[Future prospect for identification of schizophrenia susceptive genes]

Identification of the genetic polymorphisms that contribute to susceptibility for schizophrenia have focused on the technique of genetic linkage, but now whole-genome association studies are becoming more feasible. Linkage analyses in families collected from different populations have provided relatively well-defined genomic loci. These have been typically followed by fine mapping studies using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In this article, we review the current genetic evidence that implicates schizophrenia-susceptibility genes. Recently, it has been reported that more than 70% of genome regions are transcribed. From this point of view, the genetic study for identification of susceptive genes proceeds to another aspect of genome research.