موسسه انتشارات بین المللی چتر اندیشه مجله پژوهش های معاصر در علوم و تحقیقات 2676-5764 8 82 2026 05 24 Integrative Bioinformatics Prioritization of Schizophrenia-Associated Genes: Re-Evaluating the Role of SV2A 54 72 10.22051/jera.2021.31891.2698 FA Sasan MSc student of cellular and molecular biology,department of biology,faculty of Modern Sciences ,Azad university,Dezful , Iran Fatemeh Associate professor, Department of Biology,Faculty of Modern Sciences,Azad university,Dezful,Iran 2026 03 23 Synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) is a gene involved in neurotransmitter release and has been hypothesized to contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SZP). However, direct evidence linking SV2A to SZP remains limited. This bioinformatics study aimed to investigate the potential role of SV2A in SZP by analyzing gene expression data and constructing protein-protein interaction networks. Candidate genes associated with SZP were extracted from NCBI, SWISS-Prot, and Disaesome databases based on in-vivo, in-vitro, and in-silico evidence. Using MATLAB and Gephi software, a communication network was built from expression data of SZP patients compared to healthy controls. Structural network parameters—including Maximum Neighborhood Component (MNC), degree, betweenness, closeness, and radiality—were calculated to identify key biomarkers. Results revealed that the five most frequent and significantly confirmed genes in the SZP network were Dopamine Receptor D2 (DRD2), DISC1 Scaffold Protein (DISC1), Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT), 5-Hydroxytryptamine Receptor 2A (HTR2A), and D-Amino Acid Oxidase (DAO). Notably, SV2A did not appear among the top five genes or show high centrality in any of the network analyses. These findings suggest that, based on the bioinformatics methods and databases used, SV2A does not play a major role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. While SV2A remains a marker for synaptic density, its direct genetic involvement in SZP was not supported by this study. Further experimental research is needed to clarify whether SV2A contributes indirectly or under specific conditions. This study highlights the utility of bioinformatics approaches in prioritizing candidate genes and understanding the complex genetic architecture of schizophrenia. /downloadfilepdf/11903