Open AccessThe role of 5-HTTLPR in autism spectrum disorder: New evidence and a meta-analysis of this polymorphism in Latin American population with psychiatric disorders
Author(s) -
D. L. Nuñez-Rios,
Roberto Chaskel,
Alithza R Lopez,
Luciana Galeano,
María Claudia Lattig
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0235512
Subject(s) - autism spectrum disorder , meta analysis , 5 httlpr , genotype , population , allele frequency , autism , genetics , latin americans , polymorphism (computer science) , medicine , biology , psychiatry , gene , linguistics , philosophy , environmental health
The autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex disorder encompassing a broad phenotypic and genotypic variability. The short (S)/long (L) 5-HTTLPR polymorphism has a functional role in the regulation of extracellular serotonin levels and both alleles have been associated to ASD. Most studies including European, American, and Asian populations have suggested an ethnical heterogeneity of this polymorphism; however, the short/long frequencies from Latin American population have been under-studied in recent meta-analysis. Here, we evaluated the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in Colombian individuals with idiopathic ASD and reported a non-preferential S or L transmission and a non-association with ASD risk or symptom severity. Moreover, to recognize the allelic frequencies of an under-represented population we also recovered genetic studies from Latin American individuals and compared these frequencies with frequencies from other ethnicities. Results from meta-analysis suggest that short/long frequencies in Latin American are similar to those reported in Caucasian population but different to African and Asian regions.