Geographical distribution gradients of the major PKU mutations and the linked haplotypes

Analysis of 81 phenylketonuria families from Bulgaria, Lithuania and eastern Germany demonstrated a high frequency of haplotype 2 and the associated Arg408----Trp408 substitution. Haplotype 3 and the splicing mutation in intron 12 are rare or absent in the groups studies. Pooling the data on European populations suggests a Balto-Slavic origin of the defect in codon 408 of the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene and a geographical gradient in the distribution of both major PKU mutations which may contribute to the higher incidence of classic PKU in northern Europeans.