Frontiers in Psychiatry (Nov 2019)

Proteomics in Schizophrenia: A Gateway to Discover Potential Biomarkers of Psychoneuroimmune Pathways

  • Daniela Rodrigues-Amorim,
  • Tania Rivera-Baltanás,
  • María del Carmen Vallejo-Curto,
  • Cynthia Rodriguez-Jamardo,
  • Elena de las Heras,
  • Carolina Barreiro-Villar,
  • María Blanco-Formoso,
  • Patricia Fernández-Palleiro,
  • María Álvarez-Ariza,
  • Marta López,
  • Alejandro García-Caballero,
  • Alejandro García-Caballero,
  • José Manuel Olivares,
  • Carlos Spuch

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00885
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

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Schizophrenia is a severe and disabling psychiatric disorder with a complex and multifactorial etiology. The lack of consensus regarding the multifaceted dysfunction of this ailment has increased the need to explore new research lines. This research makes use of proteomics data to discover possible analytes associated with psychoneuroimmune signaling pathways in schizophrenia. Thus, we analyze plasma of 45 patients [10 patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES) and 35 patients with chronic schizophrenia] and 43 healthy subjects by label-free liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The analysis revealed a significant reduction in the levels of glia maturation factor beta (GMF-β), the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and the 115-kDa isoform of the Rab3 GTPase-activating protein catalytic subunit (RAB3GAP1) in patients with schizophrenia as compared to healthy volunteers. In conclusion, GMF-β, BDNF, and 115-kDa isoform of RAB3GAP1 showed significantly reduced levels in plasma of patients with schizophrenia, thus making them potential biomarkers in schizophrenia.

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