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Serotonin transporter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in Croatian population

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Abstract

Serotonin transporter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) is a well-studied polymorphism in psychiatric research. The function of serotonin transporter is to control neural stimulation and maintain homeostasis of serotonin in other cells like platelets and enterochromaffin cells. Considering serotonin function in human behavior, and the role of serotonin transporter, 5-HTTLPR has been associated with depression related disorders, anxiety related personality traits, and adverse response to psychotherapy. However, many studies failed to replicate the association of 5-HTTLPR polymorphism with mentioned disorders. The aim of our study was to assess genotype frequencies in Croatian physically and psychologically healthy population and compare our results with previously published data. Genotype distribution in our research was similar to previous studies on Caucasian population regardless of inclusion criteria. Genotype distribution was as follows: LL 38 %; LS 45 %; SS 17 % and allele frequencies for L and S allele were 61 and 39 %, respectively. Obtained results were in an agreement with the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Comparing inclusion criteria from different studies, we noticed a difference in population selection from one study to another. Increased possibility for selection bias, population stratification and complexity of psychiatric disorders might present a source of possible errors in genetic association studies.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, Republic of Croatia, project # 134-0000000-3372.

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None to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Transfusion and Hemostasis - Clinic for Tumors, Medical School University Hospital Sestre Milosrdnice, Ilica 197, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Jelena Culej

  2. University Department of Chemistry, Medical School University Hospital Sestre Milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia

    Mario Štefanović, Ivana Ćelap & Nora Nikolac

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Medical School University Hospital Sestre Milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia

    Dalibor Karlović

Authors
  1. Jelena Culej
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  2. Mario Štefanović
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  4. Nora Nikolac
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Correspondence to Jelena Culej.

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Culej, J., Štefanović, M., Ćelap, I. et al. Serotonin transporter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in Croatian population. Mol Biol Rep 42, 553–558 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-014-3800-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-014-3800-7

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