Ethnic differences in CYP2C9*2 (Arg144Cys) and CYP2C9*3 (Ile359Leu) genotypes in Japanese and Israeli populations

The population studied consisted of 147 Japanese and 388 Israeli donors (100 Ashkenazi Jews, 99 Yemenite Jews, 100 Moroccan Jews and 89 Libyan Jews). The CYP2C9*2 [Arg144Cys (416 C > T), exon 3] and CYP2C9*3 [Ile359Leu (1061 A > C), exon 7] genotypes were determined using an OligoArrayR. The accuracy of genotyping by the OligoArrayR was verified by the fluorescent dye-terminator cycle sequencing method. A Hardy-Weinberg test indicated equilibrium (χ2 < 3.84 is Hardy-Weinberg) in all populations. The CYP2C9*2 genotype (CC / CT + TT) was absent in Japanese (1 / 0) (OR 0.02), and its frequency was significant in Libyan Jews (0.697 / 0.303) (OR 2.13; 95% CI 1.07-4.24) compared with Ashkenazi Jews (0.83 / 0.17), Yemenite Jews (0.899 / 0.101), and Moroccan Jews (0.81 / 0.19). The frequencies of CYP2C9*3 genotype (AA / AC + CC) was significantly lower in Japanese (0.986 / 0.014) (OR 0.08), and was higher in Libyan Jews (0.652 / 0.348) (OR 3.03; 95% CI 1.5-6.1) and Moroccan Jews (0.77 / 0.23) (OR 1.69; 95% CI 0.62-3.48) compared with those in Ashkenazi Jews (0.85 / 0.15) and Yemenite Jews (0.849 / 0.151). Thus, the CYP2C9*2 (Arg144Cys) and CYP2C9*3 (Ile359Leu) variants were rare in the Japanese population, and showed different frequencies in the four Jewish ethnic groups examined.