Association of schizophrenia with variants of genes that encode transcription factors

Transcription factors c-Fos, c-Jun, and Ier5 are important regulators of neuronal plasticity and immune response. In the present work, several single nucleotide polymorphisms of the genes that encode c-Fos-,c-Jun-, and Ier5 (FOS, JUN, and IER5, respectively) were investigated for potential association with schizophrenia. DNA samples obtained from patients with schizophrenia and healthy individuals were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction with allele-specific primers. It was shown that FOS rs1063169, FOS rs7101, JUN rs11688, and IER5 rs6425663 polymorphisms were associated with schizophrenia. In particular, the risk of schizophrenia was decreased in carriers of the minor alleles FOS rs1063169T, JUN rs11688A, and IER5 rs6425663T, but increased in carriers of the FOS rs7101T minor variant, especially in homozygotes.