14-3-3 protein eta chain gene (YWHAH) polymorphism and its genetic association with schizophrenia

Recent genetic analyses have suggested a linkage between schizophrenia and the chromosomal region 22q12-q13, 14-3-3 protein, abundant in the brain, me diates interactions between diverse molecules of biological activities; its gene was recently mapped to chromosome 22q12.1-q13.1. We therefore investi gated allele frequencies of a variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) in th e 5'-noncoding region of the 14-3-3 ri chain gene in controls and schizophr enics. The frequencies of the two-repeat allele were significantly higher ( P < 0.05) in the schizophrenics, and particularly in those with onset befor e age 22 (early-onset schizophrenics, P < 0.02), than in the controls. The odds ratio was significantly increased in the early-onset schizophrenics ho mozygous for the two-repeat allele (OR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.1-9.7). The 14-3-3 eta chain gene is a potential susceptibility gene for schizophrenia, and p articularly for early-onset schizophrenia. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.