MAOA interacts with the ALDH2 gene in anxiety-depression alcohol dependence.
BACKGROUND
Alcohol dependence is usually comorbid with anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, or both; this comorbidity may increase drinking behavior. We previously hypothesized that anxiety-depressive alcohol dependence (ANX/DEP ALC) was a genetically specific subtype of alcohol dependence. ANX/DEP ALC may be related to dopamine and serotonin, which are catalyzed by monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2). The aim of this study was to determine whether the interaction between the MAOA and the ALDH2 genes is associated with ANX/DEP ALC.


METHODS
We recruited 383 Han Chinese men in Taiwan: 143 ANX/DEP ALC and 240 healthy controls. The diagnosis of ANX/DEP ALC (alcohol dependence with a past or current history of anxiety, depressive disorder, or both) was made using DSM-IV criteria. Genotypes of ALDH2 and MAOA-uVNTR (variable number of tandem repeat located upstream) were determined using PCR-RFLP.


RESULTS
The ALDH2, but not the MAOA-uVNTR, polymorphism was associated with ANX/DEP ALC. After stratifying the MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism, we found a stronger association between the ALDH2*1/*2 and *2/*2 genotypes and the controls in the MAOA-uVNTR 4-repeat subgroup. Logistic regression significantly associated the interaction between ALDH2 and MAOA variants with ANX/DEP ALC.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that the MAOA and ALDH2 genes interact in ANX/DEP ALC. Although the MAOA gene alone is not associated with ANX/DEP ALC, we hypothesize that different variants of MAOA-uVNTR polymorphisms modify the protective effects of the ALDH2*2 allele on ANX/DEP ALC in Han Chinese in Taiwan.
Lee
Sheng-Yu
SY
Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Hahn
Cheng-Yi
CY
Lee
Jia-Fu
JF
Huang
San-Yuan
SY
Chen
Shiou-Lan
SL
Kuo
Po-Hsiu
PH
Lee
I Hui
IH
Yeh
Tzung Lieh
TL
Yang
Yen Kuang
YK
Chen
Shih-Heng
SH
Ko
Huei-Chen
HC
Lu
Ru-Band
RB
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000071396:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, Mitochondrial; D000483:Alleles; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D017831:Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
C096127:ALDH2 protein, human; D000444:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase; D000071396:Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, Mitochondrial; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase