Variation in tryptophan hydroxylase-2 gene is not associated to male completed suicide in Estonian population

Dysfunction of the central serotonergic system has been related to a spectrum of psychiatric disorders, including suicidal behavior. Tryptophan hydroxylase isoform 2 (TPH2) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of serotonin, being expressed in serotonergic neurons of raphe nuclei. We investigated genetic variation in TPH2 gene in two samples of male subjects: 288 suicide completers and 327 volunteers, in order to reveal any associations between 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms and completed suicide. No associations were revealed neither on allelic nor haplotype level. Our finding does not support the hypothesis of TPH2 being a susceptibility factor for completed suicide in males of Estonian origin. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.