Assessment of OPRM1 and HRH2 gene variants in Vietnamese using RFLP-PCR

Abstract

The gene encoding the mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) has been reported to associate with a range of substance dependence and HRH2 is the gene coding histamine H2 receptor, the site of action for various compounds, e.g. amitriptiline and mianserin, used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Both OPRM1and HRH2 genes contain some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including +118A/G in OPRM1 and +398T/C in HRH2, which were reported to change in protein sequences and result in affecting the therapeutic response. Some previous studies revealed linkage between these rare alleles and propensity towards drug dependence. This paper reports the data of an investigation on frequencies of several SNPs at OPRM1 and HRH2 loci in a Vietnamese population by using RFLP-PCR technique. For OPRM1, the IVS2+691G allele appeared with a frequency of 25%. The SNP +543G/A were found at the HRH2 locus with frequency of 5%. These frequencies seemed to concur with those found in previous studíes in some other Asian populations, such as Japanese, Indian or Chinese but notably the frequencies of these alleles found in Vietnamese appeared to differ significantly from those found in European and African- American populations as revealed by previous investigations.