Association analysis of ZNF804A (zinc finger protein 804A) rs1344706 with therapeutic response to atypical antipsychotics in first-episode Chinese patients with schizophrenia

Abstract `The single-nucleotide polymorphism rs1344706 located in the ZNF804A zinc finger protein 804A gene is a well-established genome-wide significant variant for schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential association between this ZNF804A polymorphism and treatment response to atypical antipsychotic. Seventy-one first-episode inpatients with schizophrenia receiving olanzapine, aripiprazole, or quetiapine monotherapy were enrolled. Symptom response to treatment was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) on admission and reassessed after 4 weeks of treatment. Single-nucleotide polymorphism rs1344706 was genotyped by direct sequencing. There was substantial difference in treatment response among patients with 3 different genotypes regarding total PANSS score and positive subscore (for total PANSS score, F = 4.608, df = 2, P = .013; for positive subscore, F = 4.183, df = 2, P = .019). Compared with G homozygotes, T carriers showed significantly less improvement in total PANSS score as well as positive subscore (for total PANSS score, F = 8.724, df = 1, P = .004; for positive subscore, F = 9.392, df = 1, P = .005). Our results suggest that ZNF80A rs1344706 polymorphism may play a role in treatment response to atypical antipsychotic, although replication is required to confirm this finding.