Genetic variation in oxidative stress and DNA repair genes in a Mexican population

Oxidative stress has been associated with several complex diseases. Effects generated as a result of oxidative stress may be modulated by various genes. Variation in these genes, particularly when located within coding or regulating regions, may be the primary cause of this modulation. The aim of this work was to determine the allelic and genotypic frequencies of CAT C-262T, SOD3 Ala58Thr, APEX1 Asp148Glu, XPD Lys751Gln and XRCC3 Thr241Met genetic markers in a northern Mexican population.

This study analysed 250 unrelated individuals by RT-PCR.

A high allele mutant frequency was found in SOD3 Ala58Thr and APEX1 Asp148Glu genetic markers (0.395 and 0.38, respectively). A correspondence analysis showed that northern Mexicans are close to European populations. A linkage disequilibrium test between XPD Lys751Gln and CAT C-262T and XPD Lys751Gln and SOD3 Ala58Thr genetic markers was significant (p = 0.000).

The genetic markers described in this work will be a valuable resource for future functional studies in the northern Mexican population to explore comprehensively their role in the aetiology of human diseases. Furthermore, it will be necessary to replicate these studies in other regions of Mexico due to differences between Mexican sub-populations.