Association between polymorphisms of Xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C gene (XPC) and susceptibility to schizophrenia.

Previous studies revealed that polymorphisms in several DNA repair genes are associated with the risk of schizophrenia. The relationship between three polymorphisms (Ala499Val, PAT, and Lys939Gln) of the XPC (MIM: 613208) and the risk of schizophrenia is investigated. A total of 361 schizophrenia cases and 360 healthy controls were included in the study. Statistical analysis revealed that the Ala/Val genotype (OR = 0.62, P = 0.004) and the carriers of the Val allele (OR = 0.64, P = 0.006) were negatively associated with the risk of schizophrenia. The other two examined polymorphisms did not reveal significant association. The "Val - Lys" haplotype was associated with decrease risk of schizophrenia (OR = 0.71, P = 0.020). It has been showed that the haplotype "Val - Lys" had the lowest DNA damages, indicating that has higher DNA repair capacity. Here we found that this haplotype is associated with lower risk for schizophrenia.