ATP-binding cassette transporter 13 mRNA expression level in schizophrenia patients

The objective of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical role of ATP-binding cassette transporter 13 (ABCA13) gene previously shown to be associated with schizophrenia (SZ) through Genome-wide association studies studies. Thirty-two first-episode drug-naive SZ patients and forty-eight age and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. We measured ABCA13 mRNA expression levels using quantitative real-time PCR at baseline and 12 weeks after antipsychotic therapy. Moreover, clinical symptoms were measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at baseline and 12-week follow-up. We found that ABCA13 mRNA levels were significantly lower in SZ patients compared with healthy controls at baseline. SZ patients’ symptoms were decreased, but ABCA13 mRNA levels were increased after 12 weeks antipsychotic therapy. In addition, there was a significant difference in ABCA13 mRNA levels among SZ patients at baseline and 12-week follow-up. The ABCA13 mRNA levels were not associated with age, BMI, years of education. Of the clinical symptoms measured, the ABCA13 mRNA levels were negatively associated with the PANSS scores at baseline and 12-week follow-up. The results indicated that the ABCA13 mRNA expression level is of interest, and upon further studies, it could be used as a biomarker for SZ treatment outcome.