Association of synapsin 2 with schizophrenia in families of Northern European ancestry

Variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs) as modifiers of breast cancer risk in carriers of BRCA1 185delAG

Despite substantial efforts in identifying both rare and common variants affecting disease risk, in the majority of diseases, a large proportion of unexplained genetic risk remains. We propose that variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs) may explain a proportion of the missing genetic risk. Herein, in a pilot study with a retrospective cohort design, we tested whether VNTRs are causal modifiers of breast cancer risk in 347 female carriers of the BRCA1 185delAG pathogenic variant, an important group given their high risk of developing breast cancer. We performed targeted-capture to sequence VNTRs, called genotypes with adVNTR, tested the association of VNTRs and breast cancer risk using Cox regression models, and estimated the effect size using a retrospective likelihood approach. Of 303 VNTRs that passed quality control checks, 4 VNTRs were significantly associated with risk to develop breast cancer at false discovery rate [FDR] < 0.05 and an additional 4 VNTRs had FDR < 0.25. After determining the specific risk alleles, there was a significantly earlier age at diagnosis of breast cancer in carriers of the risk alleles compared to those without the risk alleles for seven of eight VNTRs. One example is a VNTR in exon 2 of LINC01973 with a per-allele hazard ratio of 1.58 (1.07-2.33) and 5.28 (2.79-9.99) for the homozygous risk-allele genotype. Results from this first systematic study of VNTRs demonstrate that VNTRs may explain a proportion of the unexplained genetic risk for breast cancer.

Neurofilament Light (NF-L) Chain Protein from a Highly Polymerized Structural Component of the Neuronal Cytoskeleton to a Neurodegenerative Disease Biomarker in the Periphery

Neurofilaments (NFs) are critical scaffolding components of the axoskeleton of healthy neurons interacting directly with multiple synaptic-phosphoproteins to support and coordinate neuronal cell shape, cytoarchitecture, synaptogenesis and neurotransmission. While neuronal presynaptic proteins such as synapsin-2 (SYN II) degrade rapidly via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, a considerably more stable neurofilament light (NF-L) chain protein turns over much more slowly, and in several neurological diseases is accompanied by a pathological shift from an intracellular neuronal cytoplasmic location into various biofluid compartments. NF-L has been found to be significantly elevated in peripheral biofluids in multiple neurodegenerative disorders, however it is not as widely appreciated that NF-L expression within neurons undergoing inflammatory neurodegeneration exhibit a significant down-regulation in these neuron-specific intermediate-filament components. Down-regulated NF-L in neurons correlates well with the observed axonal and neuronal atrophy, neurite deterioration and synaptic disorganization in tissues affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other progressive, age-related neurological diseases. This Review paper: (i) will briefly assess the remarkably high number of neurological disorders that exhibit NF-L depolymerization, liberation from neuron-specific compartments, mobilization and enrichment into pathological biofluids; (ii) will evaluate how NF-L exhibits compartmentalization effects in age-related neurological disorders; (iii) will review how the shift of NF-L compartmentalization from within the neuronal cytoskeleton into peripheral biofluids may be a diagnostic biomarker for neuronal-decline in all cause dementia most useful in distinguishing between closely related neurological disorders; and (iv) will review emerging evidence that deficits in plasma membrane barrier integrity, pathological transport and/or vesicle-mediated trafficking dysfunction of NF-L may contribute to neuronal decline, with specific reference to AD wherever possible.

An updated reappraisal of synapsins: structure, function and role in neurological and psychiatric disorders

Synapsins (Syns) are phosphoproteins strongly involved in neuronal development and neurotransmitter release. Three distinct genes SYN1, SYN2 and SYN3, with elevated evolutionary conservation, have been described to encode for Synapsin I, Synapsin II and Synapsin III, respectively. Syns display a series of common features, but also exhibit distinctive localization, expression pattern, post-translational modifications (PTM). These characteristics enable their interaction with other synaptic proteins, membranes and cytoskeletal components, which is essential for the proper execution of their multiple functions in neuronal cells. These include the control of synapse formation and growth, neuron maturation and renewal, as well as synaptic vesicle mobilization, docking, fusion, recycling. Perturbations in the balanced expression of Syns, alterations of their PTM, mutations and polymorphisms of their encoding genes induce severe dysregulations in brain networks functions leading to the onset of psychiatric or neurological disorders. This review presents what we have learned since the discovery of Syn I in 1977, providing the state of the art on Syns structure, function, physiology and involvement in central nervous system disorders.

Going Deep into Synaptic Vesicle Machinery Genes and Migraine Susceptibility - A Case-Control Association Study

OBJECTIVE

A number of observations, including among our study population, have implicated variants in the syntaxin-1A, a component of the synaptic vesicles, in migraine susceptibility. Therefore, we hypothesize that variants in other components of the vesicle machinery are involved in migraine.

BACKGROUND

Migraine is a common and complex neurologic disorder that affects approximately 15-18% of the general population. The exact cause of migraine is unknown; however, genetic studies have made possible substantial progress toward the identification of underlying molecular pathways. Neurotransmitters have been for long considered to have a key role in migraine pathophysiology; so we investigated common variants in genes involved in the synaptic vesicle machinery and their impact in migraine susceptibility.

METHODS

We performed a case-control study comprising 188 unrelated patients with headache and 286 healthy controls in a population from the north of Portugal. Benefiting from the presence of linkage disequilibrium, we selected and genotyped 119 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 18 genes.

RESULTS

We found significant associations between single-nucleotide variants and migraine in 7 genes, SYN1, SYN2, SNAP25, VAMP2, STXBP1, STXBP5, and UNC13A, either conferring an increased risk or protection of migraine. Due to SYN1 X-chromosomal location, we performed the statistical analysis separated by gender and, in the female group, the C allele of rs5906435 increased the risk for migraine susceptibility (P = .021; OR = 1.69; 95% CI: 1.21-2.34). In contrast, the TT genotype of the same variant emerged as a potential protective factor (P = .003; OR = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.27-0.74). The SYN2 analysis supported the rs3773364's G allele (P = .014) as a risk factor for migraine, and although not statistically significant after correction, the AG genotype (P = .006; OR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.20-2.90) reinforced the allelic findings. Additionally, we found the SNAP25-rs363039's CT genotype (P = .001; OR = 2.14; 95% CI: 1.36-3.34), the STXBP5-rs1765028's T allele (P = .041; OR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.13-1.90), and the UNC13B-rs7851161's TT genotype (P = .001; OR = 2.14; 95% CI: 1.36-3.34) as statistically significant risk factors for migraine liability. VAMP2-rs1150's G allele revealed a risk association to migraine, not statistically significant after correction (P = .068). Additionally, we found haplotypes in SYN1, SYN2, STXBP1, and UNC13B to be associated with migraine.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this study provides a new insight into migraine liability, identifying possible starting points for functional studies.

Identifying novel associations in GWAS by hierarchical Bayesian latent variable detection of differentially misclassified phenotypes

Background

Heterogeneity in the definition and measurement of complex diseases in Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) may lead to misdiagnoses and misclassification errors that can significantly impact discovery of disease loci. While well appreciated, almost all analyses of GWAS data consider reported disease phenotype values as is without accounting for potential misclassification.

Results

Here, we introduce Phenotype Latent variable Extraction of disease misdiagnosis (PheLEx), a GWAS analysis framework that learns and corrects misclassified phenotypes using structured genotype associations within a dataset. PheLEx consists of a hierarchical Bayesian latent variable model, where inference of differential misclassification is accomplished using filtered genotypes while implementing a full mixed model to account for population structure and genetic relatedness in study populations. Through simulations, we show that the PheLEx framework dramatically improves recovery of the correct disease state when considering realistic allele effect sizes compared to existing methodologies designed for Bayesian recovery of disease phenotypes. We also demonstrate the potential of PheLEx for extracting new potential loci from existing GWAS data by analyzing bipolar disorder and epilepsy phenotypes available from the UK Biobank. From the PheLEx analysis of these data, we identified new candidate disease loci not previously reported for these datasets that have value for supplemental hypothesis generation.

Conclusion

PheLEx shows promise in reanalyzing GWAS datasets to provide supplemental candidate loci that are ignored by traditional GWAS analysis methodologies.

SIV-Mediated Synaptic Dysfunction Is Associated with an Increase in Synapsin Site 1 Phosphorylation and Impaired PP2A Activity

Although the reduction of viral loads in people with HIV undergoing combination antiretroviral therapy has mitigated AIDS-related symptoms, the prevalence of neurological impairments has remained unchanged. HIV-associated CNS dysfunction includes impairments in memory, attention, memory processing, and retrieval. Here, we show a significant site-specific increase in the phosphorylation of Syn I serine 9, site 1, in the frontal cortex lysates and synaptosome preparations of male rhesus macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) but not in uninfected or SIV-infected antiretroviral therapy animals. Furthermore, we found that a lower protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity, a phosphatase responsible for Syn I (S9) dephosphorylation, is primarily associated with the higher S9 phosphorylation in the frontal cortex of SIV-infected macaques. Comparison of brain sections confirmed higher Syn I (S9) in the frontal cortex and greater coexpression of Syn I and PP2A A subunit, which was observed as perinuclear aggregates in the somata of the frontal cortex of SIV-infected macaques. Synaptosomes from SIV-infected animals were physiologically tested using a synaptic vesicle endocytosis assay and FM4-64 dye showing a significantly higher baseline depolarization levels in synaptosomes of SIV⁺-infected than uninfected control or antiretroviral therapy animals. A PP2A-activating FDA-approved drug, FTY720, decreased the higher synaptosome depolarization in SIV-infected animals. Our results suggest that an impaired distribution and lower activity of serine/threonine phosphatases in the context of HIV infection may cause an indirect effect on the phosphorylation levels of essential proteins involving in synaptic transmission, supporting the occurrence of specific impairments in the synaptic activity during SIV infection.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Even with antiretroviral therapy, neurocognitive deficits, including impairments in attention, memory processing, and retrieval, are still major concerns in people living with HIV. Here, we used the rhesus macaque simian immunodeficiency virus model with and without antiretroviral therapy to study the dynamics of phosphorylation of key amino acid residues of synapsin I, which critically impacts synaptic vesicle function. We found a significant increase in synapsin I phosphorylation at serine 9, which was driven by dysfunction of serine/threonine protein phosphatase 2A in the nerve terminals. Our results suggest that an impaired distribution and lower activity of serine/threonine phosphatases in the context of HIV infection may cause an indirect effect on the phosphorylation levels of essential proteins involved in synaptic transmission.

Perturbation of synapsins homeostasis through HIV-1 Tat-mediated suppression of BAG3 in primary neuronal cells

HIV-1 Tat is known to be released by HIV infected non-neuronal cells in the brain, and after entering neurons, compromises brain homeostasis by impairing pro-survival pathways, thus contributing to the development of HIV-associated CNS disorders commonly observed in individuals living with HIV. Here, we demonstrate that synapsins, phosphoproteins that are predominantly expressed in neuronal cells and play a vital role in modulating neurotransmitter release at the pre-synaptic terminal, and neuronal differentiation become targets for Tat through autophagy and protein quality control pathways. We demonstrate that the presence of Tat in neurons results in downregulation of BAG3, a co-chaperone for heat shock proteins (Hsp70/Hsc70) that is implicated in protein quality control (PQC) processes by eliminating mis-folded and damaged proteins, and selective macroautophagy. Our results show that treatment of cells with Tat or suppression of BAG3 expression by siRNA in neuronal cells disturbs subcellular distribution of synapsins and synaptotagmin 1 (Syt1) leading to their accumulation in the neuronal soma and along axons in a punctate pattern, rather than being properly distributed at axon-terminals. Further, our results revealed that synapsins partially lost their stability and their removal via lysosomal autophagy was noticeably impaired in cells with low levels of BAG3. The observed impairment of lysosomal autophagy, under this condition, is likely caused by cells losing their ability to process LC3-I to LC3-II, in part due to a decrease in the ATG5 levels upon BAG3 knockdown. These observations ascribe a new function for BAG3 in controlling synaptic communications and illuminate a new downstream target for Tat to elicit its pathogenic effect in impacting neuronal cell function and behavior.

The Role of Synapsins in Neurological Disorders

Synapsins serve as flagships among the presynaptic proteins due to their abundance on synaptic vesicles and contribution to synaptic communication. Several studies have emphasized the importance of this multi-gene family of neuron-specific phosphoproteins in maintaining brain physiology. In the recent times, increasing evidence has established the relevance of alterations in synapsins as a major determinant in many neurological disorders. Here, we give a comprehensive description of the diverse roles of the synapsin family and the underlying molecular mechanisms that contribute to several neurological disorders. These physiologically important roles of synapsins associated with neurological disorders are just beginning to be understood. A detailed understanding of the diversified expression of synapsins may serve to strategize novel therapeutic approaches for these debilitating neurological disorders.

Sex differences in DNA methylation of the cord blood are related to sex-bias psychiatric diseases

Sex differences in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders are well documented, with exposure to stress during gestation differentially impacting females and males. We explored sex-specific DNA methylation in the cord blood of 39 females and 32 males born at term and with appropriate weight at birth regarding their potential connection to psychiatric outcomes. Mothers were interviewed to gather information about environmental factors (gestational exposure) that could interfere with the methylation profiles in the newborns. Bisulphite converted DNA was hybridized to Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChips. Excluding XYS probes, there were 2,332 differentially methylated CpG sites (DMSs) between sexes, which were enriched within brain modules of co-methylated CpGs during brain development and also differentially methylated in the brains of boys and girls. Genes associated with the DMSs were enriched for neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly for CpG sites found differentially methylated in brain tissue between patients with schizophrenia and controls. Moreover, the DMS had an overlap of 890 (38%) CpG sites with a cohort submitted to toxic exposition during gestation. This study supports the evidences that sex differences in DNA methylation of autosomes act as a primary driver of sex differences that are found in psychiatric outcomes.

Neurodevelopmental Perspectives on Wnt Signaling in Psychiatry

Mounting evidence indicates that Wnt signaling is relevant to pathophysiology of diverse mental illnesses including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. In the 35 years since Wnt ligands were first described, animal studies have richly explored how downstream Wnt signaling pathways affect an array of neurodevelopmental processes and how their disruption can lead to both neurological and behavioral phenotypes. Recently, human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) models have begun to contribute to this literature while pushing it in increasingly translational directions. Simultaneously, large-scale human genomic studies are providing evidence that sequence variation in Wnt signal pathway genes contributes to pathogenesis in several psychiatric disorders. This article reviews neurodevelopmental and postneurodevelopmental functions of Wnt signaling, highlighting mechanisms, whereby its disruption might contribute to psychiatric illness, and then reviews the most reliable recent genetic evidence supporting that mutations in Wnt pathway genes contribute to psychiatric illness. We are proponents of the notion that studies in animal and hiPSC models informed by the human genetic data combined with the deep knowledge base and tool kits generated over the last several decades of basic neurodevelopmental research will yield near-term tangible advances in neuropsychiatry.

Genome-wide investigation of schizophrenia associated plasma Ndel1 enzyme activity

Ndel1 is a DISC1-interacting oligopeptidase that cleaves in vitro neuropeptides as neurotensin and bradykinin, and which has been associated with both neuronal migration and neurite outgrowth. We previously reported that plasma Ndel1 enzyme activity is lower in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) compared to healthy controls (HCs). To our knowledge, no previous study has investigated the genetic factors associated with the plasma Ndel1 enzyme activity. In the current analyses, samples from 83 SCZ patients and 92 control subjects that were assayed for plasma Ndel1 enzyme activity were genotyped on Illumina Omni Express arrays. A genetic relationship matrix using genome-wide information was then used for ancestry correction, and association statistics were calculated genome-wide. Ndel1 enzyme activity was significantly lower in patients with SCZ (t=4.9; p<0.001) and was found to be associated with CAMK1D, MAGI2, CCDC25, and GABGR3, at a level of suggestive significance (p<10(-6)), independent of the clinical status. Then, we performed a model to investigate the observed differences for case/control measures. 2 SNPs at region 1p22.2 reached the p<10(-7) level. ZFPM2 and MAD1L1 were the only two genes with more than one hit at 10(-6) order of p value. Therefore, Ndel1 enzyme activity is a complex trait influenced by many different genetic variants that may contribute to SCZ physiopathology.

Currently recognized genes for schizophrenia: High-resolution chromosome ideogram representation

A large body of genetic data from schizophrenia-related research has identified an assortment of genes and disturbed pathways supporting involvement of complex genetic components for schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders. Advances in genetic technology and expanding studies with searchable genomic databases have led to multiple published reports, allowing us to compile a master list of known, clinically relevant, or susceptibility genes contributing to schizophrenia. We searched key words related to schizophrenia and genetics from peer-reviewed medical literature sources, authoritative public access psychiatric websites and genomic databases dedicated to gene discovery and characterization of schizophrenia. Our list of 560 genes were arranged in alphabetical order in tabular form with gene symbols placed on high-resolution human chromosome ideograms. Genome wide pathway analysis using GeneAnalytics was carried out on the resulting list of genes to assess the underlying genetic architecture for schizophrenia. Recognized genes of clinical relevance, susceptibility or causation impact a broad range of biological pathways and mechanisms including ion channels (e.g., CACNA1B, CACNA1C, CACNA1H), metabolism (e.g., CYP1A2, CYP2C19, CYP2D6), multiple targets of neurotransmitter pathways impacting dopamine, GABA, glutamate, and serotonin function, brain development (e.g., NRG1, RELN), signaling peptides (e.g., PIK3CA, PIK4CA) and immune function (e.g., HLA-DRB1, HLA-DQA1) and interleukins (e.g., IL1A, IL10, IL6). This summary will enable clinical and laboratory geneticists, genetic counselors, and other clinicians to access convenient pictorial images of the distribution and location of contributing genes to inform diagnosis and gene-based treatment as well as provide risk estimates for genetic counseling of families with affected relatives.

Stathmin reduction and cytoskeleton rearrangement in rat nucleus accumbens in response to clozapine and risperidone treatment - Comparative proteomic study

The complex network of anatomical connections of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) makes it an interface responsible for the selection and integration of cognitive and affective information to modulate appetitive or aversively motivated behaviour. There is evidence for NAc dysfunction in schizophrenia. NAc also seems to be important for antipsychotic drug action, but the biochemical characteristics of drug-induced alterations within NAc remain incompletely characterized. In this study, a comprehensive proteomic analysis was performed to describe the differences in the mechanisms of action of clozapine (CLO) and risperidone (RIS) in the rat NAc. Both antipsychotics influenced the level of microtubule-regulating proteins, i.e., stathmin, and proteins of the collapsin response mediator protein family (CRMPs), and only CLO affected NAD-dependent protein deacetylase sirtuin-2 and septin 6. Both antipsychotics induced changes in levels of other cytoskeleton-related proteins. CLO exclusively up-regulated proteins involved in neuroprotection, such as glutathione synthetase, heat-shock 70-kDa protein 8 and mitochondrial heat-shock protein 75. RIS tuned cell function by changing the pattern of post-translational modifications of some proteins: it down-regulated the phosphorylated forms of stathmin and dopamine and the cyclic AMP-regulated phosphoprotein (DARPP-32) isoform but up-regulated cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5). RIS modulated the level and phosphorylation state of synaptic proteins: synapsin-2, synaptotagmin-1 and adaptor-related protein-2 (AP-2) complex.

Role of presynaptic phosphoprotein synapsin II in schizophrenia

Synapsin II is a member of the neuronal phosphoprotein family. These phosphoproteins are evolutionarily conserved across many organisms and are important in a variety of synaptic functions, including synaptogenesis and the regulation of neurotransmitter release. A number of genome-wide scans, meta-analyses, and genetic susceptibility studies have implicated the synapsin II gene (3p25) in the etiology of schizophrenia (SZ) and other psychiatric disorders. Further studies have found a reduction of synapsin II mRNA and protein in the prefrontal cortex in post-mortem samples from schizophrenic patients. Disruptions in the expression of this gene may cause synaptic dysfunction, which can result in neurotransmitter imbalances, likely contributing to the pathogenesis of SZ. SZ is a costly, debilitating psychiatric illness affecting approximately 1.1% of the world’s population, amounting to 51 million people today. The disorder is characterized by positive (hallucinations, paranoia), negative (social withdrawal, lack of motivation), and cognitive (memory impairments, attention deficits) symptoms. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the structure, function, and involvement of the synapsin family, specifically synapsin II, in the pathophysiology of SZ and possible target for therapeutic intervention/implications.

Nitric oxide synthase 1 adaptor protein, a protein implicated in schizophrenia, controls radial migration of cortical neurons

BACKGROUND

Where a neuron is positioned in the brain during development determines neuronal circuitry and information processing needed for normal brain function. When aberrations in this process occur, cognitive disorders may result. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia have been reported to show altered neuronal connectivity and heterotopias. To elucidate pathways by which this process occurs and become aberrant, we have chosen to study the long isoform of nitric oxide synthase 1 adaptor protein (NOS1AP), a protein encoded by a susceptibility gene for schizophrenia.

METHODS

To determine whether NOS1AP plays a role in cortical patterning, we knocked down or co-overexpressed NOS1AP and a green fluorescent protein or red fluorescent protein (TagRFP) reporter in neuronal progenitor cells of the embryonic rat neocortex using in utero electroporation. We analyzed sections of cortex (ventricular zone, intermediate zone, and cortical plate [CP]) containing green fluorescent protein or red fluorescent protein TagRFP positive cells and counted the percentage of positive cells that migrated to each region from at least three rats for each condition.

RESULTS

NOS1AP overexpression disrupts neuronal migration, resulting in increased cells in intermediate zone and less cells in CP, and decreases dendritogenesis. Knockdown results in increased migration, with more cells reaching the CP. The phosphotyrosine binding region, but not the PDZ-binding motif, is necessary for NOS1AP function. Amino acids 181 to 307, which are sufficient for NOS1AP-mediated decreases in dendrite number, have no effect on migration.

CONCLUSIONS

Our studies show for the first time a critical role for the schizophrenia-associated gene NOS1AP in cortical patterning, which may contribute to underlying pathophysiology seen in schizophrenia.

Change in expression of vesicular protein synapsin II by chronic treatment with D2 allosteric modulator PAOPA

The hallmark symptoms of schizophrenia include profound disturbances in thought, perception, cognition etc., which negatively impacts an individual's quality of life. Current antipsychotic drugs are not effective in treating all symptoms of this disorder, and often cause severe movement and metabolic side effects. Consequently, there remains a strong impetus to develop safer and more efficacious therapeutics for patients, as well as elucidating the etiology of schizophrenia. Previous work in our lab has introduced a novel candidate for the treatment of this disease: the dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) allosteric modulator, 3(R)-[(2(S)-pyrrolidinylcarbonyl)amino]-2-oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetamide (PAOPA). We have previously shown that PAOPA, by selectively modulating D2R, can ameliorate schizophrenia-like symptoms in animal models, although the precise mechanism is presently not understood. Synapsin II is a presynaptic vesicular protein which has been strongly implicated in schizophrenia, as it is reduced in the prefrontal cortex of patients, and knockdown of this protein elicits schizophrenia-like phenotypes in animal models. Given the therapeutic effects of PAOPA and the role of synapsin II in schizophrenia, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of chronic administration of PAOPA (45 days) on neuronal synapsin II protein expression in rodents. Immunoblot results revealed that the synapsin IIa, but not the IIb isoform, was increased in the dopaminergic regions of the striatum, nucleus accumbens, and medial prefrontal cortex. The results of this study implicate a role for modulation of synapsin II as a possible therapeutic mechanism of action for potential antipsychotic drug PAOPA.

Contribution of TIMP4 rs3755724 polymorphism to susceptibility to focal epilepsy in Malaysian Chinese

Neuroinflammation can damage the brain and plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of epilepsy. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 4 (TIMP4) is an inflammation-induced apoptosis and matrix turnover factor involved in several neuronal disorders and inflammatory diseases. Evidence has shown linkage disequilibrium between rs3755724 (-55C/T) of this gene with synapsin 2 (SYN2) rs3773364 and peroxisome proliferator-activated G receptor (PPARG) rs2920502 loci, which contribute to epilepsy in Caucasians. The aim of this study was to examine the association of these loci alone or their haplotypes with the risk of epilepsy in the Malaysian population. Genomic DNA of 1241 Malaysian Chinese, Indian, and Malay subjects (670 patients with epilepsy and 571 healthy individuals) was genotyped for the candidate loci by using the Sequenom MassArray method. Allele and genotype association of rs3755724 with susceptibility to epilepsy was significant in the Malaysian Chinese with focal epilepsy under codominant and dominant models (C vs. T: 1.5 (1.1-2.0), p=0.02; CT vs. TT: 1.8 (1.2-2.8), p=0.007 and 1.8 (1.2-2.7), p=0.006, respectively). The T allele and the TT genotype were more common in patients than in controls. No significant association was found between rs2920502 and rs3773364-rs3755724-rs2920502 haplotypes for susceptibility to epilepsy in each ethnicity. This study provides evidence that the promoter TIMP4 rs3755724 is a new focal epilepsy susceptibility variant that is plausibly involved in inflammation-induced seizures in Malaysian Chinese.

Advancing avian behavioral neuroendocrinology through genomics

Genome technologies are transforming all areas of biology, including the study of hormones, brain and behavior. Annotated reference genome assemblies are rapidly being produced for many avian species. Here we briefly review the basic concepts and tools used in genomics. We then consider how these are informing the study of avian behavioral neuroendocrinology, focusing in particular on lessons from the study of songbirds. We discuss the impact of having a complete "parts list" for an organism; the transformational potential of studying large sets of genes at once instead one gene at a time; the growing recognition that environmental and behavioral signals trigger massive shifts in gene expression in the brain; and the prospects for using comparative genomics to uncover the genetic roots of behavioral variation. Throughout, we identify promising new directions for bolstering the application of genomic information to further advance the study of avian brain and behavior.

The genetic contribution of the NO system at the glutamatergic post-synapse to schizophrenia: further evidence and meta-analysis

NO is a pleiotropic signaling molecule and has an important role in cognition and emotion. In the brain, NO is produced by neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS-I, encoded by NOS1) coupled to the NMDA receptor via PDZ interactions; this protein-protein interaction is disrupted upon binding of NOS1 adapter protein (encoded by NOS1AP) to NOS-I. As both NOS1 and NOS1AP were associated with schizophrenia, we here investigated these genes in greater detail by genotyping new samples and conducting a meta-analysis of our own and published data. In doing so, we confirmed association of both genes with schizophrenia and found evidence for their interaction in increasing risk towards disease. Our strongest finding was the NOS1 promoter SNP rs41279104, yielding an odds ratio of 1.29 in the meta-analysis. As findings from heterologous cell systems have suggested that the risk allele decreases gene expression, we studied the effect of the variant on NOS1 expression in human post-mortem brain samples and found that the risk allele significantly decreases expression of NOS1 in the prefrontal cortex. Bioinformatic analyses suggest that this might be due the replacement of six transcription factor binding sites by two new binding sites as a consequence of proxy SNPs. Taken together, our data argue that genetic variance in NOS1 resulting in lower prefrontal brain expression of this gene contributes to schizophrenia liability, and that NOS1 interacts with NOS1AP in doing so. The NOS1-NOS1AP PDZ interface may thus well constitute a novel target for small molecules in at least some forms of schizophrenia.

Case-control association study of 36 single-nucleotide polymorphisms within 10 candidate genes for major depression and bipolar disorder

In this study we investigated 36 single nucleotide polymorphisms within 10 genes previously associated with major depression and bipolar disorder, as well as with the response to their treatment (ABCB1, ABCB4, TAP2, CLOCK, CPLX1, CPLX2, SYN2, NRG1, 5HTR1A and GPRIN2). No association with mood disorders and clinical outcomes was observed.

SYN2 is an autism predisposing gene: loss-of-function mutations alter synaptic vesicle cycling and axon outgrowth

An increasing number of genes predisposing to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been identified, many of which are implicated in synaptic function. This 'synaptic autism pathway' notably includes disruption of SYN1 that is associated with epilepsy, autism and abnormal behavior in both human and mice models. Synapsins constitute a multigene family of neuron-specific phosphoproteins (SYN1-3) present in the majority of synapses where they are implicated in the regulation of neurotransmitter release and synaptogenesis. Synapsins I and II, the major Syn isoforms in the adult brain, display partially overlapping functions and defects in both isoforms are associated with epilepsy and autistic-like behavior in mice. In this study, we show that nonsense (A94fs199X) and missense (Y236S and G464R) mutations in SYN2 are associated with ASD in humans. The phenotype is apparent in males. Female carriers of SYN2 mutations are unaffected, suggesting that SYN2 is another example of autosomal sex-limited expression in ASD. When expressed in SYN2  knockout neurons, wild-type human Syn II fully rescues the SYN2 knockout phenotype, whereas the nonsense mutant is not expressed and the missense mutants are virtually unable to modify the SYN2 knockout phenotype. These results identify for the first time SYN2  as a novel predisposing gene for ASD and strengthen the hypothesis that a disturbance of synaptic homeostasis underlies ASD.

Synapsin II gene expression in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of brain specimens from patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: effect of lifetime intake of antipsychotic drugs

Synapsins are neuronal phosphoproteins crucial to regulating the processes required for normal neurotransmitter release. Synapsin II, in particular, has been implied as a candidate gene for schizophrenia. This study investigated synapsin II mRNA expression, using Real Time RT-PCR, in coded dorsolateral prefrontal cortical samples provided by the Stanley Foundation Neuropathology Consortium. Synapsin IIa was decreased in patients with schizophrenia when compared to both healthy subjects and patients with bipolar disorder, whereas the synapsin IIb was only significantly reduced in patients with schizophrenia when compared to healthy subjects, but not patients with bipolar disorder. Furthermore, lifetime antipsychotic drug use was positively associated with synapsin IIa expression in patients with schizophrenia. Results suggest that impairment of synaptic transmission by synapsin II reduction may contribute to dysregulated convergent molecular mechanisms which result in aberrant neural circuits that characterize schizophrenia, while implicating involvement of synapsin II in therapeutic mechanisms of currently prescribed antipsychotic drugs.

H3K4 tri-methylation in synapsin genes leads to different expression patterns in bipolar disorder and major depression

The synapsin family of neuronal phosphoproteins is composed of three genes (SYN1, SYN2 and SYN3) with alternative splicing resulting in a number of variants with various levels of homology. These genes have been postulated to play significant roles in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and epilepsy. Epigenetic regulatory mechanisms, such as histone modifications in gene regulatory regions, have also been proposed to play a role in a number of psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. One of the best characterized histone modifications is histone 3 lysine 4 tri-methylation (H3K4me3), an epigenetic mark shown to be highly enriched at transcriptional start sites and associated with active transcription. In the present study we have quantified the expression of transcript variants of the three synapsin genes and investigated their relationship to H3K4me3 promoter enrichment in post-mortem brain samples. We found that histone modification marks were significantly increased in bipolar disorder and major depression and this effect was correlated with significant increases in gene expression. Our findings suggest that synapsin dysregulation in mood disorders is mediated in part by epigenetic regulatory mechanisms.

Peripheral immune cell gene expression changes in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with first line combination chemotherapy

Introduction

Increasing evidence has shown that immune surveillance is compromised in a tumor-promoting microenvironment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and can be restored by appropriate chemotherapy.

Methods

To test this hypothesis, we analyzed microarray gene expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 30 patients with newly-diagnosed advanced stage NSCLC, and 20 age-, sex-, and co-morbidity-matched healthy controls. All the patients received a median of four courses of chemotherapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine for a 28-day cycle as first line treatment.

Results

Sixty-nine differentially expressed genes between the patients and controls, and 59 differentially expressed genes before and after chemotherapy were identified. The IL4 pathway was significantly enriched in both tumor progression and chemotherapy signatures. CXCR4 and IL2RG were down-regulated, while DOK2 and S100A15 were up-regulated in the patients, and expressions of all four genes were partially or totally reversed after chemotherapy. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR for the four up-regulated (S100A15, DOK2) and down-regulated (TLR7, TOP1MT) genes in the patients, and the six up-regulated (TLR7, CRISP3, TOP1MT) and down-regulated (S100A15, DOK2, IL2RG) genes after chemotherapy confirmed the validity of the microarray results. Further immunohistochemical analysis of the paraffin-embedded lung cancer tissues identified strong S100A15 nuclear staining not only in stage IV NSCLC as compared to stage IIIB NSCLC (p = 0.005), but also in patients with stable or progressive disease as compared to those with a partial response (p = 0.032). A high percentage of S100A15 nuclear stained cells (HR 1.028, p = 0.01) was the only independent factor associated with three-year overall mortality.

Conclusions

Our results suggest a potential role of the IL4 pathway in immune surveillance of advanced stage NSCLC, and immune potentiation of combination chemotherapy. S100A15 may serve as a potential biomarker for tumor staging, and a predictor of poor prognosis in NSCLC.

Assessment of the correlation between TIMP4 SNPs and schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders

Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are involved in synaptic plasticity, neuronal cell differentiation and neuroprotection in the central nervous system. To investigate whether TIMP4 polymorphisms are associated with schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), 480 patients (schizophrenia, n=287; ASDs, n=193) and 296 controls were enrolled. Clinical symptoms of schizophrenia and ASDs were assessed using the operation criteria checklist for psychotic illness (OPCRIT) and Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), respectively. One promoter single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP; rs3755724, -55C/T) and one exonic SNP (rs17035945, 3'-untranslated region) were selected. SNPStats and SNPAnalyzer Pro programs were used to calculate odds ratios. Multiple logistic regression models were performed to analyze the genetic data. Based on the results, these two SNPs were not associated with schizophrenia and ASD. In the analysis of clinical features of schizophrenia, rs3755724 was nominally associated with schizophrenia with poor concentration (P=0.044 in the codominant2 model, P=0.041 in the log-additive model and P=0.043 in allele frequency). These results suggest that TIMP4 is not associated with the development of schizophrenia and ASD in the population studied.

Genome-wide association study of multiplex schizophrenia pedigrees

OBJECTIVE

The authors used a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of multiply affected families to investigate the association of schizophrenia to common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and rare copy number variants (CNVs).

METHOD

The family sample included 2,461 individuals from 631 pedigrees (581 in the primary European-ancestry analyses). Association was tested for single SNPs and genetic pathways. Polygenic scores based on family study results were used to predict case-control status in the Schizophrenia Psychiatric GWAS Consortium (PGC) data set, and consistency of direction of effect with the family study was determined for top SNPs in the PGC GWAS analysis. Within-family segregation was examined for schizophrenia-associated rare CNVs.

RESULTS

No genome-wide significant associations were observed for single SNPs or for pathways. PGC case and control subjects had significantly different genome-wide polygenic scores (computed by weighting their genotypes by log-odds ratios from the family study) (best p=10(-17), explaining 0.4% of the variance). Family study and PGC analyses had consistent directions for 37 of the 58 independent best PGC SNPs (p=0.024). The overall frequency of CNVs in regions with reported associations with schizophrenia (chromosomes 1q21.1, 15q13.3, 16p11.2, and 22q11.2 and the neurexin-1 gene [NRXN1]) was similar to previous case-control studies. NRXN1 deletions and 16p11.2 duplications (both of which were transmitted from parents) and 22q11.2 deletions (de novo in four cases) did not segregate with schizophrenia in families.

CONCLUSIONS

Many common SNPs are likely to contribute to schizophrenia risk, with substantial overlap in genetic risk factors between multiply affected families and cases in large case-control studies. Our findings are consistent with a role for specific CNVs in disease pathogenesis, but the partial segregation of some CNVs with schizophrenia suggests that researchers should exercise caution in using them for predictive genetic testing until their effects in diverse populations have been fully studied.

Convergent functional genomics of schizophrenia: from comprehensive understanding to genetic risk prediction

We have used a translational convergent functional genomics (CFG) approach to identify and prioritize genes involved in schizophrenia, by gene-level integration of genome-wide association study data with other genetic and gene expression studies in humans and animal models. Using this polyevidence scoring and pathway analyses, we identify top genes (DISC1, TCF4, MBP, MOBP, NCAM1, NRCAM, NDUFV2, RAB18, as well as ADCYAP1, BDNF, CNR1, COMT, DRD2, DTNBP1, GAD1, GRIA1, GRIN2B, HTR2A, NRG1, RELN, SNAP-25, TNIK), brain development, myelination, cell adhesion, glutamate receptor signaling, G-protein-coupled receptor signaling and cAMP-mediated signaling as key to pathophysiology and as targets for therapeutic intervention. Overall, the data are consistent with a model of disrupted connectivity in schizophrenia, resulting from the effects of neurodevelopmental environmental stress on a background of genetic vulnerability. In addition, we show how the top candidate genes identified by CFG can be used to generate a genetic risk prediction score (GRPS) to aid schizophrenia diagnostics, with predictive ability in independent cohorts. The GRPS also differentiates classic age of onset schizophrenia from early onset and late-onset disease. We also show, in three independent cohorts, two European American and one African American, increasing overlap, reproducibility and consistency of findings from single-nucleotide polymorphisms to genes, then genes prioritized by CFG, and ultimately at the level of biological pathways and mechanisms. Finally, we compared our top candidate genes for schizophrenia from this analysis with top candidate genes for bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders from previous CFG analyses conducted by us, as well as findings from the fields of autism and Alzheimer. Overall, our work maps the genomic and biological landscape for schizophrenia, providing leads towards a better understanding of illness, diagnostics and therapeutics. It also reveals the significant genetic overlap with other major psychiatric disorder domains, suggesting the need for improved nosology.

Case-control association study for 10 genes in patients with schizophrenia: influence of 5HTR1A variation rs10042486 on schizophrenia and response to antipsychotics

The aim of this study is to investigate possible associations between a set of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 10 genes with Schizophrenia (SCZ) and response to antipsychotics in Korean in-patients treated with antipsychotics. Two hundred and twenty-one SCZ in-patients and 170 psychiatrically healthy controls were genotyped for 42 SNPs within ABCB1, ABCB4, TAP2, CLOCK, CPLX1, CPLX2, SYN2, NRG1, 5HTR1A and GPRIN2. Baseline and final clinical measures, including the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), were recorded. Rs10042486 within 5HTR1A was associated with both SCZ and clinical improvement on PANSS total scores as well as on PANSS positive and PANSS negative scores. The haplotype analyses focusing on the four, three and two blocks' haplotypes within 5HTR1A confirmed such findings as well. We did not observe any significant association between the remaining genetic variants under investigation in this study and clinical outcomes. Our preliminary findings suggest that rs10042486 within 5HTR1A promoter region could be associated with SCZ and with clinical improvement on PANSS total, positive and negative scores in Korean patients with SCZ. However, taking into account the several limitations of our study, further research is needed to draw more definitive conclusions.

Synapsin II is involved in the molecular pathway of lithium treatment in bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a debilitating psychiatric condition with a prevalence of 1–2% in the general population that is characterized by severe episodic shifts in mood ranging from depressive to manic episodes. One of the most common treatments is lithium (Li), with successful response in 30–60% of patients. Synapsin II (SYN2) is a neuronal phosphoprotein that we have previously identified as a possible candidate gene for the etiology of BD and/or response to Li treatment in a genome-wide linkage study focusing on BD patients characterized for excellent response to Li prophylaxis. In the present study we investigated the role of this gene in BD, particularly as it pertains to Li treatment. We investigated the effect of lithium treatment on the expression of SYN2 in lymphoblastoid cell lines from patients characterized as excellent Li-responders, non-responders, as well as non-psychiatric controls. Finally, we sought to determine if Li has a cell-type-specific effect on gene expression in neuronal-derived cell lines. In both in vitro models, we found SYN2 to be modulated by the presence of Li. By focusing on Li-responsive BD we have identified a potential mechanism for Li response in some patients.

Presynaptic function in health and disease

Neurons communicate with one another at specialized contact sites called synapses, composed of pre- and postsynaptic compartments. Presynaptic compartments, or 'boutons', signal to the postsynaptic compartment by releasing chemical neurotransmitter in response to incoming electrical impulses. Recent studies link defects in the function of presynaptic boutons to the etiology of several neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases, including autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. In this review, we describe five core functions of presynaptic boutons and the molecules that mediate these functions, focusing on a subset that are linked to human disease. We also discuss potential mechanisms through which the loss or alteration of these specific molecules could lead to defects in synaptic communication, neural circuit function and, ultimately, cognition and behavior.

Lack of association between synapsin II (SYN2) gene polymorphism and susceptibility epilepsy: a case-control study and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The SYN2 rs3773364 A>G polymorphism has been proposed to be involved in susceptibility to epilepsy, but research results have been inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the SYN2 rs3773364 A>G polymorphism and susceptibility against epilepsy in a case-control study and a meta-analysis.

METHODS

The SYN2 rs3773364 A>G polymorphism was successfully genotyped in 1182 samples (618 epilepsy patients) of Chinese, Indian, and Malay ethnicities. Meta-analysis of the related studies, including this case-control study, was performed under alternative genetic models.

RESULTS

Data from the case-control study indicated no allelic and genotypic association of this locus with susceptibility to epilepsy in the tri-ethnic Malaysian population. Similar finding was obtained by stratified analysis by epilepsy syndrome for idiopathic epilepsy. These results were verified by meta-analysis of the related pooled data.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicated that SYN2 rs3773364 A>G polymorphism is not a risk factor for susceptibility to epilepsy.

Association of intronic polymorphism rs3773364 A>G in synapsin-2 gene with idiopathic epilepsy

In epilepsy, there is a tendency towards recurrent unprovoked seizures. Seizures result due to the excessive electrical misfiring in the brain between neurons and disturbance in neurotransmitter release. Several gene products affect the behavior of these neurons by regulating neurotransmission via several mechanisms. One such gene, Synapsin-2 (SYN2), involved in synaptogenesis is also reported to regulate the neurotransmitter release. We hypothesized that SYN2 gene and its polymorphisms could affect the process of epileptogenesis and therapeutic response in humans. In this hospital-based study, we enrolled 372 patients with epilepsy and 199 control subjects. We selected rs3773364 A>G polymorphism in SYN2 gene and analyzed its distribution in north Indian patients with epilepsy and control subjects. Genotyping was carried out by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. According to the results obtained, SYN2 "AG" genotype frequency was significantly higher in patients with epilepsy versus control subjects in north Indian population (P = 0.02, OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.06-2.26). After subclassification, we observed higher frequency of AG genotype in idiopathic patients as compared to control subjects (P = 0.01, OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.08-2.56). There were no significant differences in genotypic (AG: OR = 0.80, P = 0.377; GG: P = 0.628, OR = 1.17) or allelic (P = 0.86, OR = 1.03) frequency distributions in patients with multiple drug resistance versus patients with drug-responsive epilepsy. Results from our study indicate the involvement of SYN2 gene polymorphism in conferring risk to epilepsy; however, the genetic variant does not seem to modulate drug-response in epilepsy pharmacotherapy.

Proteomic analysis reveals the role of synaptic vesicle cycling in sustaining the suprachiasmatic circadian clock

The central circadian pacemaker of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is characterized as a series of transcriptional/posttranslational feedback loops. How this molecular mechanism coordinates daily rhythms in the SCN and hence the organism is poorly understood. We conducted the first systematic exploration of the "circadian intracellular proteome" of the SCN and revealed that approximately 13% of soluble proteins are subject to circadian regulation. Many of these proteins have underlying nonrhythmic mRNAs, so they have not previously been noted as circadian. Circadian proteins of the SCN include rate-limiting factors in metabolism, protein trafficking, and, intriguingly, synaptic vesicle recycling. We investigated the role of this clock-regulated pathway by treating organotypic cultures of SCN with botulinum toxin A or dynasore to block exocytosis and endocytosis. These manipulations of synaptic vesicle recycling compromised circadian gene expression, both across the SCN as a circuit and within individual SCN neurons. These findings reveal how basic cellular processes within the SCN are subject to circadian regulation and how disruption of these processes interferes with SCN cellular pacemaking. Specifically, we highlight synaptic vesicle cycling as a novel point of clock cell regulation in mammals.

Gestational vitamin D deficiency: long-term effects on the brain

Gestational vitamin D deficiency causes permanent changes in the developing rat brain. Not only does it alter brain gene and protein expression, deficiency disrupts the balance between neuronal stem cell proliferation and programmed cell death in the offspring. These data are particularly relevant in light of new work showing a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in humans.

Improvements to bead-based oligonucleotide ligation SNP genotyping assays

We describe a bead-based, multiplexed, oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) performed on the Luminex flow cytometer. Differences between this method and those previously reported include the use of far fewer beads and the use of a universal oligonucleotide for signal detection. These innovations serve to significantly reduce the cost of the assay, while maintaining robustness and accuracy. Comparisons are made between the Luminex OLA and both pyrosequencing and direct sequencing. Experiments to assess conversion rates, call rates, and concordance across technical replicates are also presented.

Target identification for CNS diseases by transcriptional profiling

Gene expression changes in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, and gene responses to therapeutic drugs, provide new ways to identify central nervous system (CNS) targets for drug discovery. This review summarizes gene and pathway targets replicated in expression profiling of human postmortem brain, animal models, and cell culture studies. Analysis of isolated human neurons implicates targets for Alzheimer's disease and the cognitive decline associated with normal aging and mild cognitive impairment. In addition to tau, amyloid-beta precursor protein, and amyloid-beta peptides (Abeta), these targets include all three high-affinity neurotrophin receptors and the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) system, synapse markers, glutamate receptors (GluRs) and transporters, and dopamine (DA) receptors, particularly the D2 subtype. Gene-based candidates for Parkinson's disease (PD) include the ubiquitin-proteosome system, scavengers of reactive oxygen species, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), its receptor, TrkB, and downstream target early growth response 1, Nurr-1, and signaling through protein kinase C and RAS pathways. Increasing variability and decreases in brain mRNA production from middle age to old age suggest that cognitive impairments during normal aging may be addressed by drugs that restore antioxidant, DNA repair, and synaptic functions including those of DA to levels of younger adults. Studies in schizophrenia identify robust decreases in genes for GABA function, including glutamic acid decarboxylase, HINT1, glutamate transport and GluRs, BDNF and TrkB, numerous 14-3-3 protein family members, and decreases in genes for CNS synaptic and metabolic functions, particularly glycolysis and ATP generation. Many of these metabolic genes are increased by insulin and muscarinic agonism, both of which are therapeutic in psychosis. Differential genomic signals are relatively sparse in bipolar disorder, but include deficiencies in the expression of 14-3-3 protein members, implicating these chaperone proteins and the neurotransmitter pathways they support as possible drug targets. Brains from persons with major depressive disorder reveal decreased expression for genes in glutamate transport and metabolism, neurotrophic signaling (eg, FGF, BDNF and VGF), and MAP kinase pathways. Increases in these pathways in the brains of animals exposed to electroconvulsive shock and antidepressant treatments identify neurotrophic and angiogenic growth factors and second messenger stimulation as therapeutic approaches for the treatment of depression.

Genome-wide scan in 124 Indonesian sib-pair families with schizophrenia reveals genome-wide significant linkage to a locus on chromosome 3p26-21

Variation in incidence of schizophrenia between populations with different ethnical background may reflect population specific differences in nature and composition of genetic and environmental factors. In order to investigate whether there are population specific susceptibility genes for schizophrenia, we collected in Indonesia families with two or more affected siblings and, as far as available, parents and unaffected siblings, suitable for genetic linkage- and association studies. After checking extensively for incompatibilities with Mendelian inheritance as well as for errors in sampling, we used 124 families from the sample of 152 originally ascertained families for linkage analysis. Genotyping was performed at the NHLBI Mammalian Genotyping Service at Marshfield Research Organisation using the Screening Set 16, which comprises 402 Short Tandem Repeat Polymorphisms (STRPs). The genotypes of 540 individuals including 267 affected with schizophrenia were used for analysis. Multipoint sib-pair linkage analysis was carried out by estimation of--allele sharing derived--maximum likelihood LOD scores (MLS) in 154 sib-pair combinations. We obtained a genome-wide significant MLS of 3.76 on chromosome 3p26.2-25.3. Genome-wide significance was estimated by performing 10,000 simulated genomescans. Additional loci were detected on 1p12, which produced suggestive evidence for linkage (MLS = 2.35), as well as on 5q14.1 (MLS = 1.56), 5q33.3 (MLS = 1.11), and 10q (MLS = 1.17), where linkage had been reported previously. In conclusion, our study detected a region with genome-wide significant linkage, which will serve as starting point for identification of schizophrenia susceptibility genes in the Indonesian population.

Synapsin-I- and synapsin-II-null mice display an increased age-dependent cognitive impairment

Synapsin I (SynI) and synapsin II (SynII) are major synaptic vesicle (SV) proteins that function in the regulation of the availability of SVs for release in mature neurons. SynI and SynII show a high level of sequence similarity and share many functions in vivo, although distinct physiological roles for the two proteins have been proposed. Both SynI–/– and SynII–/– mice have a normal lifespan, but exhibit a decreased number of SVs and synaptic depression upon high-frequency stimulation. Because of the role of the synapsin proteins in synaptic organization and plasticity, we studied the long-lasting effects of synapsin deletion on the phenotype of SynI–/– and SynII–/– mice during aging. Both SynI–/– and SynII–/– mice displayed behavioural defects that emerged during aging and involved emotional memory in both mutants, and spatial memory in SynII–/– mice. These abnormalities, which were more pronounced in SynII–/– mice, were associated with neuronal loss and gliosis in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. The data indicate that SynI and SynII have specific and non-redundant functions, and that synaptic dysfunctions associated with synapsin mutations negatively modulate cognitive performances and neuronal survival during senescence.