Anti-NTNG1 monoclonal antibody Made to order

Chromosome 1p13 is linked with schizophrenia in Japanese families, and one of the candidate genes in this region is the netrinG1 (NTNG1) gene at 1p13.3. Associations of 56 tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with schizophrenia were explored by transmission disequilibrium analysis in 160 Japanese trios and by case-control analysis in 2174 Japanese cases and 2054 Japanese controls. An association between SNP rs628117 and schizophrenia was identified by case-control comparison (nominal allelic p = 0.0009; corrected p = 0.006). The associated polymorphism is located in intron 9 and in the haplotype block encompassing the alternatively spliced exons of the gene. Allelic association of a different SNP in the same haplotype block in Japanese families was previously reported. These findings support that the NTNG1 gene is associated with schizophrenia in the Japanese. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Netrin G1 is a presynaptic ligand involved in axonal projection. Although molecular mechanisms underlying cocaine addiction are still poorly understood, Netrin G1 might have a role as a regulator of anxiety, fear and spatial memory, behavioural traits impaired in the context of cocaine exposure. In this study, the Netrin G1 (Ntng1) expression was investigated in the nucleus accumbens of mice primarily conditioned to cocaine using a place preference paradigm. A genetic association study was then conducted on 146 multiplex families of the Collaborative study on Genetics of Alcoholism, in which seven single nucleotide polymorphisms located in the NTNG1 gene were genotyped. NTNG1 expression levels were also quantified in BA10, BA46 and the cerebellum of healthy controls (with no Axis 1 psychopathology). Decreased Ntng1 expression was initially observed in the nucleus accumbens of mice conditioned to cocaine. Significant genetic family-based associations were detected between NTNG1 polymorphisms and cocaine dependence. NTNG1 expression in BA10, BA46 and the cerebellum, however, were not significantly associated with any allele or haplotype of this gene. These results confirm that Ntng1 expression is disturbed in the nucleus accumbens of mice, after cocaine conditioning. A haplotype of NTNG1 was found to constitute a vulnerability factor for cocaine use disorder in patients, although none of its single nucleotide polymorphisms were associated with a differential expression pattern in healthy controls. The data suggest that change in the Ntng1 expression is a consequence of cocaine exposure, and that some of its genetic markers are associated with a greater risk for cocaine use disorder.