The Replication of Egr3 as a Potential Susceptibility Gene for Schizophrenia in Korean Patients with Schizophrenia

Abstract

Background: Early growth response (Egr) genes play critical role in signal transduction in the brain, which is involved in neuronal activation, brain development, and synaptic plasticity. Egr3, a member of Egr gene family, resides at the chromosomal location 8p21.3 and was suggested as a potential susceptibility gene in schizophrenia from study with Japanese population, which requires further replication with an independent sample. Methods: We investigated the association of Egr3 and Egr2 genes with schizophrenia in Korean patients with schizophrenia. Along with 350 healthy individuals, a sample of 244 schizophrenia was analyzed. Results: Among examined four SNPs of Egr3, SNP3 in the intron1 of Egr3 gene showed significant association with schizophrenia (P = 0.0008, Chi2 = 11.156,OR = 1.493). In addition, T-G-C-G haplotype of Egr3 was under-presented in the patients with schizophrenia (P = 0.0073, Chi2 = 7.188, OR = 0.697). However, association between SNPs of Egr2 and schizophrenia was not found. Conclusions: These findings are in consistent with the previous genetic association of Egr3 gene in Japanese cohorts, which could suggest Egr3 as a compelling susceptibility gene in schizophrenia.