Objective: To explore the genetic association of PKCgamma gene rs3745406 polymorphism with major depressive disorder (MDD) and their clinical phenotypes.
Methods: A total of 453 Chinese Han MDD patients with an initial episode were recruited from our hospital. The symptomatic phenotypes of these cases were evaluated by HAMD. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing analysis were used to detect the genotype of rs3745406. Associations of allele, genotype and quantitative character were analyzed using the UNPHASED software.
Results: (1) The distributions of genotypes in both study and control samples were in a Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (chi(2) = 1.46, P = 0.25); (2) No significant allelic and genotypic association was found in these samples (P > 0.05); (3) Further analyses revealed a significant association between rs3745406 locus and HAMD suicidal phenotypes (chi(2) = 4.746, P = 0.0360).
Conclusion: The PKCgamma rs3745406 polymorphism is not significantly associated with MDD whereas it has a marked association with suicidal symptoms in MDD.