OBJECTIVE: A valine/methionine polymorphism in the catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene has been proposed to influence susceptibility to schizophrenia, as has a COMT haplotype in Ashkenazi Jewish and Irish subjects. The authors examined these hypotheses. METHOD: They reviewed data from more than 2,800 individuals, including almost 1,200 with schizophrenia, from case-control and family-based European association samples. RESULTS: The authors found no support for the hypothesis that a valine/methionine polymorphism in the COMT gene influences susceptibility to schizophrenia or the hypothesis that a COMT haplotype influences susceptibility to schizophrenia in Ashkenazi Jewish and Irish subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that the valine allele of COMT does not increase susceptibility to schizophrenia in Europeans and that the Ashkenazi or Irish haplotype does not increase susceptibility. Ethnic variation in the linkage disequilibrium structure at COMT means that the haplotype data may not generalize across populations. However, the authors' examination of the hypothesis that the valine allele confers susceptibility, with a particularly strong effect in Europeans, reveals that no such caveat applies.
OBJECTIVE: A valine/methionine polymorphism in the catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene has been proposed to influence susceptibility to schizophrenia, as has a COMT haplotype in Ashkenazi Jewish and Irish subjects. The authors examined these hypotheses. METHOD: They reviewed data from more than 2,800 individuals, including almost 1,200 with schizophrenia, from case-control and family-based European association samples. RESULTS: The authors found no support for the hypothesis that a valine/methionine polymorphism in the COMT gene influences susceptibility to schizophrenia or the hypothesis that a COMT haplotype influences susceptibility to schizophrenia in Ashkenazi Jewish and Irish subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that the valine allele of COMT does not increase susceptibility to schizophrenia in Europeans and that the Ashkenazi or Irish haplotype does not increase susceptibility. Ethnic variation in the linkage disequilibrium structure at COMT means that the haplotype data may not generalize across populations. However, the authors' examination of the hypothesis that the valine allele confers susceptibility, with a particularly strong effect in Europeans, reveals that no such caveat applies.
Authors: Hamid Mostafavi Abdolmaleky; Kuang-Hung Cheng; Stephen V Faraone; Marsha Wilcox; Stephen J Glatt; Fangming Gao; Cassandra L Smith; Rahim Shafa; Batol Aeali; Julie Carnevale; Hongjie Pan; Panagiotis Papageorgis; Jose F Ponte; Vadivelu Sivaraman; Ming T Tsuang; Sam Thiagalingam Journal: Hum Mol Genet Date: 2006-09-19 Impact factor: 6.150
Authors: S Numata; S Ueno; J Iga; K Yamauchi; S Hongwei; S Kinouchi; S Shibuya-Tayoshi; S Tayoshi; H Aki; S Sumitani; M Itakura; T Ohmori Journal: J Neural Transm (Vienna) Date: 2006-08-08 Impact factor: 3.575
Authors: Axel Krug; Valentin Markov; Abigail Sheldrick; Sören Krach; Andreas Jansen; Klaus Zerres; Thomas Eggermann; Tony Stöcker; N Jon Shah; Tilo Kircher Journal: Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci Date: 2009-04-21 Impact factor: 5.270
Authors: N Mukherjee; K K Kidd; A J Pakstis; W C Speed; H Li; Z Tarnok; C Barta; S L B Kajuna; J R Kidd Journal: Mol Psychiatry Date: 2008-06-24 Impact factor: 15.992