Alteration in Cngb1 Expression upon Maternal Immune Activation in a Mouse Model and Its Possible Association with Schizophrenia Susceptibility.

OBJECTIVE

The cyclic nucleotide-gated channel (Cng) regulates synaptic efficacy in brain neurons by modulating Ca levels in response to changes in cyclic nucleotide concentrations. This study investigated whether the expression of Cng channel, cyclic nucleotide-gated channel subunit beta 1 (Cngb1) exhibited any relationship with the pathophysiology of schizophrenia in an animal model and whether genetic polymorphisms of the human gene were associated with the progression of schizophrenia in a Korean population.

METHODS

We investigated whether Cngb1 expression was related to psychiatric disorders in a mouse model of schizophrenia induced by maternal immune activation. A case-control study was conducted of 275 schizophrenia patients and 410 controls with single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5'-near region of .

RESULTS

Cngb1 expression was decreased in the prefrontal cortex in the mouse model. Furthermore, the genotype frequency of a SNP (rs3756314) of was associated with the risk of schizophrenia.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that might be associated with schizophrenia susceptibility and maternal immune activation. Consequently, it is hypothesized that may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.