Calcineurin A gamma and B gene expressions in the whole blood in Japanese patients with schizophrenia

Calcineurin (CaN) has been regarded as a candidate gene for vulnerability of schizophrenia. Although CaN gene expression has been investigated with postmortem brain specimens or in association studies, little information is available about CaN gene expression levels in peripheral sources. We obtained whole blood samples from 16 patients with schizophrenia and 16 controls, and total RNA was extracted. CaN A gamma and CaN B genes were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR. In the patient group, expression levels of both genes were correlated with psychopathology, as measured by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and neuroleptic dose. No significant differences in CaN A gamma or CaN B gene expression were observed between patients with schizophrenia and normal controls. Linear regression analysis revealed that the CaN A gamma gene expression level was associated with the BPRS score but not with neuroleptic dose. Neither of the clinical variables was associated with the CaN B gene expression level. The results of this study suggest that the CaN A gamma gene may be an effective predictor of the progression of psychosis. The effect of medications on expression of CaN genes requires further study.