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MicroRNAs(miRNAs)are a class of endogenous and non-coding single-stranded RNAs of approximately 22 nucleotides,many of which are evolutionarily conserved.Genome-wide association studies have identified a robust statistical association between the MIR137 gene and schizophrenia in Europeans,which was replicated in the Han Chinese population in a casecontrol study.In the previous study,we provided evidence for a significant association between the EFNB2 gene and schizophrenia in Han Chinese subjects.In the current study,we utilized computational analysis,vector construction of point mutations,luciferase reporter assays and gene expression assays including RT-qPCR and western blotting methods to investigate miR-137 directly targeting EFNB2 gene and explore the reversal effect of a genetic variant of SNP rs550067317 in the putative seed-pair region of EFNB2 3-UTR.We also found that miR-137 could be detected in the peripheral blood of a cohort of first-onset schizophrenia patients and healthy controls,and the area under curve was 0.795(95%confidence interval 0.700-0.890),which is a middle diagnostic value for disease,suggesting that it might be valuable for diagnosing schizophrenia.In summary,this study would improve our understanding of the role of miR-137 in schizophrenia-associated signaling pathways and identify the genetic basis of rs550067317 for schizophrenia.Furthermore,we provided new evidence for the involvement of miR-137 in the etiology and diagnosis of schizophrenia,which might contribute to the discovery of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the disease.