TITLE:
Association between Dopamine Transporter Gene (DAT1) Polymorphisms and Eating Disorders with Binge Eating Behavior
AUTHORS:
Takashi Hirata, Takuji Uemura, Manabu Shinohara, Masami Hirano
KEYWORDS:
Eating Disorder, Binge Eating Behavior, DAT1, Association Study, Polymorphism
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Psychiatry,
Vol.7 No.4,
September
20,
2017
ABSTRACT: Objectives: Dyshomeostasis of the dopaminergic system is implicated in the
pathophysiology of eating disorders (EDs). We have previously reported an
association between 3'-UTR VNTR
(three prime untranslated region variable number of tandem repeat) of the
Dopamine Transporter 1 (DAT1) gene
and ED with binge eating behavior (EDBEB). Here we investigated whether
variants in the coding region of the DAT1 gene also associate with EDBEB. Methods: The coding region and exon-intron junctions of the DAT1 gene were screened by direct sequencing using genomic DNA from
EDBEB patients (n = 90) and healthy subjects (n = 114) on whom 3'-UTR VNTR
variants had been previously determined. Results: rs2270912 and rs28363130,
two of five known polymorphisms found by this screen, were significantly
associated with EDBEB patients by genotype (p = 0.003, p = 0.011, respectively) and
allele (p = 0.003, p = 0.012, respectively) frequency
compared with healthy subjects. Interestingly, these polymorphisms associate
with the risk 3'-UTR VNTR
variant of EDBEB. Conclusion: Although our sample size was small, we
show here that rs2270912 and rs28363130 associates with EDBEB and might act
with 3'-UTR VNTR
as a haplotype. These findings support the notion that the DAT1 gene plays a key role in the dopaminergic system of EDBEB.