Analysis of 5-hydroxytryptamine 2c receptor gene promoter variants as alcohol-dependence risk factors.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether polymorphic variants of the HTR2C gene are associated with diagnosis of alcohol dependence.


METHODS
We compared allele frequencies of five HTR2C promoter polymorphisms in a Nordic population of alcohol dependent individuals (Males: n = 309; Females: n = 127) and ethnically matched controls (Males: n = 83; Females: n = 190) in whom alcohol dependence was established, or any diagnosis of substance disorder was excluded, respectively. Patients were further subtyped into Type I (late onset) and Type II (early onset) alcoholics.


RESULTS
None of the individual polymorphisms indicated significant association with alcohol dependence. A common promoter haplotype (GAGG) exhibited different distribution frequencies between males and females (Type I), however on Bonferroni's multiple-testing correction, this observation proved to be insignificant.


CONCLUSIONS
Although we report a lack of association between alcohol dependence and five common promoter polymorphisms, and the constituted haplotypes, the analysis tends to indicate gender and sub-type differences. We suggest that a follow up study with larger sample numbers should be performed to improve the power to detect the genetic influences of HTR2C in alcohol dependence.
Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Salim
S
Mottagui-Tabar
Shane
S
McCarthy
Jana
J
Reinemund
Björn
B
Andersson
Claes
C
Wahlestedt
Markus
M
Heilig
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000097:blood; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D044405:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2C / Q000235:genetics*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution
D017931:DNA Primers; D044405:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2C; D004247:DNA