Sex determines which section of the SLC6A4 gene is linked to obsessive-compulsive symptoms in normal Chinese college students.
Previous case-control and family-based association studies have implicated the SLC6A4 gene in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Little research, however, has examined this gene's role in obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) in community samples. The present study genotyped seven tag SNPs and two common functional tandem repeat polymorphisms (5-HTTLPR and STin2), which together cover the whole SLC6A4 gene, and investigated their associations with OCS in normal Chinese college students (N = 572). The results revealed a significant gender main effect and gender-specific genetic effects of the SLC6A4 gene on OCS. Males scored significantly higher on total OCS and its three dimensions than did females (ps < .01). The 5-HTTLPR in the promoter region showed a female-specific genetic effect, with the l/l and l/s genotypes linked to higher OCS scores than the s/s genotype (ps < .05). In contrast, a conserved haplotype polymorphism (rs1042173| rs4325622| rs3794808| rs140701| rs4583306| rs2020942) covering from intron 3 to the 3' UTR of the SLC6A4 gene showed male-specific genetic effects, with the CGAAGG/CGAAGG genotype associated with lower OCS scores than the other genotypes (ps < .05). These effects remained significant after controlling for OCS-related factors including participants' depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as stressful life events, and correction for multiple tests. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for our understanding of the sex-specific role of the different sections of the SLC6A4 gene in OCD.
State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. bnuxuemei@gmail.com
Xuemei
X
Lei
Chuansheng
C
Chen
Qinghua
Q
He
Chunhui
C
Chen
Robert K
RK
Moyzis
Gui
G
Xue
Xiongying
X
Chen
Zhongyu
Z
Cao
Jin
J
Li
He
H
Li
Bi
B
Zhu
Anna Shan
AS
Chun Hsu
Sufang
S
Li
Jun
J
Li
Qi
Q
Dong
D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins