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Genetic variants associated with arsenic metabolism within human arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase show wide variation across multiple populations

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Abstract

Human arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (AS3MT) is known to catalyze the methylation of arsenite. The objective of this study was to investigate the diversity of the AS3MT gene in Mexican and German populations. The distribution of 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in AS3MT was assessed on healthy individuals: 38 Mestizo, 69 Nahuas, 50 Huicholes, and 32 Germans. All 18 SNPs were polymorphic in the German and Mexican populations. Of the three Mexican populations, a minor allele frequency was the highest in the Mestizo, followed by the Nahuas and Huicholes. In the German and three Mexican groups, haplotype #1(TATAGAAGTCTTCATGAC) was the most predominant. Seven haplotypes were newly found in the German and three Mexican populations. The D′ values between SNP pairs were high in the German and Nahua populations; they had a similar pattern. The pattern of the Mestizo was more similar to the African than to the other Mexican populations. Huicholes had a moderate pattern of the African and German/Nahua populations. The network had three clusters. One originated in the African population and another may have originated in an Asian (Chinese and/or Japanese) population. The third one may have originated among Caucasians. This study is the first to demonstrate the existence of genetic heterogeneity in the distribution of 18 SNPs in AS3MT of German and Mexican populations.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by Grants-in-Aid from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (19209025 and 21659175 to H. Takeshita and 21590736 to J. Fujihara).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, 89-1 Enya, Izumo, 693-8501, Shimane, Japan

    Junko Fujihara & Haruo Takeshita

  2. Division of Medical Genetics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui, Japan

    Toshihiro Yasuda

  3. Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Fukui, Japan

    Hideaki Kato

  4. Division of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, Japan

    Isao Yuasa

  5. Department of Molecular Biology in Medicine, Old Civil Hospital of Guadalajara and Health Sciences Center, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico

    Arturo Panduro

  6. Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan

    Takashi Kunito

Authors
  1. Junko Fujihara
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  2. Toshihiro Yasuda
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  3. Hideaki Kato
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  4. Isao Yuasa
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  5. Arturo Panduro
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  6. Takashi Kunito
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  7. Haruo Takeshita
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Haruo Takeshita.

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Fujihara, J., Yasuda, T., Kato, H. et al. Genetic variants associated with arsenic metabolism within human arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase show wide variation across multiple populations. Arch Toxicol 85, 119–125 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-010-0568-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-010-0568-y

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