Letter to the Editor Sweet taste and (AAT)12 repeat in the cannabinoid receptor gene in obese females

摘要

Dear Sir; We read with interest the article by Jyotaki etal.[l], entitled "Modulation of sweet taste sensitivity by orex-igenic and anorexigenic factors.", which summarized recent findings regarding the roles of leptin and endo-cannabinoids as modulators of the peripheral components of sweet taste. Polymorphism of the cannabinoid receptor (CNR1) gene was implicated in the modulation of the endocannabinoid system metabolic and center effects [2]. The gene that codes for CNR1 is located in chromosome 6ql4-ql5. At the 3' extreme of CNR 1, there is a polymorphic (AAT)n triplet (number of 12-20) which facilitates classification of the population according to the length of the repeats. The presence of long alleles, thus, a higher number of AAT triplets, yields the conformation of a Z shape in the DNA, which may lead to altered gene transcription. Ballon et al. reported that the (AAT) 12 repeat allele near the CNR1 gene was associated with a predisposition to cocaine addiction in an African-Caribbean population [3].