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Population-specific functional variant of the TPH2 gene 2755C>A polymorphism contributes risk association to major depression and anxiety in Chinese peripartum women

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Abstract

The rate-limiting enzyme of serotonin biosynthesis, tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2), is one of the most promising candidate genes for psychiatric disorders. Although evidence strongly suggests that the TPH2 is significant in the etiology of major depression and anxiety disorder, whether it also contributes to the etiology of peripartum major depression and anxiety disorder, a specific subtype influenced considerably by other environmental factors like hormones, is unclear. This study investigated the role of TPH2 in the etiology of peripartum major depression and anxiety disorder in a Han Chinese population in Taiwan. Six single nucleotide polymorphisms were selected from previously profiled genetic information of TPH2 in Han Chinese. A cohort of postpartum Chinese women that included 117 patients with major depression, anxiety disorder, or both and 83 healthy controls were genotyped with selected TPH2 markers. The TPH2 2755A allele was found only in women with peripartum major depression and anxiety disorder (p = 0.043) and exhibited a dominant gene action (p = 0.038) with an estimated disease risk of 1.73. Although the sample size is small, results from this study suggest that the TPH2 C2755A polymorphism may represent a population-specific risk factor for peripartum major depression and anxiety disorder, perhaps by interacting with hormones.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grant NSC97-3112-B-006-003 from the National Science Council, Taiwan. The authors would like to thank Miss Kai-Hsin Cheng for her excellent technical assistance in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Molecular Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Medical College, 1 University Road, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan

    Yi-Mei J. Lin & H. Sunny Sun

  2. Institute of Behavioral Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Medical College, Tainan, Taiwan

    Huei-Chen Ko

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Cheng Kung University Medical College, Tainan, Taiwan

    Fong-Ming Chang

  4. Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Medical College, Tainan, Taiwan

    Tzung-Lieh Yeh

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  1. Yi-Mei J. Lin
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  2. Huei-Chen Ko
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  5. H. Sunny Sun
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Correspondence to H. Sunny Sun.

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Lin, YM.J., Ko, HC., Chang, FM. et al. Population-specific functional variant of the TPH2 gene 2755C>A polymorphism contributes risk association to major depression and anxiety in Chinese peripartum women. Arch Womens Ment Health 12, 401–408 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-009-0088-z

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