The MDGA1 gene confers risk to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

Objective: The structural, cytoarchitectural and functional brain abnormalities reported in patients with mental disorders may be due to aberrant neuronal migration influenced by cell adhesion molecules. MDGA1, like Ig-containing cell adhesion molecules, has several cell adhesion molecule-like domains. Moreover, Kahler et al. (2008) reported that the MDGA1 gene was a schizophrenia susceptibility gene in Scandinavian population. To further investigate whether the MDGA 1 gene is a shared risk factor of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder in Chinese Han population, we conducted this study. Methods: We recruited 1135 unrelated schizophrenia patients, 1135 unrelated bipolar disorder patients, 1135 unrelated major depressive disorder patients and 1135 unrelated controls of Chinese Han origin. A total of eleven common SNPs were genotyped using TaciMan (R) technology. Results: The genotype frequency of rs11759115 differed significantly between schizophrenia patients and controls. The C-C haplotype of rs11759115-rs7769372 was also positively associated with schizophrenia (permutated p = 0.046). Rs1 883901 was found to be positively associated with bipolar disorder (allele: permutated p = 0.0085; genotype: permutated p = 0.0009; OR= 1.31 [95% CI = 1.12-1.52]). The A-G-G haplotype of rs1883901-rs10807187-rs9462343 was also positively associated with bipolar disorder with a global p value of 0.0391 after permutations. No individual SNP or haplotype was associated with major depressive disorder after permutations. Conclusion: The MDGA 1 gene may confer risk to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in Chinese Han population. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.