Relationship between the 1359 G/A polymorphism of the Central Cannabinoid Receptor 1 (CNR1) gene and susceptibility to cannabis addiction in a Turkish population

In this study, we investigate the existence of a possible genetic association between 1359 G/A polymorphism of the Central Cannabinoid Receptor 1 (CNR1) Gene CNR1 (p.Thr453Thr; rs1049353) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and cannabis addiction. DNA samples used in this work are purified from venous leukocytes of 145 unrelated Turkish cannabis-dependent subjects and 140 Turkish control subjects. No significant difference is observed in genotype or allele frequencies of CNR1 1359 G/A polymorphism between these two groups. We also compared CNR1 1359 G/A polymorphism allele frequency distribution in our healthy Turkish population with other healthy populations. The comparison of healthy Turkish subjects with the healthy subjects from English-Irish, Chinese, European-American, African-American, Italian, German and Japanese populations revealed significant differences in allele frequencies. Data indicate that the 1359 G/A CNR1 polymorphism does not contribute to susceptibility to cannabinoid addiction in Turkish subjects. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on 1359 G/A CNR1 polymorphism in the Turkish population.