TY - JOUR
T1 - Characteristics of phospholipid methylation in human erythrocyte ghosts
T2 - Relationship(s) to the psychoses and affective disorders
AU - Hitzemann, Robert
AU - Mark, Cynthia
AU - Hirschowitz, Jack
AU - Garver, David
N1 - Funding Information:
From the Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Psychobiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH. Supported in imrt by USPHS Grants MH-37377 (R.H.) and MH-32666 (D.G.) and a grant from the Scottish Rite Schizophrenia Foundation. Address reprint requests to Dr. Robert J. Hitzemann, Univeristy of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 231 Bethesda Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0559. Received May 18, 1984; revised October 5, 1984.
PY - 1985/4
Y1 - 1985/4
N2 - Recent studies have shown that patients with a schizophrenic-like illness have a significant deficit in erythrocyte ghost membrane (EGM) phosphatidylcholine (PC); patients with the most severe deficiency showed a marked decrease in Na+-Li+ counterflow activity (Hitzemann et al. 1984a and b). The present study was undertaken to see if the decrement in PC is associated with a decrease in phospholipid methylation activity. Phospholipid methylation in human EGMs is distinctly different from that in rat EGMs (Hirata and Axelrod 1980) in that the human activity is not Mg++-dependent, and apparent methyltransferase I activity is located in the external membrane surface. The patient population consisted of 20 DSM-III schizophrenics (SCZ), 13 DSM-III schizophreniform (SF) disorder patients, and 11 DSM-III manics (M). Twelve age- and sex-matched controls were used for the comparison group. Methylation activity was significantly decreased in all three patient groups, although the M group had significantly higher activity than the SF group. Twenty-four of the SCZ and SF patients entered a Li+ trial. The Li+ responder group (n = 8) showed significantly lower activity than the nonresponder group (n = 16). Overall, we conclude that the decrement in phospholipid methylation activity partially contributes to the decrement in PC levels.
AB - Recent studies have shown that patients with a schizophrenic-like illness have a significant deficit in erythrocyte ghost membrane (EGM) phosphatidylcholine (PC); patients with the most severe deficiency showed a marked decrease in Na+-Li+ counterflow activity (Hitzemann et al. 1984a and b). The present study was undertaken to see if the decrement in PC is associated with a decrease in phospholipid methylation activity. Phospholipid methylation in human EGMs is distinctly different from that in rat EGMs (Hirata and Axelrod 1980) in that the human activity is not Mg++-dependent, and apparent methyltransferase I activity is located in the external membrane surface. The patient population consisted of 20 DSM-III schizophrenics (SCZ), 13 DSM-III schizophreniform (SF) disorder patients, and 11 DSM-III manics (M). Twelve age- and sex-matched controls were used for the comparison group. Methylation activity was significantly decreased in all three patient groups, although the M group had significantly higher activity than the SF group. Twenty-four of the SCZ and SF patients entered a Li+ trial. The Li+ responder group (n = 8) showed significantly lower activity than the nonresponder group (n = 16). Overall, we conclude that the decrement in phospholipid methylation activity partially contributes to the decrement in PC levels.
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U2 - 10.1016/0006-3223(85)90042-3
DO - 10.1016/0006-3223(85)90042-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 3978172
AN - SCOPUS:0022220591
SN - 0006-3223
VL - 20
SP - 397
EP - 407
JO - Biological Psychiatry
JF - Biological Psychiatry
IS - 4
ER -