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01-02-2009 | Biological Psychiatry - Original Article

Differentiating nicotine- versus schizophrenia-associated decreases of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor transcript, CHRFAM7A, in peripheral blood lymphocytes

Authors: Emily G. Severance, Faith B. Dickerson, Cassie R. Stallings, Andrea E. Origoni, Anne Sullens, Eric T. Monson, Robert H. Yolken

Published in: Journal of Neural Transmission | Issue 2/2009

Abstract

Nicotine addiction is prevalent in individuals with schizophrenia. Nicotine activation of nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) is time- and dose-dependent, but gene expression analyses often rely on qualitative self- or family-reported measures of smoking. We sought lymphocyte surrogates for cerebral α7-nAChR activity and tested if receptor transcription correlated with concurrently measured serum biomarkers for smoking [cotinine, C-reactive protein (CRP)]. PCR surveys to detect lymphocytic α7-related isoforms identified CHRFAM7A as the only consistently amplifiable transcript. In 20 smoking-matched people (n = 10 schizophrenia, n = 10 controls), we found significantly lower CHRFAM7A in cotinine and self-reported smokers versus nonsmokers (p ≤ 0.001–0.03) and an inverse correlation of cotinine with CHRFAM7A (p ≤ 0.04) in regression models. CHRFAM7A was not associated with diagnosis or CRP in any bi- or multi-variate analysis. Smoking-related CRP elevations only occurred in cotinine-based comparisons (p ≤ 0.03), and not when smoking was self-reported. Including biochemical indicators of serum nicotine can help differentiate smoking- versus disease-associated changes in nAChR expression.

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Title: Differentiating nicotine- versus schizophrenia-associated decreases of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor transcript, CHRFAM7A, in peripheral blood lymphocytes
Authors: Emily G. Severance
Faith B. Dickerson
Cassie R. Stallings
Andrea E. Origoni
Anne Sullens
Eric T. Monson
Robert H. Yolken
Publication date: 01-02-2009
Publisher: Springer Vienna
Published in: Journal of Neural Transmission / Issue 2/2009
Print ISSN: 0300-9564
Electronic ISSN: 1435-1463
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-008-0164-y

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Differentiating nicotine- versus schizophrenia-associated decreases of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor transcript, CHRFAM7A, in peripheral blood lymphocytes

Abstract

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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