title: Monoamine oxidase A gene polymorphism and the pathogenesis of sudden infant death syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that there is a significant association between functionally relevant allelic variants of the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) polymorphism and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
  
  
  METHODS
  In a case-control study of 142 cases of SIDS and 280 sex-matched control cases, the distribution of allelic and genotype variants of a promoter polymorphism of the MAO-A gene was examined using polymerase chain reaction locus amplification and fluorescence based fragment length analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significantly differential distribution of allelic and genotype variants between females with SIDS and controls. Moreover, there was a significant association between SIDS in females and allelic and genotype variants, each related to a higher transcriptional activity at the MAO-A locus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest a role of MAO-A in female SIDS pathogenesis exerted by functionally relevant allelic and genotype variants of the MAO-A polymorphism. However, with the complex and inconsistent evidence available to date, the impact of the MAO-A promoter polymorphism on SIDS etiology remains unclear.
authors: Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors: Cornelius
authors: C
authors: Courts
authors: Melanie
authors: M
authors: Grabmüller
authors: Burkhard
authors: B
authors: Madea
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D008995:Monoamine Oxidase