title: Dopamine transporter gene polymorphism and alcoholism.
abstract: In this search for a possible association between the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) polymorphism and alcoholism, 655 Japanese alcoholics were grouped according to their aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) genotypes. Because inactive ALDH2 is an established negative risk factor for alcoholism, alcoholics with the mutant allele, ALDH2*2, were considered a relatively homogeneous group. The frequency of the 7-repeat allele of the DAT1 variable number of tandem repeat was significantly higher in alcoholics with ALDH2*2 than in control subjects. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that alteration in the dopaminergic system plays some role in the development of alcoholism.
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Alcoholism, Kurihama National Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muramatsu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Higuchi
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics*; D000483:Alleles; D001483:Base Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C493214:SLC6A3 protein, human; D004247:DNA; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase