The CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 nicotinic receptor subunit gene cluster affects risk for nicotine dependence in African-Americans and in European-Americans.

ABSTRACT: Genetic association studies have shown the importance of variants in the CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 cholinergic nicotinic receptor subunit gene cluster on chromosome 15q24-25.1 for the risk of nicotine dependence, smoking, and lung cancer in populations of European descent. We have carried out a detailed study of this region using dense genotyping in both European-Americans and African-Americans. We genotyped 75 known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and one sequencing-discovered SNP in an African-American sample (N = 710) and in a European-American sample (N = 2,062). Cases were nicotine-dependent and controls were nondependent smokers. The nonsynonymous CHRNA5 SNP rs16969968 is the most significant SNP associated with nicotine dependence in the full sample of 2,772 subjects [P = 4.49 x 1

SUBMITTER: Saccone NL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2874321 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature