Association of genetic variants in alcohol dehydrogenase 4 with alcohol dependence in Brazilian patients.
OBJECTIVE
The authors evaluated the association of three functional promoter polymorphisms of the ADH4 gene with alcohol dependence.


METHODS
DNA from 92 alcohol-dependent patients and 92 healthy comparison subjects was genotyped for all three polymorphisms.


RESULTS
Variants at the -75 base-pair (bp) (C allele) and -159 bp (A allele) positions were associated with alcohol dependence. Individuals with haplotypes carrying both risk alleles showed an odds ratio of 2.9.


CONCLUSIONS
These preliminary results suggest that ADH4 may play a role in the etiology of alcohol dependence. The association requires further study and replication but is functionally plausible and has a large effect size.
Guindalini
Camila
C
Human Genome Research Center, Department of Biology, Institute of Biosciences, University of Sao Paulo, Rua do Matão, Travessa 13, Number 106, Cidade Universitária CEP:05508-090, Sao Paulo SP, Brazil.
Scivoletto
Sandra
S
Ferreira
Ricardo G M
RG
Breen
Gerome
G
Zilberman
Monica
M
Peluso
Marco Aurélio
MA
Zatz
Mayana
M
D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
D000426:Alcohol Dehydrogenase; C105552:alcohol dehydrogenase IV