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Significant Contribution of Variants in Serotonin Transporter and Receptor Genes to Smoking Dependence

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Tobacco Smoking Addiction: Epidemiology, Genetics, Mechanisms, and Treatment

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Abstract

Although genetics contributes significantly to smoking addiction, the susceptibility genes and variants underlying it remain largely unknown. Many years of genome-wide and candidate gene-based association studies have implicated a number of genes and biological pathways in the etiology of nicotine and other addictions. In this chapter, we focus on current evidence, primarily from human genetic studies, supporting the involvement of variants in the serotonin transporter and receptor genes in the etiology of nicotine dependence (ND) based on both individual SNP- and haplotype-based association analysis, as well as gene-by-gene interaction studies. Current efforts aim not only to replicate these findings in independent samples but also to identify which variant(s) contributes to the etiology of ND and through what molecular mechanisms.

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Acknowledgments

This chapter was modified from the work reported by our group in New Developments in Serotonin Research (edited by Li, M.D. pp. 1–26, Nova Science Publishers Inc., 2015). The related contents are re-used with permission.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA

    Ming D. Li

  2. Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Ming D. Li

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Li, M.D. (2018). Significant Contribution of Variants in Serotonin Transporter and Receptor Genes to Smoking Dependence. In: Tobacco Smoking Addiction: Epidemiology, Genetics, Mechanisms, and Treatment. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7530-8_9

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