The human frizzled-3 (FZD3) gene on chromosome 8p21, a receptor gene for Wnt ligands, is associated with the susceptibility to schizophrenia

Neurosci Lett. 2003 Dec 15;353(1):53-6. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2003.09.017.

Abstract

Neurodevelopmental abnormalities have been reported in studies on the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The Wnt-signaling pathway has been implicated in a variety of processes in neurodevelopment, and the frizzled proteins have been identified as receptors for Wnt ligands. Of the frizzled proteins, frizzled-3 (FZD3) is required for formation of the neural crest and for development of major fiber tracts in the CNS. The human FZD3 gene is located on chromosome 8p21, a positive linkage locus for schizophrenia. We analyzed polymorphisms of the FZD3 gene in patients with schizophrenia and control subjects in the Japanese population. We found a significant association between schizophrenia and the FZD3 gene in single nucleotide polymorphisms and haplotype analyses. Our data suggest that dysregulation of the Wnt-signaling pathway may be involved in the susceptibility to schizophrenia.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Chi-Square Distribution
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8*
  • Female
  • Frizzled Receptors
  • Gene Frequency
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease*
  • Genotype
  • Haplotypes
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / genetics*
  • Schizophrenia / classification
  • Schizophrenia / genetics*
  • Signal Transduction / genetics

Substances

  • FZD3 protein, human
  • Frizzled Receptors
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled