title: Gender effect on association between DRD2 polymorphism and substance dependence in a Spanish sample.
abstract: Our aim was to examine a possible association between substance dependence and the TaqIA polymorphism of the D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2), a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located at the 3' UTR region of the DRD2 gene. A case-control design stratified by gender was used to analyze the genotypes of this SNP in a sample of 125 substance-dependent patients according to DSM-IV and 203 blood donors recruited as controls in two general city hospitals in Madrid, Spain. Genomic DNA from peripheral blood samples was amplified through PCR to identify the variants of the SNP in the DRD2 gene. Analyses performed with Chi(2) tests revealed that the A1 allele (A1/A1 and A1/A2 genotypes) of the Taq 1A SNP of the DRD2 gene was significantly associated with substance dependence in males, but not in the whole sample. Male patients had significantly higher rates of the A1-containing genotypes than male controls. The finding of an association between substance dependence and the DRD2 gene TaqIA SNP only in males suggests the existence of gender-specific differences in the genetic underpinnings of substance dependence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Av. Reyes Católicos 2, Madrid 28040, Spain. jorgecastroman@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: López-Castromán
authors.forename: Concepcion
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vaquero-Lorenzo
authors.forename: M Mercedes
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Perez-Rodriguez
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diaz-Hernandez
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Piqueras
authors.forename: Jeronimo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saiz-Ruiz
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baca-Garcia
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2