title: Characterization of genetic variation and natural selection at the arylamine N-acetyltransferase genes in global human populations.
abstract: Functional variability at the arylamine N-acetyltransferase genes is associated with drug response in humans and may have been adaptive in the past owing to selection pressure from diet and exposure to toxins during human evolution.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We have characterized nucleotide variation at the NAT1 and NAT2 genes, and at the NATP1 pseudogene in global human populations, including many previously under-represented African populations, in order to identify potential functional variants and to understand the role that natural selection has played in shaping variation at these loci in globally diverse populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have resequenced approximately 2800 bp for each of the NAT1 and NAT2 gene regions, as well as the pseudogene NATP1, in 197 African and 132 nonAfrican individuals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observe a signature of balancing selection maintaining variation in the 3'-UTR of NAT1, suggesting that these variants may play a functional role that is currently undefined. In addition, we observed high levels of nonsynonymous functional variation at the NAT2 locus that differs amongst ethnically diverse populations.
authors: Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
authors: Holly M
authors: HM
authors: Mortensen
authors: Alain
authors: A
authors: Froment
authors: Godfrey
authors: G
authors: Lema
authors: Jean-Marie
authors: JM
authors: Bodo
authors: Muntaser
authors: M
authors: Ibrahim
authors: Thomas B
authors: TB
authors: Nyambo
authors: Sabah A
authors: SA
authors: Omar
authors: Sarah A
authors: SA
authors: Tishkoff
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions / Q000235:genetics; D000349:Africa; D000569:Americas; D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D001208:Asia; D005060:Europe; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics*; D008877:Middle East; D010641:Phenotype; D011153:Population / Q000235:genetics*; D011544:Pseudogenes / Q000235:genetics; D012641:Selection, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015262:Xenobiotics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D007527:Isoenzymes; D015262:Xenobiotics; D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase; C089384:N-acetyltransferase 1; C478900:NAT2 protein, human