Lack of association of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) functional polymorphism in bipolar affective disorder

Abnormal catecholamine transmission has been implicated in the pathogenesis of mood disorders. Consequently, alterations in genes that are involved in catecholamine metabolism could be potential candidates for bipolar affective disorder (BPD) vulnerability. One such candidate is catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). A functional polymorphism has recently been characterized that is responsible for substantial variability in COMT enzymatic activity. A relatively low activity allele is associated with a methionine residue at amino acid 158 of membrane bound COMT whereas a high activity variant has a valine at this site. We have now screened 63 unrelated patients with BPD for this functional polymorphism. However no significant association was detected. This suggests that the codon 158 COMT polymorphism is not a susceptibility gene in BPD.