Polymorphism screening and haplotype analysis of the tryptophan hydroxylase gene (TPH1) and association with bipolar affective disorder in Taiwan

BACKGROUND: Disturbances in serotonin neurotransmission are implicated in the etiology of many psychiatric disorders, including bipolar affective disorder (BPD). The tryptophan hydroxylase gene (TPH), which codes for the enzyme catalyzing the rate-limiting step in serotonin biosynthetic pathway, is one of the leading candidate genes for psychiatric and behavioral disorders. In a preliminary study, we found that TPH1 intron7 A218C polymorphism was associated with BPD. This study was designed to investigate sequence variants of the TPH1 gene in Taiwanese and to test whether the TPH1 gene is a susceptibility factor for the BPD. METHODS: Using a systematic approach, we have searched the exons and promoter region of the TPH1 gene for sequence variants in Taiwanese Han and have identified five variants, A-1067G, G-347T, T3804A, C27224T, and A27237G. These five variants plus another five taken from the literature and a public database were examined for an association in 108 BPD patients and 103 controls; no association was detected for any of the 10 variants. RESULTS: Haplotype constructions using these 10 SNPs showed that the 3 most common haplotypes in both patients and controls were identical. One of the fourth common haplotype in the patient group (i.e. GGGAGACCCA) was unique and showed a trend of significance with the disease (P = 0.028). However, the significance was abolished after Bonferroni correction thus suggesting the association is weak. In addition, three haplotype-tagged SNPs (htSNPs) were selected to represent all haplotypes with frequencies larger than 2% in the Taiwanese Han population. The defined TPH1 htSNPs significantly reduce the marker number for haplotype analysis thus provides useful information for future association studies in our population. CONCLUSION: Results of this study did not support the role of TPH1 gene in BPD etiology. As the current studies found the TPH1 gene under investigation belongs to the peripheral serotonin system and may link to a cardiac dysfunction phenotype, a second TPH gene that functions predominantly in the brain (i.e., nTPH or TPH2) should be the target for the future association study

Ontogeny of central serotonergic neurons in the directly developing frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui

Embryonic development of the central serotonergic neurons in the directly developing frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui , was determined by using immunocytochemistry. The majority of anuran amphibians (frogs) possess a larval stage (tadpole) that undergoes metamorphosis, a dramatic post-embryonic event, whereby the tadpole transforms into the adult phenotype. Directly developing frogs have evolved a derived life-history mode where the tadpole stage has been deleted and embryos develop directly into the adult bauplan. Embryonic development in E. coqui is classified into 15 stages (TS 1–15; 1 = oviposition / 15 = hatching). Serotonergic immunoreactivity was initially detected at TS 6 in the raphe nuclei in the developing rhombencephalon. At TS 7, immunopositive perikarya were observed in the paraventricular organ in the hypothalamus and reticular nuclei in the hindbrain. Development of the serotonergic system was steady and gradual during mid-embryogenesis. However, starting at TS 13 there was a substantial increase in the number of serotonergic neurons in the paraventricular, raphe, and reticular nuclei, a large increase in the number of varicose fibers, and a differentiation of the reticular nuclei in the hindbrain. Consequentially, E. coqui displayed a well-developed central serotonergic system prior to hatching (TS 15). In comparison, the serotonergic system in metamorphic frogs typically starts to develop earlier but the surge of development that transpires in this system occurs post-embryonically, during metamorphosis, and not in the latter stages of embryogenesis, as it does in E. coqui . Overall, the serotonergic development in E. coqui is similar to the other vertebrates.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47526/1/429_2005_Article_22.pd

Identification of a Functional TPH1 Polymorphism Associated With Irritable Bowel Syndrome Bowel Habit Subtypes

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Alterations in 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) signaling have been implicated as a factor contributing to the altered bowel habit of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients. Tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) is the rate–limiting enzyme in enterochromaffin cell 5-HT biosynthesis. We hypothesized that genetic variants affecting TPH1 gene expression might alter intestinal 5-HT bioavailability and subsequently the propensity for distinct bowel habit subtypes in IBS. In this study, we assessed the only common TPH1 proximal promoter variant (-347C/A; rs7130929) and its association with bowel habit predominance in IBS. METHODS: Electrophoretic mobility shift assays were performed to assess whether the -347C/A allele variant affects the DNA-binding of nuclear factors. Genotype distribution was determined for 422 IBS patients subtyped using Rome III criteria and for 495 healthy controls recruited from two university medical centers. Association with bowel habit was tested using a multinomial logistic regression model controlling for race, anxiety, depression, and study site. RESULTS: Early growth response factor 1 (EGR-1) bound with higher affinity to a site comprising the minor A-allele of SNP -347C/A. TPH1 genotype frequencies did not differ between IBS patients and controls overall. The CC genotype was more prevalent in the IBS-D subtype (47%) than in the IBS-C (25%) and IBS-M (37%) subtypes (P=0.039) after adjusting for race and other covariates. Colonic biopsies from a small cohort of IBS patients from one center were tested for higher TPH1 mRNA expression in samples with CC compared to CA genotype, but the results did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The TPH1 promoter SNP -347C/A differentially binds EGR1, correlates with IBS bowel habit subtypes and possibly colonic TPH1 expression consistent with its role in modulating intestinal 5-HT signaling