Linkage replication for chromosomal region 13q32 in schizophrenia: evidence from a Brazilian pilot study on early onset schizophrenia families.

• Main Authors: Ary Gadelha, Vanessa Kiyomi Ota, Jose Paya Cano, Maria Isabel Melaragno, Marilia A C Smith, Jair de Jesus Mari, Rodrigo A Bressan, Sintia Iole Belangero, Gerome Breen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2012-01-01
• Series: PLoS ONE
• Online Access: http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3534097?pdf=render

We report analyses of a Brazilian study of early onset schizophrenia (BEOS) families. We genotyped 22 members of 4 families on a linkage SNP array and report here non-parametric linkage analyses using MERLIN® software. We found suggestive evidence for linkage on two chromosomal regions, 13q32 and 11p15.4. A LOD score of 2.71 was observed at 13q32 with a one LOD interval extending from 60.63-92.35 cM. From simulations, this LOD score gave a genome-wide empirical corrected p = 0.33, after accounting for all markers tested. Similarly 11p15.4 showed the same maximum LOD of 2.71 and a narrower one LOD interval of 4-14 cM. Of these, 13q32 has been reported to be linked to schizophrenia by multiple different studies. Thus, our study provides additional supporting evidence for an aetiological role of variants at 13q32 in schizophrenia.