Research Progress on the Relationship Between the Regulation of SLC6A4 Gene and Anxiety Disorders

Abstract

Anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental disorders. Numerous studies have demonstrated the critical role played by genetic variables in the etiology of anxiety disorders. SLC6A4, which encodes serotonin transporter, is considered to be an important gene associated with anxiety susceptibility. The SLC6A4 gene's upstream promoter has a polymorphism region that has an impact on the transcriptional activity of the gene. Research has shown that this promoter polymorphism has a certain relationship with the occurrence of anxiety disorders and drug treatment. Anxiety disorders are also linked to SLC6A4 gene methylation and intron 2 (Stin2) polymorphism. Stin2 point and SLC6A4 gene methylation are all related to gene expression. This review summarizes the current research on the relationship between SLC6A4 gene promoter polymorphism, Stin2 polymorphism, and SLC6A4 gene methylation in the pathogenesis and drug treatment of anxiety disorder, to understand the current research progress of SLC6A4 gene expression in anxiety disorder.