TY - JOUR
T1 - 5-HTTLPR and STin2 polymorphisms in the serotonin transporter gene and irritable bowel syndrome
T2 - Effect of bowel habit and sex
AU - Niesler, Beate
AU - Kapeller, Johannes
AU - Fell, Catherine
AU - Atkinson, Wendy
AU - Möller, Dorothee
AU - Fischer, Christine
AU - Whorwell, Peter
AU - Houghton, Lesley A.
PY - 2010/7
Y1 - 2010/7
N2 - BACKGROUND: Conflicting data exist on the association between functional polymorphisms in the serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT) gene (SLC6A4) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This may be partly because of small participant numbers and varying ethnic origin and sex within the cohorts studied. AIM: To reassess the potential association between the SERT polymorphisms 5-HTTLPR and STin2 in both male and female IBS patients with diarrhoea (IBS-D) and constipation (IBS-C) compared with healthy volunteers. METHODS: In this case-control study, 196 Caucasian Rome II IBS patients [97 IBS-D (aged 18-66 years; 67 female) and 99 IBS-C (aged 18-65 years; 95 female)] and 92 Caucasian healthy volunteers (aged 18-63 years; 60 female) from the UK had genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood and the 5-HTTLPR and STin2 polymorphisms genotyped. RESULTS: The frequency of the 5-HTTLPR (ss) genotype was slightly lower in both IBS-D (165%) and IBS-C (143%) patients compared with controls (239%), although not significantly (P≤0191). This seemed to be related to a reduction in the frequency of the 5-HTTLPR (ss) genotype in male patients, particularly those with IBS-D [IBS-D 10%, IBS-C 25%, controls 375%; P=001 for IBS-D vs. controls; odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for 5-HTTLPR (ss) vs. 5-HTTLPR (non-ss)=0.185 (0.046-0.744)] than in female patients (IBS-D 19.4%, IBS-C 13.8%, controls 16.7%). There were no differences in the frequencies of either the 5-HTTLPR (ll) or (ls), or STin2 genotypes between any of the three groups. CONCLUSION: Our finding that male IBS-D patients have a reduced frequency of the 5-HTTLPR (ss) genotype contradicts three earlier studies of a similar size, which did not take sex into account. Therefore, replication studies in even larger cohorts, stratifying for sex and endophenotypes, after assessing physiological and psychological traits, are required to unravel the contribution of SERT polymorphisms to the IBS phenotype.
AB - BACKGROUND: Conflicting data exist on the association between functional polymorphisms in the serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT) gene (SLC6A4) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This may be partly because of small participant numbers and varying ethnic origin and sex within the cohorts studied. AIM: To reassess the potential association between the SERT polymorphisms 5-HTTLPR and STin2 in both male and female IBS patients with diarrhoea (IBS-D) and constipation (IBS-C) compared with healthy volunteers. METHODS: In this case-control study, 196 Caucasian Rome II IBS patients [97 IBS-D (aged 18-66 years; 67 female) and 99 IBS-C (aged 18-65 years; 95 female)] and 92 Caucasian healthy volunteers (aged 18-63 years; 60 female) from the UK had genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood and the 5-HTTLPR and STin2 polymorphisms genotyped. RESULTS: The frequency of the 5-HTTLPR (ss) genotype was slightly lower in both IBS-D (165%) and IBS-C (143%) patients compared with controls (239%), although not significantly (P≤0191). This seemed to be related to a reduction in the frequency of the 5-HTTLPR (ss) genotype in male patients, particularly those with IBS-D [IBS-D 10%, IBS-C 25%, controls 375%; P=001 for IBS-D vs. controls; odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for 5-HTTLPR (ss) vs. 5-HTTLPR (non-ss)=0.185 (0.046-0.744)] than in female patients (IBS-D 19.4%, IBS-C 13.8%, controls 16.7%). There were no differences in the frequencies of either the 5-HTTLPR (ll) or (ls), or STin2 genotypes between any of the three groups. CONCLUSION: Our finding that male IBS-D patients have a reduced frequency of the 5-HTTLPR (ss) genotype contradicts three earlier studies of a similar size, which did not take sex into account. Therefore, replication studies in even larger cohorts, stratifying for sex and endophenotypes, after assessing physiological and psychological traits, are required to unravel the contribution of SERT polymorphisms to the IBS phenotype.
KW - 5-hydroxytryptamine
KW - SERT
KW - irritable bowel syndrome
KW - serotonin transporter protein
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77954019708&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/MEG.0b013e32832e9d6b
DO - 10.1097/MEG.0b013e32832e9d6b
M3 - Article
C2 - 19561511
AN - SCOPUS:77954019708
SN - 0954-691X
VL - 22
SP - 856
EP - 861
JO - European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
JF - European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
IS - 7
ER -