Clinical and Molecular Genetics Unit, National Institute of Legal Medicine, Coimbra, Portugal.
Neurosci Lett. 2009 Dec 11;466(3):128-30. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2009.09.040. Epub 2009 Sep 25.
Serotonergic system dysfunction has been implicated in the etiology of suicide. A large number of genetic studies have focused on the potential involvement of genes coding for components of serotonergic system in suicidal behavior. However, other genes belonging to this system remain to be investigated or have been poorly studied, as is the case of the 5-HT6 receptor (5-HTR6) gene. In this study, we investigated the potential association between the 5-HTR6 gene 267C/T SNP and suicide in a Portuguese population. Blood samples were collected from 179 suicide victims and 189 controls. Genotypes for the 5-HTR6 gene 267C/T SNP were obtained with the restriction enzyme Rsa I. A tendency was found for genotype association between this polymorphism and suicide, but the differences were not statistically significant (chi(2)=5.374, df=2, p=0.068). However, a gender-specific association was detected when comparing the genotype distribution between male suicide victims and male controls (chi(2)=6.988, df=2, p=0.030), suggesting that this SNP might have a role in the etiology of suicide in male subjects in the Portuguese population.
5-羟色胺能系统功能障碍与自杀的病因有关。大量的遗传研究集中在编码 5-羟色胺能系统成分的基因，这些基因在自杀行为中的潜在作用。然而，其他属于该系统的基因仍有待研究或研究不足，5-羟色胺 6 受体（5-HTR6）基因就是这种情况。在这项研究中，我们调查了葡萄牙人群中 5-HTR6 基因 267C/T SNP 与自杀之间的潜在关联。从 179 名自杀者和 189 名对照中采集了血液样本。用限制性内切酶 Rsa I 获得了 5-HTR6 基因 267C/T SNP 的基因型。该多态性与自杀之间存在基因型关联的趋势，但差异无统计学意义（chi(2)=5.374, df=2, p=0.068）。然而，当比较男性自杀者和男性对照组之间的基因型分布时，发现了性别特异性关联（chi(2)=6.988, df=2, p=0.030），这表明该 SNP 可能在葡萄牙人群中男性自杀的病因中起作用。
