Genetic polymorphisms in the serotonin receptor 7 (HTR7) gene are associated with cortisol levels in African American young adults

Abstract

Serotonin is a neurohormone involved in biological processes, Introduction: such as behavior and immune function. Chronic psychosocial stressors may cause serotonin release resulting in immune system dysregulation, as evidenced by increased or far decreased levels of cortisol, a blood biomarker of stress and immune function. We hypothesize that genetic polymorphisms in the gene are associated with both hypo-and hyper-cortisolism. HTR7Methods: The study population included 602 African American subjects between 18-34 years of age, living in Washington, D.C. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in , rs2420367, rs12412496, rs2185706, rs7089533, and HTR7 rs7093602 were genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism or the TaqMan assay. Statistical analysis, using the program SNPstat, was performed to determine their associations with cortisol measured in the study population.While an increased risk of hypocortisolism was found to be associated Results: with rs2420367, rs2185706, and rs7093602 in a gender specific manner, no genotypes could be associated with hypercortisolism. Inversely, a decreased risk of hypocortisolism was found with the haplotype CGGCC (p=0.033), which remained significant in males. When adjusting for gender, females associated with the haplotype AGACC. Hypercortisolism was also associated with a decreased risk for the haplotypes AAACC (p=0.042) and AAGTT (p=0.001).Based on these results, genetic variation in the gene may Discussion: HTR7 contribute to both stress and inflammation, and will provide a new glimpse into stress-related inflammation psychophysiology.

5-HT7 Receptor Restrains 5-HT–induced 5-HT2A Mediated Contraction in the Isolated Abdominal Vena Cava

“…Several reports have described variants in the 5-HT 7 receptor gene in humans with alcoholism 36 and cortisol levels in African American adults. 37 We could find no studies that investigated associations of 5-HT 7 receptor variants with aspects of the cardiovascular system. Do the 5-HT 2A and 5-HT 7 Receptor Physically Interact?…”

A functional variant in the serotonin receptor 7 gene (HTR7), rs7905446, is associated with good response to SSRIs in bipolar and unipolar depression

“…HTR7 knock-out mice or mice with pharmacological blockade of HTR7 showed antidepressant-like behavior (13-16). A recent study showed genetic polymorphisms in HTR7 were associated with hypocortisolism in a gender specific manner in African American subjects, suggesting HTR7 may contribute to stress system dysregulations (17). Emerging preclinical evidence have suggested that HTR7 is involved in the action of antidepressants.…”