Ethnic diversity of DNA methylation in the OPRM1 promoter region in lymphocytes of heroin addicts.

ABSTRACT: The mu-opioid receptor is the site of action of many endogenous opioids as well as opiates. We hypothesize that differences in DNA methylation of specific CpG dinucleotides between former severe heroin addicts in methadone maintenance treatment and control subjects will depend, in part, upon ethnicity. DNA methylation analysis of the mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) promoter region was performed on African-Americans (118 cases, 80 controls) and Hispanics (142 cases, 61 controls) and these were compared with a similar Caucasian cohort from our earlier study. In controls, a higher methylation level was found in the African-Americans compared with the Hispanics or Caucasians. Significant experiment-wise differences in methylation levels were found at the -25 and +12 CpG sites in the controls a

SUBMITTER: Nielsen DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3739429 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature