Inositol monophosphatase activity in brain and lymphocyte-derived cell lines of bipolar patients.

BACKGROUND

Inositol monophosphatase (IMPase) activity was reported to be low in lymphocyte-derived cell lines of bipolar patients.

METHODS

IMPase activity was measured spectrophotometrically as inorganic phosphate liberated from inositol-1-phosphate.

RESULTS

The previously reported reduction was replicated in a new, small group of bipolar patients. The reduction is not present in cell lines of unipolar or schizophrenic patients. IMPase activity in postmortem frontal and occipital cortical samples of unipolar, bipolar and schizophrenic patients was not different from controls.

CONCLUSIONS

A reduction in lymphocyte-derived IMPase activity without a parallel reduction in cortical IMPase activity could be due to the fact that most leukocyte IMPase activity is the product of the IMPA-2 gene.