Having identified the link between TOP3B and schizophrenia, the researchers sought to understand why disrupting this gene might increase susceptibility to disease, and for this purpose they investigated the function of the protein that it encodes. "Such an approach is only possible when researchers from different disciplines - in our case geneticists and biochemists team up," says Professor Utz Fischer, author from the University of Wurzburg. "Luckily, when we teamed up with the genetic team we had already worked on the TOP3B gene product for more than 10 years and hence had a good idea what this protein is doing." TOP3B encodes a type of protein that typically helps the cell to unwind and wind DNA helices - essential to normal cell function. Quite unexpectedly for an enzyme of this class, however, TOP3B was found to act on messenger-RNA rather than DNA. In their further biochemical investigation into TOP3B, the team found that the TOP3B protein interacts with a protein known as FMRP. The deactivation or disruption of this protein is responsible for Fragile X syndrome, a disorder associated with autism and learning difficulties, primarily in men. Within the northern Finnish population, the team identified four people who did not have a functioning copy of the TOP3B gene. These four people were either diagnosed as having learning difficulties or as having schizophrenia, solidifying the evidence that this gene is important in these brain disorders and that they are biologically linked. "These two disorders, schizophrenia and Fragile X syndrome, although they may seem drastically different, share key features, particularly the cognitive impairment that is frequently associated with both conditions," says Dr Nelson Freimer, author from UCLA. "So, it is not unexpected that they could share some of the same biological processes. "What is fantastic about this study is that through investigations in an isolated corner of Finland we are contributing to concerted international efforts that are beginning to unravel the genetic root of schizophrenia, a debilitating disorder that affects so many people throughout the world."
Posted on: Sun, 04 Aug 2013 22:24:01 +0000
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