Abstract
Eating disorders are complex and multifactorial disorders, in which social, familial, and genetic factors are involved. The serotonin transporter is a key molecule in modulating eating behaviors. The SLC6A4 gene codes for the serotonin transporter protein, and it has been suggested as an important candidate in ED.
In this chapter, we described the findings of the association between SLC6A4 gene variants and ED. Most genetic studies have focused on the analysis of a polymorphism located in the promoter region, the 5-HTTLPR, which has been reported to predict a change in the gene expression. Furthermore, the association between psychiatric comorbidities related with a dysfunction in serotonin pathways suggests an involvement in the susceptibility to ED.
In the future, it will be interesting to carry out the analysis of genetic variants in populations not studied to identify variants that to date have not been observed in Caucasian populations.
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Abbreviations
- 5-HT:
-
5-Hydroxitriptamine, serotonin
- 5-HTTLPR:
-
Serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region
- AN:
-
Anorexia nervosa
- ANP:
-
Anorexia nervosa purgative
- ANR:
-
Anorexia nervosa restrictive
- BED:
-
Binge eating disorder
- BN:
-
Bulimia nervosa
- BNP:
-
Bulimia nervosa purgative
- CNS:
-
Central nervous system
- DSM-5:
-
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Version 5
- ED:
-
Eating disorders
- ICD-11:
-
International Classification of Diseases version 11
- SERT:
-
Serotonin transporter protein
- SLC6:
-
Solute carrier 6 transport family
- SLC6A4 :
-
Solute carrier family 6 member 4 (Homo sapiens, human)
- SRIs:
-
Serotonin reuptake inhibitors
- TM:
-
Transmembrane protein
- VNTR:
-
Variable number of tandem repeats
- WES:
-
Whole-exome sequencing
- WGS:
-
Whole-genome sequencing
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Camarena, B., Hernández-Muñoz, S. (2023). Genes and Eating Disorders. In: Patel, V.B., Preedy, V.R. (eds) Eating Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16691-4_7
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