Genetic association analysis of ERBB4 polymorphisms with the risk ofschizophrenia susceptibility in a Jordanian population of Arab descent

The role and molecular mechanisms of the early growth response 3 gene in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating mental illness caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Genetic factors play a major role in schizophrenia development. Early growth response 3 (EGR3) is a member of the EGR family, which is associated with schizophrenia. Accumulating studies have investigated the relationship between EGR3 and schizophrenia. However, the role of EGR3 in schizophrenia pathogenesis remains unclear. In the present review, we focus on the progress of research related to the role of EGR3 in schizophrenia, including association studies between EGR3 and schizophrenia, abnormal gene expressional analysis of EGR3 in schizophrenia, biological function studies of EGR3 in schizophrenia, the molecular regulatory mechanism of EGR3 and schizophrenia susceptibility candidate genes, and possible role of EGR3 in the immune system function in schizophrenia. In summary, EGR3 is a schizophrenia risk candidate factor and has comprehensive regulatory roles in schizophrenia pathogenesis. Further studies investigating the molecular mechanisms of EGR3 in schizophrenia are warranted for understanding the pathophysiology of this disorder as well as the development of new therapeutic strategies for the treatment and control of this disorder.

An actualized screening of schizophrenia-associated genes

Background

Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder that impacts around 0.5% to 1.2% of the world's population. It has been well established that heredity plays an essential role in the causation of schizophrenia, with genetic heritability of up to 80%. A several new schizophrenia susceptibility genes were identified at the start of the twenty-first century. The aim of this systematic review will be to explore the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and schizophrenia risk in people all over the world.

Methods

This systematic review collected available data on genetic variants associated with schizophrenia in worldwide populations. A PubMed and Science Direct search was investigated to identify all studies published until December 2020 on genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia in various populations, excluding family studies, transversal studies, cohort studies, experimental studies, and descriptive studies; those that demonstrate an association between repeat polymorphism (CNV, VNTR, etc.). All researches on genetic predispositions of schizophrenia and accepting the predetermined inclusion criteria were included in this systematic review.

Findings

Thirty-six studies focused on the schizophrenia-associated genes were retained in which a total of 44 polymorphisms among 26 susceptibility genes to schizophrenia have been associated in the world populations.

Conclusion

Despite the few number of studies published about genetic of schizophrenia, some genetic variations have been consistently correlated to schizophrenia, particularly in China, as this analysis shows. Further data, especially from genome-wide association studies, might contribute in the development of a reference for schizophrenia genetic susceptibility markers.