Gene Polymorphisms and Expression of NRG1, DAOA, and DISC1 Genes in a Chinese Han Population with an Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis

PURPOSE: Although there is previous evidence supporting that ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis transformation is associated with NRG1, DAOA, and DISC1 genes, there have been no relevant studies in the Chinese population. The objective of the current study was to explore the gene polymorphism and expression of NRG1, DAOA, and DISC1 genes in a Han population with UHR for psychosis in China. METHODS: Eighteen UHR individuals, 61 first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia (FDR), 55 first-episode psychosis individuals (FEP), and 61 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled in the study. The genotypes at four loci of the NRG1 gene, four loci of the DAOA gene, and two loci of the DISC1 gene were tested for all subjects, and mRNAs of NRG1 and DISC1 were examined and analyzed in a pairwise comparison among the four groups. Statistical analysis of genetics was performed using snpStats software. For the case-control association analysis, a single site association study, epistatic effect analysis, and haplotype analysis were used to explore the association of the above genes. RESULTS: This study found that rs3918341 in the DAOA gene was associated with susceptibility to UHR by single site association analysis. Epistatic effect analysis results showed that the NRG1 gene interacted with the DAOA gene and DISC1 gene in the susceptibility to UHR. Haplotype association analysis showed that all haplotypes were not significantly associated with UHR. NRG1 mRNA was significantly downregulated in the UHR group compared with the HC group as well as the FEP group. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary results show that NRG1, DAOA, and DISC1 genes may play a role in psychosis onset, opening the way to the identification of prognostic biomarkers.