Preliminary Investigation of Maternal and Offspring Genetic Effects of the DBH Gene in Probands with Schizophrenia and Their Relatives

Objective: This pilot study aimed to investigate maternal and offspring genetic effects of the dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) gene in schizophrenia by applying estimation of maternal, imprinting and interaction effects using multinomial modeling (EMIM) to Korean families.Methods: We recruited 27 probands with schizophrenia, along with their parents and siblings whenever available.Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the DBH gene on chromosome 9q34 were analyzed using EMIM to evaluate maternal and offspring genetic effects.Results: Among the three SNPs analyzed, rs5320 showed a significant maternal genetic effect after adjustment for child genetic effects (p = 0.0086), which remained significant after Bonferroni correction.A nominally significant child genetic effect after adjustment for maternal genetic effects was also observed (p = 0.0457).Conclusion: This pilot study suggests a potential maternal genetic effect of DBH rs5320 in schizophrenia.However, these preliminary findings require validation in larger and more complete family-based samples.