VGF has Roles in the Pathogenesis of Major Depressive Disorder and Schizophrenia: Evidence from Transgenic Mouse Models.

Mental disorders, such as major depressive disorder and schizophrenia, are complex multigenetic conditions, but focused studies of single genes might reveal genes involved in the pathogenesis of mental disorders, including major depressive disorder and schizophrenia. Several candidate genes have been identified using transgenic mice. VGF nerve growth factor inducible (VGF) is a neuropeptide expression of which is induced by nerve growth factor (NGF). VGF is robustly and exclusively synthesized in neuronal and neuroendocrine cells. In central nervous system (CNS), VGF is extensively expressed especially in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus. VGF has many roles in the CNS, such as promotion of synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis, and neurite outgrowth. In clinical studies, altered expression and genetic mutations of VGF have been reported in patients with major depressive disorder and schizophrenia. On this basis, studies using transgenic mice to overexpress or knockout VGF have been performed to investigate the roles of upregulation or downregulation of VGF. In this review, we will discuss studies of the roles of VGF using transgenic mice and its relevance to pathologies in major depressive disorder and schizophrenia.