Analysis of mRNA and Protein Levels of , and Genes in Post-Mortem Brain of Schizophrenia, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Disease Patients.

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a mental illness characterized by aberrant synaptic plasticity and connectivity. A large bulk of evidence suggests genetic and functional links between postsynaptic abnormalities and SCZ. Here, we performed quantitative PCR and Western blotting analysis in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and hippocampus of SCZ patients to investigate the mRNA and protein expression of three key spine shapers: the actin-binding protein cyclase-associated protein 2 (), the sheddase a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 10 (), and the synapse-associated protein 97 (). Our analysis of the SCZ post-mortem brain indicated increased mRNA in DLPFC and decreased mRNA in the hippocampus of SCZ patients, compared to non-psychiatric control subjects, while the transcript was unaffected. Conversely, no differences in , , and protein levels were detected between SCZ and control individuals in both brain regions. To assess whether and transcript alterations were selective for SCZ, we also measured their expression in the superior frontal gyrus of patients affected by neurodegenerative disorders, like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Interestingly, also in Parkinson's disease patients, we found a selective reduction of mRNA levels relative to controls but unaltered protein levels. Taken together, we reported for the first time altered expression in the brain of patients with psychiatric and neurological disorders, thus suggesting that aberrant expression of this gene may contribute to synaptic dysfunction in these neuropathologies.