The MDGA1 gene confers risk to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

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 MDGA1 gene is a shared risk factor of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder in Chinese Han population, we conducted this study.

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 TaqMan® technology.

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). Rs1883901 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.

The MDGA1 gene may confer risk to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in Chinese Han population.