Association of BDNF and SERT gene polymorphisms with depression among Pakistani population

Abstract

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and serotonin transporter (SERT) is implicated in the adverse life events which lead to depression. The variation in genetic make-up of BDNF (Val66Met) and SERT (5’-HTTLPR) are potential biomarkers in the development of neuropsychiatric disorders including depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of functional polymorphisms of BDNF and SERT genes with depression among Pakistani population. A total of 373 participants (204 cases with depressive episodes and 169 healthy controls) with age between 14 and 65yrs were recruited from Pakistani population. BDNF and SERT gene polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR-RFLP analysis. The result showed that lack of association of Val66Met (χ2 : 3.596, p>0.05) and 5’-HTTLPR (χ2 : 0.634, p>0.05) gene polymorphisms were found with depression. However, SERT ‘SL’ (OR: 1.150, 95%CI: 0.601- 2.201) and BDNF ‘AA’ (OR: 1.651, 95%CI: 0.585-4.660) and ‘GA’ (OR: 2.279, 95%CI: 0.825-6.298) genotypes might be a risk genotypes for depression. Hence, it is concluded that the functional BDNF (Val66Met) and SERT (5’-HTTLPR) gene polymorphisms may not be associated with depression. Replication studies on these polymorphisms with large sample size are needed.