A community-based study of cigarette smoking behavior in relation to variation in three genes involved in dopamine metabolism: Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) and monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A).
OBJECTIVE
Cigarette smoking behavior may be influenced by catechol-O-methlyltransferase (COMT), dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), and monamine oxidase-A (MAO-A), genes that play roles in dopamine metabolism. The association between common polymorphisms of these genes and smoking behavior was assessed among 10,059 Caucasian volunteers in Washington County, MD in 1989.


METHODS
Age-adjusted logistic regression was used to measure the association between variants of these single nucleotide polymorphisms and smoking initiation and persistent smoking.


RESULTS
Overall, no association was seen between each genotype and smoking behavior. However, among younger (<54 years) women, the COMT GG genotype was positively associated with smoking initiation (OR=1.3; 95% CI: 1.0 1.5), and the MAO-A TT genotype was inversely associated with persistent smoking (OR=0.7; 95% CI: 0.4, 1.0). Men who smoked fewer than 10 cigarettes per day were more likely to be persistent smokers if they had the COMT GG (OR=1.7; 95% CI: 1.0, 2.9) or the DBH GG (OR=1.6; 95% CI: 1.0, 2.5) genotypes.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall the results of this large community-based study do not provide evidence to support the presence of important associations between variants of COMT, DBH, or MAO-A and smoking initiation or persistent smoking.
Shiels
Meredith S
MS
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Huang
Han Yao
HY
Hoffman
Sandra C
SC
Shugart
Yin Yao
YY
Bolton
Judy Hoffman
JH
Platz
Elizabeth A
EA
Helzlsouer
Kathy J
KJ
Alberg
Anthony J
AJ
D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D004299:Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012907:Smoking / Q000235:genetics*
D004299:Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase