Serotonin transporter polymorphisms in familial and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Serotonin is a pulmonary vasoconstrictor and smooth muscle cell mitogen. The serotonin transporter (SERT) is abundant in pulmonary vascular smooth muscle. Compared with the short (S) allele, the long (L) SERT promoter allele is associated with increased SERT transcription and more severe pulmonary hypertension in a cohort of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and was more prevalent in a cohort with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), compared with control subjects.

Objective

We hypothesized that the SERT L allele would associate with an earlier age at diagnosis and/or shorter survival interval in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) than the S allele.

Methods

SERT promoters from 166 familial PAH (FPAH), 83 IPAH, and 125 cont

SUBMITTER: Willers ED 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2662954 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature