[Distribution of genotype and allele frequencies of dopamine D4 receptor gene 48 bp variable number tandem repeat polymorphism in Chinese Han population in Hunan].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the distribution of genotype and allele frequencies of the dopamine D4 receptor(DRD4) gene exon 3 48 bp variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism in Hunan Han population.

METHODS

The genotype and alleles of 304 healthy persons were examined with polymerase chain reaction, denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining.

RESULTS

Seven alleles and twelve genotypes were found. The most common allele was allele 5 with a frequency of 70.6%. There was statistically significant difference in allele distribution between the Hunan Han population and the Han population of other regions such as Shanghai, Beijing and Sichuan in China (P< 0.05). Different allele frequency distributions were observed when compared to other ethnic populations such as Japanese, American, Mexican, and Italian (P< 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The distributions of allele of DRD4 gene exhibit regional and ethnic heterogeneity.