Association between a Polymorphism of Aminolevulinate Dehydrogenase (ALAD) Gene and Blood Lead Levels in Japanese Subjects

• Main Authors: Koichi Miyaki, Htay Lwin, Katsunori Masaki, Yixuan Song, Yoshimitsu Takahashi, Masaaki Muramatsu, Takeo Nakayama
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2009-03-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: ALAD gene; blood lead level; environmentally lead exposure; Japanese
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/6/3/999/
• ISSN: 1660-4601

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between the aminolevulinate dehydrogenase (ALAD) genotype and blood lead levels among 101 Japanese workers. Blood lead concentration measurement, biomarkers, and genotyping were performed. The minor allele frequency (MAF) for ALAD (ALAD2) was 0.08. Although the blood lead level in the subjects with heterozygous GC genotype was significantly higher than those with homozygous GG genotype, there were no significant differences for hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum and urinary ALA levels among genotypes. ALAD2 genotype was significantly associated with the blood lead concentration, even in the environmental lead exposed subjects. Further confirmation with a large sample size is needed.