title: Association between serotonin transporter gene polymorphism and smoking among Japanese males.
abstract: The serotoninergic system may be involved in smoking behavior because nicotine increases brain serotonin secretion, nicotine withdrawal decreases serotonin levels, and a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antagonizes the response to nicotine. Compared with the L allele, the S allele of the polymorphism in the upstream regulatory region of the serotonin transporter gene is associated with decreased transcription efficiency of the 5-HTT gene promoter. We examined this polymorphism in a Japanese population consisting of 387 males from two different areas in Japan. The L allele was observed significantly more often in smokers (21%) than in nonsmokers (lifetime nonsmokers + ex-smokers, 14%; P = 0.005). The presence of the L allele (the L/L + L/S genotypes) was also significantly increased in smokers (37%) compared with that in nonsmokers (24%; P = 0.003). The present study suggests that individuals with the S/S genotype are less inclined to smoke and/or can more easily stop smoking than others, supporting a role of the serotoninergic system in smoking behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohtsuki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishiguro
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamakawa-Kobayashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Y L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yanagi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawata
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamaguchi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arinami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012701:Serotonin / Q000235:genetics*; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D012701:Serotonin