Pharmacopsychiatry 2003; 36 - 43
DOI: 10.1055/s-2003-825294

Association study between the mitochondrial citrate transporter gene, a positional candidate on chromosome 22q, and schizophrenia

P Dames 1, T Dong-Si 1, N Dahmen 2, I Giegling 1, AM Hartmann 1, HJ Möller 1, D Rujescu 1
  • 1Molecular and Clinical Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
  • 2Department of Psychiatry, University of Mainz, Germany

A meta-analysis of genome-wide linkage scans identified chromosome 22q as one of the three loci (along with 8p and 13q) that had the highest likelihood of harboring schizophrenia-risk genes. The gene that codes for the mitochondrial citrate transporter is located in a chromosomal susceptibility region (22q11.21) for schizophrenia.

The association between polymorphisms in the mitochondrial citrate transporter gene and schizophrenia was investigated in a case-control association study. The first group consisted of Caucasian patients with schizophrenia according to DSM-IV criteria. Exclusion criteria for the patients were dependence from alcohol or drugs. Particular care was taken to exclude patients with somatic diseases, which might cause psychotic symptoms and thus complicate the diagnostic classification. The control group consisted of unrelated and unaffected Caucasians. Exclusion criteria for controls were major neuropsychiatric diseases. 400 healthy subjects and a 300 schizophrenic subjects entered the study.

Preliminary findings supporting the hypothesis that the mitochondrial citrate transporter might be a susceptibility gene for schizophrenia will be discussed.