Reduced Expression of Oxidative Stress-Related lncRNAs LINC-PINT and SNHG5 in Schizophrenia: Implications for Biomarker Development

Schizophrenia is a mental condition that impairs several aspects of brain function and behavior. Recent investigations highlighted abnormal function of numerous genes in this context. Notably, genes that affect oxidative stress and neuron damage were the focus of several studies. In an attempt to find a biomarker that can be quantified in the peripheral blood, we assessed blood expression of three lncRNAs that were associated with these processes in patients with schizophrenia and matched controls. We observed a statistically significant downregulation of SNHG5 in the patient group compared to healthy controls, with P-values of < 0.0001, 0.0008, and 0.003 in total, male, and female patients, respectively. LINC-PINT was also found to be down-regulated in all comparisons between patients and controls with P-values of < 0.0001, < 0.0001 and = 0.01, in total, male, and female patients, respectively. However, statistical analyses disclosed no notable difference in the expression of TP53TG1 between study subgroups. Most notably, LINC-PINT and SNHG5 could discriminate between patients and controls with acceptable AUC and specificity values. Cumulatively, the results of this study propose down-regulation of LINC-PINT and SNHG5 as a possible peripheral indicator of the presence of schizophrenia.