The Association Between the Serotonin Receptor Type 1B (HTR1B) Gene rs13212041 Polymorphism and Trait Anxiety in China Han College Subjects

Abstract

Trait anxiety is a vulnerable personality factor for anxiety and depression. High levels of trait anxiety confer elevated risk for the development of anxiety and other psychiatric disorders. There is evidence that serotonin receptor type 1B (5-HT1B) gene polymorphisms play an important role in emotional disorders. Genotyping for four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) (rs11568817, rs130058, rs6297 and rs13212041) was conducted for 388 high trait-anxious (HTA) individuals and 463 low trait-anxious (LTA) individuals in China Han college subjects. The results showed that the frequency of the C-allele and TC+CC genotype in rs13212041 in the LTA individuals was higher than that in the HTA individuals (p = 0.025 and p = 0.014, respectively). Both the C-allele and TC+CC genotype were associated with trait anxiety decreasing (OR = 0.771 and OR = 0.71, respectively). Furthermore, different gene models analysis also showed that the C allele is a protective factor in trait anxiety in Chinese Han college subjects. These findings suggest that the variance in 5-HT1B gene polymorphisms may play a role in trait anxiety in China Han college subjects. The rs13212014 polymorphism may be involved in decreasing the risk of trait anxiety. These results also provide a novel insight into the molecular mechanism about trait anxiety.