Rasd2 Modulates Prefronto-Striatal Phenotypes in Humans and 'Schizophrenia-Like Behaviors' in Mice.

ABSTRACT: Rasd2 is a thyroid hormone target gene, which encodes for a GTP-binding protein enriched in the striatum where, among other functions, it modulates dopaminergic neurotransmission. Here we report that human RASD2 mRNA is abundant in putamen, but it also occurs in the cerebral cortex, with a distinctive expression pattern that differs from that present in rodents. Consistent with its localization, we found that a genetic variation in RASD2 (rs6518956) affects postmortem prefrontal mRNA expression in healthy humans and is associated with phenotypes of relevance to schizophrenia, including prefrontal and striatal grey matter volume and physiology during working memory, as measured with magnetic resonance imaging. Interestingly, quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that RASD2 mRNA is s

SUBMITTER: Vitucci D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4707838 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature