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Objectives Recent genome-wide association studies ( GWASs) have identified numerous putative genetic polymorphisms associated with bipolar disorder ( BD) and/or schizophrenia ( SC). We hypothesized that a portion of these polymorphisms would also be associated with BD in the Latino American population. To identify such regions, we tested previously identified genetic variants associated with BD and/or SC and ancestral haploblocks containing these single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs) in a sample of Latino subjects with BD. Methods A total of 2254 Latino individuals were genotyped for 91 SNPs identified in previous BD and/or SC GWASs, along with selected SNPs in strong linkage disequilibrium with these markers. Family-based single marker and haplotype association testing was performed using the PBAT software package. Empirical P-values were derived from 10 000 permutations. Results Associations of eight a priori GWAS SNPs with BD were replicated with nominal ( P≤.05) levels of significance. These included SNPs within nuclear factor I A ( NFIA), serologically defined colon cancer antigen 8 ( SDCCAG8), lysosomal associated membrane protein 3 ( LAMP3), nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1 ( NFKB1), major histocompatibility complex, class I, B ( HLA-B) and 5′-nucleotidase, cytosolic II ( NT5C2) and SNPs within intragenic regions microRNA 6828 ( MIR6828) -solute carrier family 7 member 14 ( SLC7A14) and sonic hedgehog ( SHH) -long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1006 ( LINC01006). Of the 76 ancestral haploblocks that were tested for associations with BD, our top associated haploblock was located in LAMP3; however, the association did not meet statistical thresholds of significance following Bonferroni correction. Conclusions These results indicate that some of the gene variants found to be associated with BD or SC in other populations are also associated with BD risk in Latinos. Variants in six genes and two intragenic regions were associated with BD in our Latino sample and provide additional evidence for overlap in genetic risk between SC and BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The establishment of the European grapevine moth in Chile presented significant production and export concerns for the grape and fruit industries. A national control campaign was launched in response. Infestations in urban areas adjacent to agricultural production areas were a significant challenge for control due to the difficulties in mounting effective measures in residential areas. The Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero launched a program to develop a sterile insect technique (SIT) as a means to provide an environmentally friendly method of control in areas where other control measures were not possible to employ. Here, we report the progress made to develop the SIT response capacity with a production of 75,000 sterile moths per week, as well as the results from a season-long SIT release program in a section of a small city in a grape and fruit production region in central Chile. Because of the high moth population in this area, the release of sterile moths did not reach large enough ratios of sterile to wild moths to achieve effective control, but high moth quality and field performance were observed. Recommendations are provided for further development of SIT and how to integrate its use into an effective area-wide control program. The European grapevine moth, a Palearctic pest, was first detected in the Americas in 2008. Its establishment in Chile presented production and export issues for grapes and other fruits, and a national control campaign was launched. Urban areas next to agricultural production areas were recognized as a challenge for effective control. In 2015, a SIT laboratory was established in Arica, Chile to evaluate its potential for urban control. Progress included the development and evaluation of artificial diets, a mass-rearing of 75,000 moths/week, confirmation of 150 Gy as an operational dose for inherited sterility, and releases of sterile moths in a 25 ha urban area next to fruit production areas. Season-long releases demonstrated that high overflooding ratios were achieved early in the season but decreased with a large increase in the wild moth population. Sterile moth quality was consistently high, and moths were observed living in the field up to 10 days and dispersing up to 800 m. Recommendations for further development of the SIT include conducting cage and field studies to evaluate overflooding ratios and mating competitiveness, measuring of infestation densities in release and no-release areas, and conducting trials to evaluate combining SIT with compatible integrated pest management (IPM) tactics such as fruit stripping and use of mating disruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizophrenia is a genetically complex illness with heterogeneous clinical presentation, including variable age of onset. In this study, the heritability, or proportion of variation in age of onset of psychotic symptoms due to genetic factors, was estimated using a maximum likelihood method. The subjects were 717 members of families with more than one member affected with schizophrenia from Mexican and Central American populations. Age of onset of psychosis was determined by best-estimate consensus diagnosis based on the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies, Family Interview for Genetic Studies, and each subject's medical records. Mean age of onset was 21.44 years (SD 8.07); 20.55 years for males (SD 6.90), and 22.67 for females (SD 9.34). Variance components were estimated using a polygenic model in the SOLAR software package. The sex of the participant was a significant covariate (P = 0.010) accounting for 0.02 of the total variance in age of onset. The heritability of age of onset of psychosis was 0.33 (SE = 0.09; P = 0.00004). These findings suggest that genetic factors significantly contribute to the age of onset of psychotic symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia and that sex influences this trait as well., ((c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Methionine sulfoxide reductase (MSRA) is an antioxidant enzyme implicated in protection against oxidative stress and protein maintenance. We have previously reported the association of marker D8S542, located within the MSRA gene, with schizophrenia in the Central Valley of Costa Rica (CVCR). By performing fine mapping analysis, we have now identified a potential three-marker at risk haplotype within MSRA in the same CVCR sample, with a global P-value slightly above nominal significance (P = 0.0526). By sequencing the MSRA gene in individuals carrying this haplotype, we identified a novel 4-base pair deletion 1,792 bases upstream of the MSRA transcription start site. This deletion was significantly under-transmitted to schizophrenia patients in the CVCR sample (P = 0.0292) using FBAT, and this was replicated in a large independent sample of 321 schizophrenia families from the Hispanic population (P = 0.0367). These findings suggest a protective effect of the deletion against schizophrenia. Further, MSRA mRNA levels were significantly lower in lymphoblastoid cell lines of individuals homozygous for the deletion compared to carriers of the normal allele (P = 0.0135), although significance was only evident when genotypes were collapsed. This suggests that the deleted sequence may play a role in regulating MSRA expression. In conclusion, this work points towards MSRA as a novel schizophrenia candidate gene. Further studies into the mechanisms by which MSRA is involved in schizophrenia pathophysiology may shed light into the biological underpinnings of this disorder., (2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)