Investigating disease susceptibility and the negative correlation of schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis focusing on MIF and CD14 gene polymorphisms

de la Fontaine, Larissa; Schwarz, Markus J.; Riedel, Michael; Dehning, Sandra; Douhet, Anette; Spellmann, Ilja; Kleindienst, Nikolaus; Zill, Peter; Plischke, Herbert; Gruber, Rudolf; Müller, Norbert

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2006.01.006

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Volume 144, Issue 1 , Pages 39-47, 30 September 2006

Investigating disease susceptibility and the negative correlation of schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis focusing on MIF and CD14 gene polymorphisms

Larissa de la Fontaine
- Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Nüssbaumstr. 7, Ludwig–Maximilians-Universität, D-80336 München, Germany
Markus J. Schwarz
- Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Nüssbaumstr. 7, Ludwig–Maximilians-Universität, D-80336 München, Germany
- Corresponding author. Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Ludwig–Maximilians-Universität, Nüssbaumstr. 7, D-80336 München, Germany. Tel.: +49 89 5160 2761; fax: +49 89 5160 5496.
Michael Riedel
- Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Nüssbaumstr. 7, Ludwig–Maximilians-Universität, D-80336 München, Germany
Sandra Dehning
- Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Nüssbaumstr. 7, Ludwig–Maximilians-Universität, D-80336 München, Germany
Anette Douhet
- Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Nüssbaumstr. 7, Ludwig–Maximilians-Universität, D-80336 München, Germany
Ilja Spellmann
- Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Nüssbaumstr. 7, Ludwig–Maximilians-Universität, D-80336 München, Germany
Nikolaus Kleindienst
- Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit, J 5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
Peter Zill
- Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Nüssbaumstr. 7, Ludwig–Maximilians-Universität, D-80336 München, Germany
Herbert Plischke
- Labor für Rheumatologie und Immunologie, Pettenkoferstr. 8a, Ludwig–Maximilians-Universität, D-80336 München, Germany
Rudolf Gruber
- Labor für Rheumatologie und Immunologie, Pettenkoferstr. 8a, Ludwig–Maximilians-Universität, D-80336 München, Germany
Norbert Müller
- Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Nüssbaumstr. 7, Ludwig–Maximilians-Universität, D-80336 München, Germany

Received 19 May 2005; received in revised form 19 December 2005; accepted 6 January 2006.

Abstract

Schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are both chronic diseases with an estimated genetic component of 60%. While RA is a well-known autoimmune inflammatory joint disease, recent data point to an active immune process also being involved in schizophrenia. Several studies confirmed the negative association between schizophrenia and RA, indicating genetic factors that predispose to the one disorder, while protecting from the other. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and the monocytes surface receptor CD14 are involved in the development and maintenance of chronic inflammation. We therefore investigated if the −G173C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and the tetranucleotide repeat CATT (5–8) at position −794 of the MIF gene and the CD14–C159T transition are candidates for genetic liability to schizophrenia and RA or could explain the negative association between them. In our study 157 schizophrenic patients, 119 patients suffering from RA, and 225 healthy individuals were genotyped. All subjects were Caucasians. The CD14- and MIF-genotypes were equally distributed in all three groups. From our results, we cannot confirm the hypothesis that the investigated genetic mutations within the MIF and/or the CD14 gene are involved in the aetiology of either disease or could explain the negative correlation of schizophrenia and RA.