Dual association of a TRKA polymorphism with schizophrenia

Objective: An interaction between predisposing genes and environmental stressors is thought to underlie the neurodevelopmental disorder schizophrenia. In a targeted gene screening, we previously found that the minor allele of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs6336 in the neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor 1 (NTRK1/TRKA) gene is associated with schizophrenia as a risk factor. Methods: We genotyped the TRKA SNP in a total of eight independent Caucasian schizophrenia case-control groups. Result: Remarkably, although in five of the groups a higher frequency of the risk allele was indeed found in the patients compared with the controls, in the three other groups the SNP acted as a protective factor. Conclusion: An intriguing possibility is that this dual character of the TRKA SNP is caused by its interaction with endophenotypic and/or epistatic factors. © 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.