GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTP1 polymorphisms in the Korean population

The isoenzymes of the glutathione s transferase (GST) family play a vital role in phase II of biotransformation of many substances. Using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction and a direct sequencing analysis, the frequencies of GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1 polymorphisms were evaluated in 1,051 Korean male subjects. We found that 53.8% of the individuals had the GSTM1 null genotype and 54.3% had the GSTT1 null genotype. The genotypic distribution of GSTP1 was lle(105)/lle(105) in 68.4%, lle(105)/Val(105) in 29.1% and Val(105)/Val(105) in 2.5%. The most frequently observed combination of GSTM1, GSTP1 and GSTT1 genotypes was Null type/lle(105)/lle(105)/Null type, while the combination of Non-null type/Val(105)/Val(105)/Non-Null type was not observed. We found that the genotype distributions of three GST isoenzymes in the Koreans are similar to those reported in Asians and previously reported Koreans. We believe our results, which are represented by a large population, are reliable estimates of the frequencies of the polymorphic GST alleles in the Koreans and will help future researches on GST polymorph isms.