Objective: The ABCB1 (MDR1) multidrug transporter plays a key role in determining drug bioavailability. Differences in drug response exist among different ethnic groups. However, until now, no haplotype data are available in a Black African population.
Methods: Exons 2, 7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 21, 26, and the surrounding intronic regions were sequenced using genomic DNA from 111 Beninese subjects to examine 19 intragenic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Linkage disequilibrium analysis and haplotypes were generated using the expectation-maximization algorithm.
Results: We identified 12 SNPs, 3 of which were novel: IVS9-57delA, IVS9-8T>A, 1662G>C (exon 14). The most common SNP was IVS14+38A>G. At the MRD1 locus, 53 haplotypes were inferred from the SNP data sets. The 4 SNPs, IVS6+139C>T, IVS9-44A>G, 1236C>T, and 3435C>T, showed strong linkage disequilibrium with each other, confirming the block concept. Moreover, our findings suggest that ABCB1 exonic SNPs are less frequently observed in our population than in African-Americans.
Conclusion: Our data are compatible with a close evolutionary relationship in Black Africans from Benin.