Regulation of cortical and peripheral GCH1 expression and biopterin levels in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH) is an essential cofactor for dopamine, serotonin and nitric oxide synthesis. Deficits of plasma total biopterin (a measure of BH) have been described in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. GCH1 encodes the first and rate-limiting enzyme in BH synthesis.

Evidence that COMT genotype and proline interact on negative-symptom outcomes in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Elevated peripheral proline is associated with psychiatric disorders, and there is evidence that proline is a neuromodulator. The proline dehydrogenase (PRODH) gene, which encodes the enzyme that catalyzes proline catabolism, maps to human chromosome 22q11.2, a region conferring risk of schizophrenia.

Expression profiling reveals differences in immuno-inflammatory gene expression between the two disease forms of sheep paratuberculosis.

Paratuberculosis is a chronic enteropathy of ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP); infection of sheep results in two disease forms - paucibacillary (tuberculoid) and multibacillary (lepromatous) associated with the differential polarization of the immune response. In addition the majority of MAP-infected animals show no pathology and remain asymptomatic. Microarray and real-time RT-qPCR analyses were used to compare gene expression in ileum from sheep with the two disease forms and asymptomatic sheep, to further understand the molecular basis of the pathologies.

Differential expression of pattern recognition receptors in the three pathological forms of sheep paratuberculosis.

Paratuberculosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gut caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis. Three forms have been described in sheep--paucibacillary, multibacillary and asymptomatic. The pauci- and multibacillary forms are characterized by type 1 and type 2 immune responses respectively; asymptomatic animals have no clinical signs or pathology.

Differential cytokine gene expression profiles in the three pathological forms of sheep paratuberculosis.

Background: Johne's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gut caused by infection with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). Symptoms include wasting, diarrhoea, loss of condition and eventual death. Three forms of Johne's disease have been described in sheep - paucibacillary, multibacillary and asymptomatic.