Suicidal behavior and haplotypes of the dopamine receptor gene (DRD2) and ANKK1 gene polymorphisms in patients with alcohol dependence--preliminary report

PLoS One. 2014 Nov 21;9(11):e111798. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111798. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Suicide is a significant public health issue and a major cause of death throughout the world. According to WHO it accounts for almost 2% of deaths worldwide. The etiology of suicidal behavior is complex but the results of many studies suggest that genetic determinants are of significant importance. In our study,--we have analyzed selected SNPs polymorphisms in the DRD2 and ANKK1 genes in patients with alcohol dependence syndrome (169 Caucasian subjects) including a subgroup of individuals (n = 61) who have experienced at least one suicide attempt. The aim of the study was to verify if various haplotypes of selected genes, comprising Taq1A, Taq1B, and Taq1D single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), play any role in the development of alcohol dependence and suicidal behavior. The control group comprised 157 unrelated individuals matched for ethnicity, gender,- and age and included no individuals with mental disorders. All subjects were recruited in the North West region of Poland. The study showed that alcohol dependent subjects with a history of at least one suicidal attempt were characterized by a significantly higher frequency of the T-G-A2 haplotype when compared to individuals in whom alcohol dependence was not associated with suicidal behavior (p = 0.006). It appears that studies based on identifying correlation between SNPs is the future for research on genetic risk factors that contribute to the development of alcohol addiction and other associated disorders. To sum up, there is a necessity to perform further research to explain dependencies between the dopaminergic system, alcohol use disorders and suicidal behavior.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Alcoholism / genetics*
  • Female
  • Haplotypes*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Polymorphism, Genetic*
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics*
  • Receptors, Dopamine D2 / genetics*
  • Suicide / psychology*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Receptors, Dopamine D2
  • ANKK1 protein, human
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Higher Education: NN 402466540. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.