ALTERED ADHESION EFFICIENCY AND FIBRONECTIN CONTENT IN FIBROBLASTS FROM SCHIZOPHRENIC-PATIENTS

Cultured fibroblasts from the cutaneous tissue of 16 schizophrenic pat ients were compared with 16 control cultured fibroblasts from the heal thy subjects. The fibroblasts from the schizophrenic patients showed a decreased adhesion efficiency within 30 min after plating compared to that of the control subjects. However, after 90 min, there was no sig nificant difference between the groups, where more than 90% of the cel ls from both groups had adhesed to the plate. By immunohistochemistry and western blotting using the antibodies against integrin (VLA5), tal in, vinculin, fodrin, vimentin, ankyrin, plectin,fibronectin, and foca l adhesion kinase (FAK), there was no significant difference in locali zation and amount between the groups. The amount of fibronectin releas ed into the medium in which the fibroblast had already kept confluency showed no significant difference between the groups. However, the fib ronectin content in cell lysate within 48 h after plating was signific antly lower in the schizophrenic group.