What does the 5-HTTLPR gene do?
Introduction. Serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission has a key role in stress sensitivity and in vulnerability to negative affect. The serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) encodes the serotonin transporter protein (5-HTT), which acts as a key regulator by removing serotonin from the synaptic cleft.
What is the 5-HTT gene associated with?
autism
The 5-HTT gene has been associated with both depression and autism. The serotonin transporter protein (5-HTT/SLC6A4) transports the neurotransmitter serotonin from synapses to presynaptic neurons. It seems to be an important component in the physiological response to cocaine and amphetamines.
Who discovered 5-HTTLPR?
It is thus not surprising that the gene associated with serotonin transport (SLC6A4) has been the focus of extensive research. More than a decade ago, a polymorphism in the promoter region of the gene encoding 5-HTT, referred to as 5-HTTLPR, was identified by Heils et al.
What gene codes for serotonin?
The gene that encodes the serotonin transporter is called solute carrier family 6 (neurotransmitter transporter, serotonin), member 4 (SLC6A4, see Solute carrier family). In humans the gene is found on chromosome 17 on location 17q11.
What is polymorphism serotonin transporter?
Polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms ( 5-HTTLPR) modifies the association between significant life events and depression in people with multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler.
What does HTT gene do?
The HTT gene provides instructions for making a protein called huntingtin. Although the exact function of this protein is unknown, it appears to play an important role in nerve cells (neurons) in the brain and is essential for normal development before birth.
Is serotonin a gene?
The serotonin transporter (5HTT) is a key protein of the serotonergic system which regulates serotonin concentration in the synaptic cleft and extrasynaptic sites. The human serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) is mapped to chromosome 17q11. 1–17q12, and several polymorphisms within the SLC6A4 gene have been described.
Is 5-HTTLPR a gene?
5-HTTLPR (serotonin-transporter-linked promoter region) is a degenerate repeat polymorphic region in SLC6A4, the gene that codes for the serotonin transporter. Since the polymorphism was identified in the middle of the 1990s, it has been extensively investigated, e.g., in connection with neuropsychiatric disorders.
What is transporter gene?
Gene, transporter: A gene that allows drugs to enter cells or, in some cases, acts to keep them out. Transporter genes may account for discrepancies in the way drugs such as antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and chemotherapy agents work in different people. Also known as a drug-transporter gene.
What is serotonin produced by?
In the central nervous system (CNS), serotonin is almost exclusively produced in neurons originating in the raphe nuclei located in the midline of the brainstem. These serotonin-producing neurons form the largest and most complex efferent system in the human brain.
Is 5-HTT a biomarker of treatment response in depression?
5-HTT mRNA level as a potential biomarker of treatment response in patients with major depression in a clinical trial The 5-HTT mRNA level increased and correlated with the treatment response (HDRS score improvement) under 32-weeks antidepressants treatment clinical trial.
What is the serotonin-transporter-linked promoter region (httlpr)?
5-HTTLPR (serotonin-transporter-linked promoter region) is a degenerate repeat polymorphic region in SLC6A4, the gene that codes for the serotonin transporter . Since the polymorphism was identified in the middle of the 1990s, it has been extensively investigated, e.g., in connection with neuropsychiatric disorders .
What are the alleles associated with the 5-HTTLPR?
The initial genetic association studies involving the 5-HTTLPR considered just two alleles: the short and the long. The short allele was associated with reduced transcriptional efficiency of the 5-HTT gene, and lower expression of 5-HTT.
Are event related potentials P3a and P3b related to genetic variants of 5-HTTLPR?
The relationship between the Event Related Potentials P3a and P3b and the genetic variants of 5-HTTLPR were investigated using an auditory oddball paradigm and revealed short allele homozygotes mimicked those of COMT met/met homozygotes with an enhancement of the frontal, but not parietal P3a and P3b.