Abstract

The glutathione S-transferase (GST) family of enzymes plays a vital role in phase II biotransformation of environmental carcinogens, pollutants, drugs and other xenobiotics. GSTs are polymorphic, with the form and incidence of polymorphism being ethnic dependent. Polymorphisms in GST genes have been shown to be associated with susceptibility to disease and disease outcome. We determined the frequencies of GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms in 110 unrelated healthy Arab volunteer subjects residing in UAE. Blood was collected and DNA extracted by proteinase K/SDS digestion. Information about social habits and health problems was also recorded. GSTM1 and GSTT1polymorphisms were analyzed by a PCR-Multiplex procedure. We found that 55.45% of the individuals had the GSTM1 null genotype, whereas 29% had the GSTT1 null genotype whereas 20.9% of the individuals had double null genotype ie both GSTT1 and GSTM1 absent. The frequencies of GST polymorphisms in the Arab population residing in UAE were found to be different from those observed in other population. This demonstrates the impact of environment and ethnicity and provide the basis for future epidemiological and clinical studies.

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