The corticotropin-releasing hormone binding protein is associated with major depression in a population from Northern Sweden.
BACKGROUND
Recent research suggests that central corticotropin releasing hormone hyperdrive is an important neurobiological risk factor for developing major depression. The availability of free corticotropin releasing hormone in the central nervous system is tightly regulated by the expression of corticotropin releasing hormone binding protein. Therefore, the gene encoding for corticotropin releasing hormone binding protein is a functional candidate gene for major depression.


METHODS
We present a systematic study of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the corticotropin releasing hormone binding protein gene and their role in the liability for major depression. Seven single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped in a well-diagnosed sample of 89 patients with recurrent major depressions and matched controls.


RESULTS
Two single nucleotide polymorphisms within the corticotropin releasing hormone binding protein gene were significantly associated with the disease (p <.05). An expectation-maximization algorithm estimated a specific haplotype to have a frequency of 53% in patients and 35% in controls (p <.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The corticotropin releasing hormone binding protein gene is likely to be involved in the genetic vulnerability for major depression.
Department of Molecular Genetics, Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, Belgium.
Stephan
S
Claes
Sandra
S
Villafuerte
Thomas
T
Forsgren
Sam
S
Sluijs
Jurgen
J
Del-Favero
Rolf
R
Adolfsson
Christine
C
Van Broeckhoven
D000368:Aged; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D013548:Sweden
D002352:Carrier Proteins; C067133:corticotropin releasing factor-binding protein