Genetic polymorphisms and linkage disequilibrium of sulfotransferase SULT1A1 and SULT1A2 in a Korean population: comparison of other ethnic groups

摘要

Aims: To determine the allele frequencies of sulfotransferases (SULTs) 1A1 and 1A2 and their linkage disequilibrium in a Korean population and compare them with those of other ethnic groups. Methods: Genotypes of the SULT1A1*1, *2, and *3 and SULT1A2*1, *2, and *3 allelic variants were determined in 234 Korean subjects using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods. Results: Allele frequencies for SULT1A1*1 and *2 were 0.876 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.843–0.905] and 0.124 (95% CI, 0.096–0.157), respectively. Similarly, those for SULT1A2*1 and *2 were 0.885 (95% CI, 0.852–0.912) and 0.115 (95% CI, 0.088–0.150), respectively. However, no subject with SULT1A1*3 or SULT1A2*3 was detected. These genotype distributions are similar to those of Asian populations including the Chinese and Japanese, but quite different from other ethnic groups such as African-Americans and Caucasians. The expected allelic frequencies of SULT1A1 and SULT1A2 at Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium are quite similar to the observed distributions in the population. SULT1A1*2 and SULT1A2*2, the most common variant alleles of these two genes, are strongly and positively linked in the Korean population (D′=0.8919, χ2 =343.24, P=0.0034). Conclusions: SULT1A1*2 and SULT1A2*2 are the major allelic variants in the Korean population, whereas the SULT1A1*3 and SULT1A2*3 alleles were not found. SULT1A1*2 and SULT1A2*2 are strongly linked.