Multiplex Tetra-Primer Amplification Refractory Mutation System Polymerase Chain Reaction to Genotype SNP8NRG221533 of Neuregulin-1 Gene

Schizophrenia is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder with symptoms such as hallucination, delusion and mental disorder. It is a complex disorder, in which genetic components play a crucial role in its pathogenesis. Among candidate genes for schizophrenia, Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) gene is the most important gene,  association of which with the illness has been confirmed in several studies. Single nuclotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located 5´ upstream of NRG1 have shown significant association with schizophrenia in several populations. Here, we describe a designed simple Multiplex Tetra-Primer Amplification Refractory Mutation System - polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for genotyping single SNP (SNP8NRG221533) in the human NRG1 gene. No restriction site was found for distinguishing T and C alleles of this SNP. The developed method proved to be simple, rapid and cost effective. This technique was used to compare SNP8NRG221533 in 95 schizophernics and 95 healthy controls. Our data demonstrate that there is a significant difference between allelic and genotypic frequencies of the two groups. These preliminary results confirm the association of the NRG1 gene with schizophrenia in an Iranian population.