14-3-3 protein η chain gene (YWHAH) polymorphism and its genetic association with schizophrenia

Recent genetic analyses have suggested a linkage between schizophrenia and the chromosomal region 22q12–q13. 14‐3‐3 protein, abundant in the brain, mediates interactions between diverse molecules of biological activities; its gene was recently mapped to chromosome 22q12.1–q13.1. We therefore investigated allele frequencies of a variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) in the 5′‐noncoding region of the 14‐3‐3 η chain gene in controls and schizophrenics. The frequencies of the two‐repeat allele were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the schizophrenics, and particularly in those with onset before age 22 (early‐onset schizophrenics, P < 0.02), than in the controls. The odds ratio was significantly increased in the early‐onset schizophrenics homozygous for the two‐repeat allele (OR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.1—9.7). The 14‐3‐3 η chain gene is a potential susceptibility gene for schizophrenia, and particularly for early‐onset schizophrenia. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 88:164–167, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.