Highlights from the April 2011 Issue of DNA and Cell Biology

I n this month's issue of DNA and Cell Biology, Fujihara and colleagues present genotype and haplotype data of eleven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the human deoxyribonuclease I gene detected in 14 populations. Other studies linked SNPs in DNase I or variation in DNase I activity to gastric and colorectal cancers, myocardial infarction, autoimmune thyroid disease, and rheumatoid arthritis, though findings among studies have been varied or contradictory.

In their paper, “Functional and Genetic Survey of All Known SNPs Within the Human Deoxyribonuclease I Gene in Wide-Ranging Ethnic Groups,” Fujihara and colleagues investigated DNase I SNP genotypes, haplotypes, and serum DNase I levels among populations from Namibia, Ghana, South Africa, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Mexico. Only two haplotypes were seen in Asian populations; more haplotypes were detected in Caucasian and African populations. The differences among DNase I SNP frequencies and haplotypes detected within the ethnically varied populations studied by Fujihara et al. illustrate once again the importance of studying a diverse sample when trying to correlate gene polymorphism and disease.