Project Summary

Dimitrios Avramopoulos M.D., Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2005) of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, aims to study the possible association of the neuregulin 3 gene with schizophrenia. Recently, the neuroregulin 3 gene was found in a linkage analysis for schizophrenia in an Ashkenazi Jewish family that also showed an association of neuregulin 1 to the disorder. Also, another study recently detected evidence of an association of polymorphisms near the 5’ end of NRG3 with schizophrenia. Of all the members of the neuregulin family, only NRG1 has been studied thoroughly. The NRG1 gene gives rise to a number of transcripts that differ because of alternative splicing and is expressed in multiple tissues, including the brain. NRG3 also shows alternative splicing but, in contrast to NRG1, NRG3 expression appears to be limited to the brain. This study will characterize NRG3 expression and alternative splicing patterns in various brain regions. Polymorphisms also will be explored for association with schizophrenia and possible involvement in the regulation of gene expression in vitro. The goal of the research is to strengthen the case for the involvement of NRG3 in schizophrenia.

Program Area: SCHIZOPHRENIA/PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS\Schizophrenia\Molecular

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