Researchers find genetic variation in genomes of individuals with schizophrenia

By Staff Writer

New research from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has identified gene mutations that are linked to schizophrenia. For the study, which is published in the journal Nature, scientists scanned copy number variants (CNVs) - a type of genetic variation in which the number of copies of a gene differs between individuals - in the genomes of 8,290 individuals with schizophrenia and 7,431 healthy controls.

They found links between multiple sites in genome, such as duplications at the tip of chromosome 7q in schizophrenic participants at a rate that was 14 times than those of the controls. These CNVs affect VIPR2, the neuropeptide receptor that is important for brain development.

VIPR2 - or Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide Receptor 2 - is found in the nervous system, including the brain, blood vessels and gastrointestinal tract. The researchers found that individuals with mutations of the VIPR2 gene in their blood cells had greater expression of the gene and increased activity of the receptor.

They concluded that this information can be used to target treatments for patients with schizophrenia.