Affiliations: Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation,
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Division of Mental Health, Royal Brisbane and Women's
Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine,
University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia | Department of Psychiatry, University of Muenster,
Muenster, Germany
Note: [] Corresponding author: Joanne Voisey, Institute of Health and
Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane,
Queensland, Australia. Tel.: +61 7 31386261; Fax: +61 7 31386030; E-mail: j.voisey@qut.edu.au
Abstract: KPNA3 is a gene that has been linked to schizophrenia
susceptibility. In this study we investigated the possible association between
KPNA3 variation and schizophrenia. To investigate a wider role of KPNA3 across
psychiatric disorders we also analysed major depression, PTSD, nicotine
dependent, alcohol dependent and opiate dependent cohorts. Using a haplotype
block-based gene-tagging approach we genotyped six KPNA3 single nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs) in 157 schizophrenia patients, 121 post-traumatic stress
disorder patients, 120 opiate dependent patients, 231 alcohol dependent
patients, 147 nicotine dependent patients and 266 major depression patients.
One SNP rs2273816 was found to be significantly associated with schizophrenia,
opiate dependence and alcohol dependence at the genotype and allele level.
Major depression was also associated with rs2273816 but only at the allele
level. Our study suggests that KPNA3 may contribute to the genetic
susceptibility to schizophrenia as well as other psychiatric disorders.
