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Lack of association of the serotonin transporter gene promoter region polymorphism, 5‐HTTLPR , including rs25531 with cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption

2008; Wiley; Volume: 150B; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/ajmg.b.30880

1552-485X

Henrik Berg Rasmussen, Yu Z. Bagger, László B. Tankó, Claus Christiansen, Thomas Werge,

Smoking Behavior and Cessation

Abstract We addressed the question whether 5‐HTTLPR , a variable number of tandem repeats located in the 5′ end of the serotonin transporter gene, is associated with smoking or alcohol consumption. Samples of DNA from 1,365 elderly women with a mean age of 69.2 years were genotyped for this polymorphism using a procedure, which allowed the simultaneous determination of variation in the number of repeat units and single nucleotide changes, including the A > G variation at rs25531 for discrimination between the L A and L G alleles. Qualitative and quantitative information on the women's current and previous consumption of cigarettes and alcohol were obtained using a questionnaire. Genotypes were classified according to allele size, that is, S and L with 14 and 16 repeat units, respectively, and on a functional basis by amalgamation of the L G and S alleles. Data were subjected to regression analyses. These analyses revealed P values for associations between 5‐HTTLPR genotype and alcohol and cigarette consumption in the range from 0.15 to 0.92. On adjustment for age and educational level, significance for the associations of 5‐HTTLPR with the smoking and alcohol consumption measures was not reached. We conclude that 5‐HTTLPR is not an important determinant of smoking behavior and alcohol consumption in elderly women. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.