title: Distribution of xenobiotic metabolising enzyme genotypes in different Tunisian populations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) and glutathione transferase enzymes play a crucial role in the metabolism of xenobiotics. Genetic polymorphisms affecting these enzymes can modify their activities with an effect on individual susceptibility for different pathologies. These metabolic phenotypes occur with varying prevalence in different populations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to analyse the prevalence of important allelic variants of NAT2, GSTM1 and GSTT1 in different Tunisian populations and compare them to other previously reported data.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 253 unrelated subjects from different Tunisian populations participated in this study. Subjects were examined with respect to the frequency of slow NAT2, GSTM1*0 and GSTT1*0 genotypes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of 'slow' NAT2, GSTM1*0 and GSTT1*0 genotypes in the Tunisian population were, respectively, estimated at 23.3%, 53.75% and 29.24%. The frequency of slow NAT2 and GSTM1*0 genotypes were significantly different between the North, Centre and South of Tunisia. However, this study doesn't report any significant differences in the genotype distribution between Cosmopolitan, Arab and Berber populations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, these data indicate that the Tunisian population is highly heterogenic and, therefore, a strict definition of the populations involved in studies investigating the clinical effect of polymorphisms is required.
authors.affiliation: a Laboratoire d'ingénierie des protéines et des molécules recombinantes , Institut National des sciences appliquées et de technologie de Tunis, Université de Tunis Carthage , Tunisia.
authors.forename: Slah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ouerhani
authors.affiliation: b Laboratoire de génétique , immunologie et pathologies Humaine, Faculté des sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis el Manar , Tunisia.
authors.forename: Islem
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ben Bahria
authors.affiliation: a Laboratoire d'ingénierie des protéines et des molécules recombinantes , Institut National des sciences appliquées et de technologie de Tunis, Université de Tunis Carthage , Tunisia.
authors.forename: Kamel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rouissi
authors.affiliation: b Laboratoire de génétique , immunologie et pathologies Humaine, Faculté des sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis el Manar , Tunisia.
authors.forename: Lotfi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cherni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; C478900:NAT2 protein, human; C413545:glutathione S-transferase T1
keywords: Glutathione transferases; N-acetyltransferase 2; alleles; frequencies