Analysis of polymorphisms in the alpha-subunit of the olfactory G-protein Golf in lithium-treated bipolar patients.

Objective: This study examines the alpha-subunit of the olfactory G-protein (G(olf)) as a possible candidate gene for bipolar disorder. The alpha-subunit of the G(olf) gene maps to a region on chromosome 18p that has been implicated in several linkage studies as a potential site of a bipolar disorder susceptibility loci.

Methods: We investigated whether two polymorphisms in the alpha-subunit of the G(olf) gene (A-->G in intron 3 and T-->G in intron 10) are associated with bipolar disorder in a sample of 149 bipolar patients under lithium treatment compared with 139 healthy controls using haplotype analysis.

Results: There was no evidence for an association between the investigated polymorphisms in the G(olf) gene and bipolar disorders, as well as to response to lithium treatment or common side effects, like hand tremor, weight gain and cognitive dysfunction.

Conclusion: The results of the present study do not support the hypothesis that the G(olf) gene is a major susceptibility factor for bipolar disorders.