title: Tentative association of the serotonin transporter with schizophrenia and unipolar depression but not with bipolar disorder in Han Chinese.
abstract: The serotonin transporter gene (SERT) plays an important role in the serotonin uptake into neurons. Recently, several polymorphisms including a variable-number-tandem-repeat (VNTR) in the second intron and an insertion/deletion polymorphism (5-HTT linked polymorphic region, 5-HTTLPR) were identified and reported to be associated with a variety of mental illnesses, including major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety-related traits, and autism. In our study, we performed an association study between the SERT VNTR polymorphism and schizophrenia (n = 260), bipolar disorder (n = 137), and unipolar depression (n = 33) in the Han Chinese. A large group of ethnically matched control individuals (n = 362) were also genotyped. Allele 12 of the VNTR polymorphism was associated with schizophrenia (P = 0.007) and unipolar depression (P = 0.011). Bipolar disorder was not associated with the VNTR (P = 0.93). Thus, we conclude that the SERT VNTR polymorphism may be a risk factor for both schizophrenia and unipolar depression, but not for bipolar disorder, in the Han Chinese.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Physiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Breen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: St Clair
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006720:Homozygote; D006801:Humans; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
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