Rapid Pyrosequencing Method for FMO3 Non-Synonymous Genetic Variant Evaluation in A Korean Population

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to develop a feasible pyrosequencing method to detect non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3) gene and compare the ethnic differences in the frequencies of these alleles. Methods and Results: This pyrosequencing method was used to identify four non-synonymous FMO3 SNPs, including c.855C>T (rs909530), c.441C>T (rs1800822), c.923A>G (rs2266782), and c.472G>A (rs2266782). The allele frequencies of these SNPs in 122 unrelated Korean subjects were analyzed, and were as follows: 44.7% for c.855C>T, 23.4% for c.441C>T, 23.0% for c.923A>G, and 27.1% for c.472G>A. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis showed that c.923A>G and c.472G>A were in strong LD (D′ = 0.8289, r2 = 0.5332). Conclusions: The designed pyrosequencing method was successfully applied to identify the c.855C>T, c.441C>T, c.923A>G, and c.472G>A SNPs. The frequencies were similar to those reported previously in a Japanese population. However, in general, large differences between ethnicities were found.