NO ASSOCIATION OF DOPAMINE D2 RECEPTOR MOLECULAR VARIANT CYS311 AND SCHIZOPHRENIA IN CHINESE PATIENTS

A serine-to-cysteine mutation of dopamine D2 receptor at codon 311 (Cy s311) was found to have higher frequency in schizophrenic patients tha n in normal controls in Japanese by Arinami et al, [1994: Lancet 343: 703-704]. The Cys311 allele was found to be associated with patients w ith younger age-of-onset, positive family history, and more positive s ymptoms, To investigate the possible involvement of Cys311 in schizoph renia in the Chinese population, 114 unrelated Taiwanese Chinese schiz ophrenic patients with positive family history and 88 normal controls were genotyped for Cys311, Four patients and 5 normal controls were he terozygotes of Ser311/Cys311; no homozygotes of Cys311 were identified in either group. The allele frequencies of Cys311 in Chinese schizoph renic patients and normal controls were 2% and 3%, respectively, No si gnificant difference was detected between the two groups, Our results do not support the argument that the Cys311 allele of DRD2 poses a gen etic risk for certain types of schizophrenia in Chinese populations. ( C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.