain. The structural and functional integrity of the living brain can be assessed using neuroimaging, enabling large-scale epidemiological studies to identify factors that help or harm the brain. Iron is one nutritional factor that comes entirely from our diet, and its storage and transport in the body are under strong genetic control. In this review, we discuss how neuroimaging can help to identify associations between brain integrity, genetic variations, and dietary factors such as iron. We also review iron's essential role in cognition, and we note some challenges and confounds involved in interpreting links between diet and brain health. Finally, we outline some recent discoveries regarding the genetics of iron and its effects on the brain, suggesting the promise of neuroimaging in revealing how dietary factors affect the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neda Jahanshad
- Imaging Genetics Center, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine, Neuroscience Research Building 225E, 635 Charles Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1769 USA
| | - Priya Rajagopalan
- Imaging Genetics Center, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine, Neuroscience Research Building 225E, 635 Charles Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1769 USA
| | - Paul M. Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine, Neuroscience Research Building 225E, 635 Charles Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1769 USA
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Qu M, Yue W, Tang F, Wang L, Han Y, Zhang D. Polymorphisms of Transferrin gene are associated with schizophrenia in Chinese Han population. J Psychiatr Res 2008; 42:877-83. [PMID: 18045615 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2007.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2007] [Revised: 09/28/2007] [Accepted: 10/12/2007] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Several recent studies have provided evidence that abnormalities in oligodendrocyte and myelin function may contribute to the etiopathology of schizophrenia. Transferrin (TF), an iron transport glycoprotein playing an important role in synthesis of myelin and the development of oligodendrocytes, has been identified as down-regulated expression in schizophrenia brain by microarray, quantitative PCR and in situ hybridization method. In order to further assess the role of TF in schizophrenia, we examined seven polymorphisms in TF region using a set sample of Chinese Han subjects consisting of 326 schizophrenia patients and 344 healthy controls. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) namely, rs4481157, rs3811655, rs6762415 and rs1405022 were analyzed in this study. Our results showed that one intronic SNP had strong association with schizophrenia (rs3811655: allele C>G, P=1.34E-6, OR=1.89, 95% CI=1.46-2.46; genotype P=3.72E-6). Two haplotypes A-C and G-G constructed of rs4481157-rs3811655 also revealed significant associations with schizophrenia (global P=0.0001). Our findings support that TF gene may be involved in susceptibility to schizophrenia in the Chinese Han population. However, further studies are needed to confirm these findings in other populations and to identify functional variants in TF that may be implicated in pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Qu
- Key Laboratory for Mental Health, Ministry of Health, Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, 51 Hua Yuan Bei Road, Beijing 100083, China
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