Kandemis, EmineTuncel, GültenAsut, ÖzenErgoren, Mahmut C.2024-07-092024-07-092020-01-011389-2002https://doi.org/10.2174/1389200221666200620201348https://hdl.handle.net/11452/43101Background: The use of psychoactive substances is one of the most dangerous social problems worldwide. Nicotine dependence results from the interaction between neurobiological, environmental and genetic factors. Semtonin is a neurotransmitter that has a wide range of central nervous system activities. The serotonin transporter gene has been previously linked to psychological traits.Objective: A variable number of tandem repeats within the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic gene region are believed to alter the transcriptional efficiency of the 5-HTT gene. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between this polymorphic site and smoking behavior in the Turkish Cypriot population.Methods: A total of 259 (100 smokers, 100 non-smokers and 59 ex-smokers) Turkish Cypriots were included in this population-based cross-sectional study. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and the 5-HTTVNTR2 polymorphisms were determined by the PCR-RFLP.Results: The allelic frequency and genotype distribution results of this study showed a strong association (P<0.0001) between smokers and non-smokers. No statistical significance was found between non-smokers and ex-smokers.Conclusion: This is the first genetic epidemiology study to investigate the allelic frequencies of 5-HTTVNTR2 polymorphisms associated with smoking behavior in the Turkish Cypriot population. Based on the results of this study, genome-wide association studies should be designed for preventive medicine in this population.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessStin2 vntr polymorphismGeneSmokingReceptorsBehaviorAlcoholProteinNumberSerotoninNicotineSmokingCyprusNeurotransmitter agentsTobaccoScience & technologyLife sciences & biomedicineBiochemistry & molecular biologyPharmacology & pharmacyArticle00057518910000446647021610.2174/1389200221666200620201348