DNA (Cytosine-5) Methyltransferase Inhibitors: A Potential Therapeutic Agent for Schizophrenia
- Department of Pharmacology and the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
- Address correspondence to:
Dr. Jonathan M. Levenson, Department of Pharmacology and The Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, 1300 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706. E-mail: jlevenson{at}wisc.edu
Abstract
In this issue of Molecular Pharmacology, Kundakovic et al. (p. 644) present compelling evidence suggesting that the promoters for reelin and GAD67 are coordinately regulated. The regulation occurs at the level of DNA (cytosine-5) methylation. Moreover, the authors present evidence suggesting that pharmacologic inhibition of DNA methyltransferase results in reversal of methylation, loss of methyl-DNA binding proteins and relief of repression. Repression of both reelin and GAD67 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Therefore, these results suggest that the reelin and GAD67 promoters are subject to continuous repression by DNA methyltransferase and that inhibitors of DNA methyltransferase represent a potential treatment for Schizophrenia.
Footnotes
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Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org.
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doi:10.1124/mol.106.033266.
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Please see the related article on page 644.
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ABBREVIATIONS: CpG, cytosine-guanine dinucleotide; DNMT, DNA (cytosine-5) methyltransferase; GAD67, glutamic acid decarboxylase 67.
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- Received December 6, 2006.
- Accepted December 19, 2006.
- The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
