Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 4, 2025

A Strategy to Identify de Novo Mutations in Common Disorders such as Autism and Schizophrenia
Published on: June 15, 2011
Association between Unc-51-like autophagy activating kinase 2 gene polymorphisms and schizophrenia in the Korean
Won Sub Kang1, Sang Min Lee1, Dongkee Hwang2
1Department of Neuropsychiatry, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Accumulating evidence indicates that the autophagy process is involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Autophagy plays a fundamental role in neuronal survival and function, and autophagy-related genes have been suggested to be associated with the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The Unc-51-like autophagy activating kinase 2 (ULK2) gene has been implicated in autophagy regulation; therefore, we hypothesized that ULK2 polymorphisms may be associated with schizophrenia susceptibility.This study explored the association between polymorphisms of ULK2 and schizophrenia.Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs55730189 and rs150122) of ULK2 were genotyped in 279 patients with schizophrenia and 403 healthy individuals using Fluidigm SNPtype assays. We analyzed the genotype distribution of 2 SNPs and haplotypes between patients with schizophrenia and control subjects.The T allele frequency of rs55730189 showed a significant association between patients with schizophrenia and control subjects (P = .003). Genotype frequencies of rs55710189 were found to be significantly different between patients with schizophrenia and control subjects (odds ratio = 6.89, 95% confidence interval = 1.91-24.90, P < .001 in the dominant model [C/T + T/T vs C/C], OR = 6.50, 95% confidence interval = 1.83-23.01, P < .001 in the log-additive model (C/T vs T/T vs C/C)]. In haplotype analysis, the TT haplotype for these 2 SNPs was significantly associated with schizophrenia (P < .001, χ2 = 12.231).Our findings suggest that specific ULK2 polymorphisms may be associated with susceptibility to schizophrenia in the Korean population.
More Related Videos
09:34Targeted Next-generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics Pipeline to Evaluate Genetic Determinants of Constitutional Disease
Published on: April 4, 2018
09:52Generation of High Quality Chromatin Immunoprecipitation DNA Template for High-throughput Sequencing ChIP-seq
Published on: April 19, 2013
Related Concept Videos
Human Genetics
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs
Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Biological Causes of Schizophrenia
Genetic Factors in Schizophrenia
The genetic basis of schizophrenia is strongly supported by family and twin...
Psychosis: Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia, underscoring the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in disease development. At the core of schizophrenia's pathophysiology is excessive dopaminergic neurotransmission within...