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Serotonin transporter gene variation in sudden infant death syndrome
Author(s) -
Opdal Siri Hauge,
Vege Åshild,
Rognum Torleiv Ole
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2008.00813.x
Subject(s) - genotype , sudden infant death syndrome , serotonin transporter , haplotype , allele , genetics , polymorphism (computer science) , intron , gene , sudden death , medicine , allele frequency , polymerase chain reaction , promoter , genotype frequency , biology , gene expression , pediatrics
Aim: To investigate polymorphisms in the serotonin transporter (5‐HTT) gene in cases of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and controls, and further to elucidate a possible relationship between 5‐HTT genotypes and external risk factors for SIDS. Method: The subjects investigated consist of 163 SIDS cases and 243 controls. Polymorphisms in both the promoter and intron 2 of the 5‐HTT gene were investigated, and the genotypes were determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gel electrophoresis. Results: In the promoter, there was a tendency for the L allele and L/L genotype to be found more often in the SIDS cases than in the controls (p = 0.05 and p = 0.07, respectively). Regarding the intron 2 polymorphism, there were no differences between the groups, and the SIDS cases were not found to have a higher frequency of either the L/L‐12/12 genotype or the L‐12 haplotype than the controls. When investigating possible correlations between genotype and risk factors for SIDS, there was a tendency towards different distribution of the promoter genotypes in cases found dead prone compared to cases found dead in other sleeping positions (p = 0.06). Conclusion: Polymorphisms in the promoter of the 5‐HTT gene may be of importance with regard to SIDS.