BaIl and MspI polymorphisms of the dopamine D3 receptor gene in African blacks and caucasians

An exonic BalI polymorphism and an intronic Mspl polymorphism of the dopamine D3 gene were genotyped in 101 Caucasians from the Alsace and in 56 people from the Congo. This is the first study of the Ballpolymorphism in sub-Saharan Africa and the first population study of the MspIsite. Ballallele 1 was rare in the Congo (0.12) whereas it is the most frequent allele in all studies in Europe and Asia. MspIallele 1 was also significantly less frequent in the Congolese (0.24) than in Caucasians (0.52). D3 gene alleles show different frequencies in sub-Saharan Africa and may be useful for population studies. © 1996 S. Karger AG, Basel.