Genetic association of ACSM1 variation with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder in the Han Chinese population.

Schizophrenia (SCZ) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are two of the most common and severe mental disorders, the etiologies of which are not yet clearly elucidated. The ACSM1 gene has been identified as a susceptibility gene for SCZ in two previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS). ACSM1 catalyzes the activation of fatty acids and plays an important role in the metabolic system. Some evidence has suggested that ACSM1 contributes to a genetic risk for MDD. The present study aimed to evaluate the common genetic risk of the ACSM1 gene in these two disorders in the Han Chinese population. In total, 1235 patients with SCZ, 1045 patients with MDD and 1235 control subjects of Chinese origin were recruited. Six single nuclear polymorphisms (SNPs) in ACSM1 were genotyped to test their associations with SCZ and MDD. SNP rs163234 was found to be significantly associated with both SCZ (permutated Pallele=1.700×10(-3), OR=1.350 [95% CI=1.152-1.581]) and MDD (permutated Pallele=4.800×10(-3), OR=1.329 [95% CI=1.127-1.567]). SNP rs433598 showed a strong association with SCZ (permutated Pallele=4.300×10(-3), OR=1.303 [95% CI=1.117-1.520]). Haplotype analysis of the blocks containing the two positive markers also revealed a significant association. This is the first study to assess the possible association of the ACSM1 gene with a genetic susceptibility for MDD. Our data are the first to suggest a positive association of the ACSM1 gene with a genetic susceptibility for SCZ and MDD in the Han Chinese population.