Interaction between the tryptophan hydroxylase gene and the serotonin transporter gene in schizophrenia but not in bipolar or unipolar affective disorders.
Increasing focus is being given to identify possible combinations of genes related to specific clinical phenotypes. In our sample of 814 patients comprising 114 with schizophrenia, 416 with bipolar affective disorder and 284 with unipolar affective disorder, we studied interactions between the tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR), and the dopamine receptor (DRD4) genes in relation to five major psychiatric symptomatology scores. There was significant interaction between the TPH and the 5-HTTLPR genes. With an increasing number of short (s) alleles of 5-HTTLPR, the scores for delusions, disorganization and negative symptoms were significantly decreasing among subjects having the TPH genotype AA but increasing among subjects having the TPH genotype AC, yielding the highest scores for the combinations AA x ll and AC x ss. Since high scores on just delusions, disorganization and negative symptoms but low scores on excitement and depression were found among subjects with schizophrenia, we conducted comparisons among the three diagnostic categories and controls as regards the combined TPH x 5-HTTLPR genotype distribution. Schizophrenia subjects had a significantly different distribution of the genotype combination for TPH x 5-HTTLPR as compared to 241 controls or to unipolar or bipolar subjects, and had significantly higher frequencies of AA x ll and of AC x ss. Thus, an interaction between TPH and 5-HTTLPR genes constitutes susceptibility to schizophrenia, thereby yielding apparent relationships between the major psychiatric symptomatology scores and genotype combinations in samples that are obtained by pooling schizophrenia with other diagnostic categories.
Chotai
Jayanti
J
Division of Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Umeå, Umeå, Sweden. jayanti.chotai@vll.se
Serretti
Alessandro
A
Lorenzi
Cristina
C
D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics; D050638:Receptors, Dopamine D4; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D014365:Tryptophan Hydroxylase / Q000235:genetics*
C493599:DRD4 protein, human; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D050638:Receptors, Dopamine D4; D014365:Tryptophan Hydroxylase