An association study between the norepinephrine transporter gene and depression

A potential approach for identification of candidate genes for depression is characterization of chromosomal rearrangements. Through analysis of a chromosome translocation in an individual with recurrent depression, we identified a potential candidate gene: the norepinephrine transporter (NET; SLC6A2 for solute carrier 6 family member 2). The gene is responsible for the reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine into presynaptic nerve terminals and the norepinephrine system appears to play an important role in depression. We therefore analyzed genetic variants within SLC6A2 for association with depression in 408 affected and 559 control individuals from Denmark. After quality control of the genotypes, 31 of 45 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were left for analyses. One SNP showed a nominal association with depression but did not survive correction for multiple testing. The results from our study do not suggest SLC6A2 as a susceptibility gene for depression in the Danish population.