Evolutionary constraints on the Disrupted in Schizophrenia locus

Martin Taylor, R. S. Devon, J. K. Millar, D. J. Porteous

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

The Disrupted in Schizophrenia (DISC) locus on human chromosome 1q42 has been strongly implicated by genetic studies as a susceptibility locus for major mental illnesses. In humans the locus is transcriptionally complex, with multiple alternate splicing events, antisense transcription, and intergenic splicing all evident. We have compared the genomic sequence and transcription maps of this locus between human, mouse, pufferfish (Fugu rubripes), and, in part, zebrafish (Danio rerio). The order and orientation of EGLN1, TSNAX, and DISC1 genes are conserved between mammals and F. rubripes. Intergenic splicing and short intergenic transcripts are not found to be conserved features. DISC2, a putative noncoding transcript partially antisense to DISC1, is not conserved in mouse or F. rubripes. Alternate splice forms of the protein-coding DISC1 gene are conserved even though the genomic structure is not. The amino acid sequence of DISC1 is diverging rapidly, although a putative nuclear localization signal and discrete blocks of coiled coil are specifically conserved features.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)67-77
Number of pages11
JournalGenomics
Volume81
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 2003

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Amino Acid Sequence Animals Conserved Sequence *Evolution, Molecular Gene Expression Profiling Mental Disorders/genetics Mice Molecular Sequence Data Nerve Tissue Proteins/*genetics RNA Splicing Sequence Alignment Takifugu/genetics

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