An emerging molecular “parts list” for schizophrenia An emerging molecular “parts list” for schizophrenia. Analysis of both common and rare genetic variants associated with schizophrenia is beginning to yield an initial list of proteins that appear to be associated with risk. Most common risk-associated variants likely affect levels of gene expression, while rare variants within exons may influence protein function. Shown here is an α1 subunit of the L-type Ca2+ channel (encoded by CACNA1C), which forms a pore, and a β subunit (eg, encoded by CACNB2), which is regulatory. Functioning channels include additional regulatory subunits (depicted by orange oval). A common variant linked to CACNA1C is among the most strongly associated risk alleles for both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; common variants within CACNB2 are strongly associated not only with schizophrenia but also with risk for several other psychiatric disorders. In addition, both common and rare variants associated with schizophrenia cluster in postsynaptic specializations of excitatory synapses (see 5–1 in Chapter 5). (Adapted with permission from McCarroll SA, Hyman SE. Progress in the genetics of polygenic brain disorders: significant challenges for neurobiology. Neuron. 2013;80(3):578–587.) Source: Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience, 3e Citation: Nestler EJ, Hyman SE, Holtzman DM, Malenka RC. Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience, 3e; 2015 Available at: https://neurology.mhmedical.com/DownloadImage.aspx?image=/data/books/1204/nes003_fig_17-03.png&sec=72650667&BookID=1204&ChapterSecID=72650640&imagename= Accessed: December 27, 2017 Copyright © 2017 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved