Cholecystokinin (CCK) gene as a risk factor for smoking in women

摘要

The present invention is directed to the C-45T polymorphism in the Sp1 binding region of the CCK gene and the role of genetic variants in the CCK gene as a risk factor for smoking and/or unsuccessful smoking cessation in women. In particular, the invention is directed to a method for diagnosing a polymorphism which is a risk factor for smoking comprising hybridizing a nucleic acid probe, which hybridizes specifically to an isolated DNA comprising a nucleotide sequence coding for human CCK containing a polymorphism described herein or its complement, to a patient's sample of DNA or RNA under stringent conditions which allows hybridization of said probe to nucleic acid comprising said polymorphism but prevents hybridization of said probe to a wild-type nucleic acid, wherein the presence of a hybridization signal indicates the presence of said polymorphism.