INDIVIDUALS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA HAVE AN INCREASED INCIDENCE OF THE H(2)R(649G) ALLELE FOR THE HISTAMINE H-2-RECEPTOR GENE

We have previously described an allelic variant of the human H(2)R, no minated the H(2)R(649G) allele. This allele contains an adenine-->guan idine substitution at base 649, which introduces an additional Taql re striction endonuclease site into the gene, With this in mind, we have investigated allelic polymorphism of this receptor and its association with schizophrenia, H(2)R DNA from 47 schizophrenic patients and 46 c ontrol subjects was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These PCR products were analyzed by observing Taql cleavage patterns a nd single-stranded conformational polymorphisms. It was found that the H(2)R(649G) allele was 1.8 times more frequent in the schizophrenic p opulation (chi(2) test P < 0.01), In addition, schizophrenic individua ls were 2.8 times more likely to be homozygous for the H(2)R(649G) all ele than the control population, (chi(2) test P < 0.05), These data pl ace the attributable fraction for possession of the H(2)R(649G) allele at 28.4%.