The Shorthorn - UTA professor finds possible link to biological cause of mental diseases

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UTA professor finds possible link to biological cause of mental diseases

Written by Justin Sharp, The Shorthorn staff

Monday, 25 January 2010 09:14 PM

Dr. Cedric Feschotte speculates about the link between viral DNA and nuerological conditions. (The Shorthorn: Michael Minasi)

A university professor may have found a biological cause for psychiatric disorders ranging from mild depression to schizophrenia. That cause is borna disease virus (BDV), which is known to infect neurons.

Cedric Feschotte, biology associate professor, reported his hypothesis in a Jan. 7 article in Nature magazine, in which he commented on research being done at Osaka University.

Similar to the way the integration of retroviruses can cause cancer, Feschotte said that repeated integration of BDV in neurons may cause DNA damage, which could lead to mental illness.

Though he warns of the speculative nature of this hypothesis, he said he is intrigued by the possibility.

“It’s a beautiful part of science – you can speculate as long as the speculation is testable,” he said, adding that his hypothesis on BDV integration causing disease is testable. “It deserves investigation and funding.”

He cites examples of animals with behavioral disorders and the correlation of levels of BDV infection found in their brains. His research doesn’t focus on BDV, but it may explain how the virus became part of the human genome. Feschotte’s research focuses on transposable elements in the human genome.

According to Feschotte’s post-doctoral assistant, Clement Gilbert, transposable elements are pieces of DNA that can move from one chromosome location to another and replicate.

Feschotte believes these transposable elements are responsible for replicating BDV and integrating it into the human genome, because the virus itself is not a retro-virus and has no mechanism to do so independently.

Biology department chair John Campbell said Feschotte’s research puts the university on the map, and that this type of research justifies the expense and effort of obtaining the gene sequencer, recently added to university facilities.

“When it comes to modern biology, genomics is at the core,” Campbell said. “Technology can be expensive, but if you’re going to be in the game you’ve got to have it.”

Feschotte has published 42 articles in peer-reviewed journals and science magazines, including Nature, Science, and Trends in Genetics.

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Last Updated ( Monday, 25 January 2010 09:17 PM )

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