title: Pleiotropy of the serotonin transporter gene for seasonality and neuroticism.
abstract: Pleiotropy refers to the ability of a single gene to influence multiple traits. A polymorphism in the regulatory region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) has previously been found to be associated both with the personality trait of neuroticism and with seasonal changes in mood and behavior, or seasonality. Hypothesizing that the contribution of the serotonin transporter gene to seasonality is specific, i.e. independent of neuroticism, we measured 5-HTTLPR genotypes and both psychological traits in 236 healthy volunteers. The results indicated that the 5-HTTLPR contributions to variation in the two traits are largely independent; approximately three-quarters of the effect of the gene on seasonality are not related to its effects on neuroticism. Moreover, the gene has a larger effect on the covariation between neuroticism and seasonality than it does on either trait alone. Sibling-pair analysis confirmed that the effects of the 5-HTTLPR are due to genetic pleiotropy rather than population stratification.
authors.affiliation: Section on Biological Rhythms, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. Leosher@Neuron.cpmc.columbia.edu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sher
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Sirota
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Hamer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011581:Psychological Tests; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D016574:Seasonal Affective Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D012621:Seasons; D012701:Serotonin; 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; D012701:Serotonin