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Cytochrome P450 2A6 (CYP2A6) is a polymorphic enzyme responsible for the oxidation of certain precarcinogens and drugs and is the major nicotine C-oxidase. The role of CYP2A6 for nicotine elimination was emphasised recently by the finding that smokers carrying defective CYP2A6 alleles consumed fewer cigarettes Pianezza et al. (1998) Nature 393, 750. The method used for CYP2A6 genotyping has, however, been found to give erroneous results with respect to the coumarin hydroxylase phenotype, a probe reaction for the CYP2A6 enzyme. The present study describes an allele-specific PCR genotyping method that identifies the major defective CYP2A6 allele and accurately predicts the phenotype. An allele frequency of 1-3% was observed in Finnish, Spanish, and Swedish populations, much lower than described previously.
Oscarson et al. (Fri,) studied this question.