No evidence of association between structural polymorphism at the dopamine D3 receptor locus and alcoholism in the Japanese.
Dopaminergic systems mediate reward mechanisms and are involved in reinforcing self-administration of dependence-forming substances, including alcohol. Studies have reported that polymorphisms of the dopamine D2 receptor, whose structure and function are similar to those of the dopamine D3 receptor, increase the susceptibility to alcoholism. These observations led to the examination of the possible association between a structural polymorphism of the D3 receptor gene and alcoholism. Genotyping results, employing a PCR-RFLP method, showed no difference in allele and genotype frequencies of the D3 BalI polymorphism (Ser9/Gly9) between Japanese alcoholics and controls. Moreover, these frequencies were not altered in alcoholics with inactive aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2), a well-defined negative risk factor for alcoholism. These results strongly suggest that the dopamine D3 receptor is not associated with alcoholism.
Higuchi
S
S
National Institute on Alcoholism, Kurihama National Hospital, Kanagawa, Japan.
Muramatsu
T
T
Matsushita
S
S
Murayama
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics*; D050637:Receptors, Dopamine D3; D012016:Reference Values; D015183:Restriction Mapping
D017931:DNA Primers; C493593:DRD3 protein, human; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D050637:Receptors, Dopamine D3; D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; C024403:GGCC-specific type II deoxyribonucleases; C060616:TGGCCA-specific type II deoxyribonucleases