POSTER
INTERPRETATION OF
AFFYMETRIX GENE EXPRESSION RESULTS WITH RESPECT TO PATIENT DEMOGRAPHICS
Margaret M. Ryan1,2, Steve J. Huffaker1,2, Matt Wayland3,
Frank Dudbridge2, Sabine Bahn1.2
1Department of
Neurobiology, Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB2 4AT, UK; 2Department
of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge CB2
2QQ, UK; 3Human Genome Mapping Project Resource Centre, Hinxton,
Cambridge, CB10 1SB, UK
Schizophrenia is a
devastating psychiatric disorder affecting 1% of the population worldwide. To
date, the exact aetiology of the disease remains unknown. In order to elucidate
the genetic basis of the disease we have screened post-mortem RNA from 54
schizophrenia and 50 control brains for differential gene expression using
Affymetrix U133A GeneChips. The array results were subjected to rigorous data
filtration procedures and significant differential gene expression results were
obtained using the Student’s t-test (p<0.05). We are fortunate to have access to numerous patient demographics through the Stanley Medical Research Institute database. These include age, gender, race, psychosis, age of onset, duration of illness, suicide status, agonal state, fluphenazine equivalent, alcohol, time in hospital, recreational drug use, PMI, smoking and brain pH. Demographic data was subjected to an extensive analysis of correlation with transcript levels of significant genes. Fluphenazine equivalent administration and pH showed a significant effect on a subset of genes, but these effects were secondary to those of diseases status.
This work was supported
through a centre grant by the Stanley Medical Research Institute