Serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms in alcohol dependence.
The serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene is a candidate gene in alcohol dependence because serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) can alleviate alcohol withdrawal. Studies of the 5-HTT gene in alcohol dependence have not resulted in a consensus. Recent studies have examined the transcriptionally active promoter polymorphism, a 44-bp deletion resulting in short (S) or long (L) alleles. In this study, 131 alcohol-dependent patients of Northern and Western European descent were genotyped. Seventy of these patients were diagnosed with alcohol dependence without comorbid disorders. Sixty-one patients were diagnosed with alcohol dependence comorbid with Tourette syndrome (alcoholic-TS). We found an excess of the S allele in alcohol-dependent patients (47%) compared with 125 ethnically matched controls (39%). A similar trend was found in 150 ethnically matched TS patients without alcohol dependence comorbidity (51%). However, the statistical significance of this trend in the data was not present after Bonferroni correction. The data presented suggests a trend toward increased frequency of the S promoter allele in alcohol-dependent, alcoholic-TS and TS patients.
Thompson
M D
MD
Department of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, M5S 2S1, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Gonzalez
N
N
Nguyen
T
T
Comings
D E
DE
George
S R
SR
O'Dowd
B F
BF
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000235:genetics*; D000483:Alleles; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D005879:Tourette Syndrome / Q000150:complications / 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