The relationship between serotonin receptor 1B polymorphisms A-161T and alcohol dependence.
BACKGROUND
Several studies have suggested that the serotonin receptor 1B gene (5HT1B) may be important in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence (alcoholism; ALC; AD). We examined whether 5HT1B gene A-161T polymorphisms (rs130058) are a susceptibility factor for total AD and subgroups of AD. We further explored correlation of this 5HT1B gene variant between anxiety-depression alcoholism (ANX/DEP ALC) and antisocial alcoholism (antisocial ALC) subgroups because of the high comorbidity of anxiety-depression, antisocial personality disorder, and AD.


METHODS
We recruited 522 Han Chinese in Taiwan for this study: 322 AD patients and 200 controls. The patient group was recruited primarily from medical teaching hospitals; patients with antisocial alcoholism were recruited from Taiwanese prisons. Individuals with AD were classified into 3 homogeneous clinical subgroups -- pure alcoholism (pure ALC), ANX/DEP ALC, and antisocial ALC -- using DSM-IV diagnosis. The 5HT1B gene A-161T polymorphism was determined using PCR-RFLP.


RESULTS
No significant differences in genotypic and allelic frequencies were found between controls and the total AD group or between controls and the 3 AD subgroups. However, there were significant differences in the 5HT1B gene A-161T polymorphism at both the genotype and allelic levels between the ANX/DEP ALC and antisocial ALC subgroups.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that the 5HT1B gene A-161T polymorphism alone is not a risk factor for increasing susceptibility to either AD or its subtypes. However, 5HT1B gene A-161T polymorphisms might be one of the common genetic factors between the ANX/DEP ALC and antisocial ALC subgroups.
Lee
Sheng-Yu
SY
Institute of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Lin
Wei-Wen
WW
Huang
San-Yuan
SY
Kuo
Po-Hsiu
PH
Wang
Chen-Lin
CL
Wu
Pei-Lin
PL
Chen
Shiou-Lan
SL
Wu
Jo Yung-Wei
JY
Ko
Huei-Chen
HC
Lu
Ru-Band
RB
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D000483:Alleles; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers; D003863:Depression / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D044302:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1B / Q000235:genetics*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
D017931:DNA Primers; D044302:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1B; D004247:DNA