Differential phosphorylation of serum proteins reflecting inflammatory changes in schizophrenia patients

Excerpt

As we have argued recently [4], despite the innovative aspects of large-scale proteome studies in schizophrenia research, efforts are still required to investigate the role of post-translational modifications of proteins, such as phosphorylation. Protein phosphorylation acts as a switching mechanism in the regulation of a range of cellular processes such as cell signalling and protein transport. Its importance is supported by the fact that at least one-third of human proteins are predicted to be phosphorylated [9]. However, many of these have yet to be confirmed experimentally. Therefore, the study of phosphoproteins could lead to an increase in our understanding about schizophrenia aetiology and the mechanism of action of antipsychotic medications [6]. In addition, differentially phosphorylated proteins in diseased or treated tissues can serve as biomarkers, especially if detectable in easily accessible peripheral tissues. These biomarkers can be further incorporated in multiplex systems, which could be applied clinically such as the first blood-based multiplex immunoassay test to aid in the diagnosis of schizophrenia [7]. …