Evaluation of Serum Long Non-Coding RNAs HOXA Transcript at the Distal Tip (HOTTIP), Colon Cancer–Associated Transcript 1 (CCAT1), and Colon Cancer–Associated Transcript 2 (CCAT2) as Potential Biomarkers in Schizophrenia

Background: Schizophrenia (SZ) is a chronic neuropsychiatric disorder with marked impairments in cognitive, behavioral, and emotional functions. Despite extensive research, reliable molecular biomarkers of the disease have not yet been identified. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) stand out as regulatory molecules with diagnostic potential in many neurological and psychiatric disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the serum levels of HOXA transcript at the distal tip (HOTTIP), colon cancer–associated transcript 1 (CCAT1), and CCAT2 lncRNAs as potential biomarkers in SZ.

Methods: Seventy antipsychotic-naive patients with SZ and 55 healthy controls participated in the study from June 2023 to May 2024. Control and SZ serum samples were collected, and the relative expression levels of HOTTIP, CCAT1, and CCAT2 were analyzed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Results: Results showed that HOTTIP expression was significantly increased in patients with SZ (P < .05). However, no significant difference was observed in CCAT1 and CCAT2 levels between the groups. The association between increased HOTTIP levels and clinical symptom profiles suggests that this molecule may be linked to disease activity and SZ response. The HOTTIP showed modest discriminative ability (AUC = 0.60, 95% CI 0.50-0.70).

Conclusion: The study was powered to detect moderate group differences; the null results for CCAT1/ CCAT2 therefore exclude moderate-or-larger effects but not small effects. HOTTIP may represent a noninvasive biological marker associated with SZ, although its standalone diagnostic utility appears limited.

Cite this article as: Güzel Tanoğlu E, Çevik FE, Çakmur KN, Esen MF, Uzun FR, Erkıran M. Evaluation of serum long non-coding RNAs HOXA transcript at the distal tip, colon cancer–associated transcript 1, and colon cancer–associated transcript 2 as potential biomarkers in schizophrenia. Eurasian J Med. 2026, 58(4), 1271, doi: 10.5152/ eurasianjmed.2026.251271