Mutation analysis of the WNT7A gene in patients with schizophrenia.

Aberrant WNT signaling has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. WNT7A, a member of the WNT gene family, is considered a potential candidate of schizophrenia. All exons of WNT7A in 570 schizophrenic patients and 563 controls were sequenced, and protein functional analysis was conducted. Five common variants were identified, but none were noted to be associated with schizophrenia. Nevertheless, nine rare mutations, including one schizophrenia-specific missense mutation (c.305G > A), were discovered. However, immunoblot analysis findings revealed that the c.305G > A mutation did not affect protein expression. These results suggest that WNT7A is unlikely to be associated with susceptibility to schizophrenia.