[Association of VNTR region of the human serotonin transporter gene with bipolar disorder among the Han Chinese].
OBJECTIVE
The serotonin transporter gene (SERT) plays an important role in the serotonin uptake into neurons. This paper reports a population and association study among the Han Chinese.


METHODS
DNA were extracted from peripheral blood samples of 50 patients with bipolar disorder (DSM-IIIR), 170 unrelated healthy Han Chinese individuals and 10 healthy trios for polymerase chain reaction. The VNTR locus was amplified and PCR products were separated on the 2% agrose gel.


RESULTS
All the three alleles(9,10 and 12 copies of repeat unit) reported in other studies were observed in this study with frequency 0.0029, 0.0676 and 0.9294, respectively. Four genotypes distributed in Caucasian: 12/12, 12/10, 12/9 and 10/10 were also found in the Han Chinese population. A significant difference in the allele frequency between the Han Chinese and Caucasian populations was found(P 0.000000001). No disequilibrium was observed after checking the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P=0. 9995). The hereditary stability of this locus in accordance with the rules of Mendelian inheritance was demonstrated in the analysis of ten trios. In addition, a significant increase of frequency of the allele 10 in female patients with bipolar disorder was found (P=0. 043).


CONCLUSIONS
The data of association study might indicate a different mechanism of aetiology of bipolar disorder in male and female.
Liu
W
W
Shanghai Research Center of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031 P. R. China. helinanna@hotmail.com
Gu
N
N
Feng
G
G
Zhang
J
J
Li
S
S
Bai
S
S
Shen
T
T
Clair
D S
DS
He
L
L
D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D012737:Sex Factors; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins