Sp. Mahadik et al., DECREASED ADHESIVENESS AND ALTERED CELLULAR-DISTRIBUTION OF FIBRONECTIN IN FIBROBLASTS FROM SCHIZOPHRENIC-PATIENTS, Psychiatry research, 53(1), 1994, pp. 87-97
Relative to those from normal subjects, cultured skin fibroblasts from
schizophrenic patients have been found to show abnormal growth charac
teristics and morphology. This study compared skin fibroblasts from 10
drug-free schizophrenic patients and 10 normal control subjects on ce
ll adhesiveness to the substratum. Relative to fibroblasts from normal
controls, those from patients showed significantly decreased cell adh
esiveness, with no overlap in distribution between the groups. Since f
ibronectin, a major cell surface molecule, is known to be involved in
the fibroblast adhesion to substratum, its extracellular and intracell
ular distribution was determined by immunocytochemical analysis. Both
extracellular and intracellular levels of fibronectin were significant
ly lower, and the distribution was altered in fibroblasts from the pat
ients.