ANALYSIS OF THE MOLECULAR ROLE OF ANK3 IN BIOPOLAR DISORDER

University Of Oklahoma Hlth Sciences Ctr, Oklahoma City OK

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Abstract

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. According to a genome wide association study, mutations in the ANK3 gene may be involved in the bipolar disorder, which is a chemical imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain, thereby causing dramatic mood swings characterized by episodes of elation and high activity alternating with periods of low mood and low energy . Many genes have been implicated in susceptibility to bipolar disorder. More than 190 genome wide association studies have been performed through 2008. These studies have virtually all been with European ancestry subjects. A genetic component of the NIMH Genetics Initiative for Bipolar Disorder Consortium termed the Bipolar Genome Study (BIGS) initiated two genome wide association studies of European Americans and African Americans. The most significant associations were different between the European American samples and the African American samples and vice versa, the researchers felt that genetic variation contributing to bipolar disorder may differ between the two groups. This research directed my thoughts to genotyping ANK3 in African American and Caucasian populations in the NIMH Genetics Initiative Bipolar Disorder Consortium. The PI will investigate the degree of nucleotide sequence similarity in the ANK3 gene between 100 African-American and Caucasian cases versus 100 African-American and Caucasian controls obtained from the National Institute of Mental Health Genetics Initiative Bipolar Disorder Samples, and will further identify the differences between nucleotides in male and female populations. The PI has purchased an Applied Biosystems StepOne real-time PCR instrument, which will be used to genotype 100 bipolar RNA samples and 100 controls using three ANK3 SNPs identified in the literature search.