2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Schizophrenic Abnormality in Molecular Signaling and RNA Expression Profiling
| Project/Area Number |
12470035
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Pathological medical chemistry
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| Research Institution | NIIGATA UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
NAWA Hiroyuki Niigata University, Brain Research institute, professor, NIIGATA UNIVERSITY, 脳研究所, 教授 (50183083)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
SOMEYA Toshiyuki Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, NIIGATA UNIVERSITY, Professor, 大学院・医歯学総合研究科, 教授 (50187902)
IKEDA Kenji Tokyo Institute of Psychiatry, Pathology, Professor, 東京都精神医学総合研究科, 参事研究員 (90232181)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2000 – 2001
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| Keywords | Mental disease / schizophrenia / cytokine / interleukin-1 / RNA profiling / stress |
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| Research Abstract |
Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disease and carries a variety of social problems. In spite of intensive studies on this illness, its diagnosis is only defined with DSM4, based on psychopathological symptoms but not any biological criteria. In the present study, we performed the RNA expression profiling and attempted to find biological markers for this illness. From postmortem samples of patients striatum, RNA was extracted and converted into CDNA probes for DMA array analysis. Among 3000 genes, mRNA for cytokines and their receptors was most markedly altered. Accordingly, we assessed protein changes in cytokines, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 b) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1 RA). Both cytokines are implicated in stress reaction and known to increase in peripheral blood of schizophrenic patients. The postmortem study was carried out under the authorization of Niigata University Ethics Committee. Among the brain regions examined, protein levels for IL1 RA were significantly decreased in comparison with those in age-matched controls. In contrast, protein levels for IL-1b and IL-1 receptor exhibited no change in all the regions. Chronic haloperidol treatment of rats failed to influence IL-1RA levels in any of the brain regions. These observations suggest that the IL-1RA change in the prefrontal cortex reflects one of the pathological feature of schizophrenic patients, instead of their medications.
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Research Products
(6 results)
