Unraveling the biological function of a 22q11 locus gene
22 January 2018
Synapsy researchers reveal the developmental function of a new schizophrenia (SZ) risk-gene.
The candidate SZ-risk gene DGCR2 is located in the 22q11.2 locus, whose deletion is a major risk factor for SZ. In a recent paper published in Biological Psychiatry, Aude Molinard-Chenu, former MD-PhD Synapsy student in the lab of Alexandre Dayer, shows that Dgcr2 regulates neuronal migration, a critical step in cortical development. In addition, researchers identify key molecular pathways involved in this process and demonstrate that a human SZ-risk mutation in DGCR2 has a pathogenic impact on cortical formation. Overall, this work further strengthens the hypothesis that altered cortical development may play a critical role in vulnerability to SZ.
Reference :
Molinard-Chenu A, Dayer A.
The candidate schizophrenia risk gene DGCR2 regulates early steps of corticogenesis.
Biological Psychiatry [Epub ahead of print], Nov 2017. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.11.015 >
