Chupong Ittiwut. Inter-population linkage disequilibrium patterns of GABRA2 and GABRG1 genes at the GABA locus on human chromosome 4. Doctoral Degree(Biomedical Sciences). Chulalongkorn University. Center of Academic Resources. : Chulalongkorn University, 2007.
Inter-population linkage disequilibrium patterns of GABRA2 and GABRG1 genes at the GABA locus on human chromosome 4
Abstract:
GABRA2 and GABRG1, which encode the α2 and γ1 subunits, respectively, of the GABAA receptor, are located in a cluster on chromosome 4p. The GABRA2 locus has been found to be associated with alcohol dependence (AD) in several studies, but no functional variant that can account for this association has been identified. In order to understand the reported associations, we sought to understand LD patterns and haplotype structure of these genes. With close intergenic distance, ~90 kb, it was anticipated some markers might show intergenic LD. Variation in 13-SNP haplotype block structure was observed in 5 different populations: European American, African American, Chinese [Han and Thai], Thai, and Hmong. In Hmong, a 280 kb region of considerably higher LD spans the intergenic region, whereas in other populations, there were two or more LD blocks cross this region. To understand better the findings of association of AD with markers located at the 3’ region of GABRA2 which may be attributable to the adjacent gene, GABRG1, we genotyped Six tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that span GABRG1 and GABRA2 in 276 African-Americans (AAs) with AD and in 242 AA controls. Individual single SNP associations were tested by chi-square. Nominally significant allele frequency differences were identified for rs10938426, at GABRG1 intron 1, with p= 0.044. Significant differences in both genotype and allele frequency (p=0.008 and 0.007 respectively) were observed at rs279869, located at GABRA2 intron 6. We performed haplotype association analysis by means of PHASE. Six-SNP haplotypes combining SNPs from both gene loci showed differences between controls and AD subjects, p=0.0027, significant after Bonferroni correction. Two-SNP haplotype composed of rs10938426 and rs279869, showed greater significance (p=0.00013). This finding suggests significance of the interrelationship between these two genes and the possibility of risk loci in each of them. A two-SNP haplotype composed of one SNP from each gene suggests possible interaction of these genes and supports the involvement of both in predisposition to AD in AAs.