Background: Chromosome 22q is one of the important regions repeatedly being implicated in schizophrenia. In this region, our group previously reported an association of a CAG repeat marker (22CH3) with schizophrenia in the Indian population. Because Synaptogyrin 1 (SYNGR1), associated with presynaptic vesicles in neuronal cells, lies within 1 million base pairs of this marker, it is a potential candidate gene for schizophrenia.
Methods: We sequenced all six exons and flanking splice junctions of the SYNGR1 gene. We also carried out reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Northern blot analysis for exon 2 containing transcript of the SYNGR1 gene.
Results: We found a novel nonsense mutation (Trp27Ter) in exon 2 of the SYNGR1 gene in a family multiply affected with schizophrenia. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Northern blot analyses revealed that exon 2 containing transcript of this gene is expressed in the brain.
Conclusions: Because the SYNGR1 gene is involved in presynaptic pathways, reduced levels of this protein might play some role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.