We have carried out a systematic study of the molecular basis of
glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (
G6PD) deficiency on three samples of 1,183 children aged 0.5-6 years from Erzurum, in eastern Anatolia. Total genomic DNAs were isolated from the blood samples of a healthy person and the three persons determined with
G6PD deficiency by examining the
enzyme activity and
hemoglobin ratio. Then PCR amplification of the entire coding region in eight fragments was carried out followed by
Agarose gel electrophoresis. The 540-bp PCR fragment containing exons VI-VII and the 550bp PCR fragment containing exons XI-XIII were digested with EcoRI and with NIaIII, respectively. SSCP techniques for eight fragments (exons II, III-IV, V, VI-VII, VIII, IX, X, and XI-XIII) were employed to determine the mutations on the exons of the G6PD gene. A mutation occurred on the region of the exons 6 and 7 of one person (person-1) and exon 5 of two G6PD-deficient persons (person 2 and 3) examined. The sequential approach described is fast and efficient and could be applied to other populations. Effects of
analgesic drugs on G6PD were studied on the purified
enzyme (
ammonium fractionation, dialysis and 2',5'
ADP-
Sepharose 4B affinity chromatography) for the healthy person and G6PD-deficient persons 1, 2 and 3. The effects of
remifentanil hydrochloride,
fentanyl citrate,
alfentanil hydrochloride and
pethidine hydrochloride, as
analgesic drugs, on G6PD activity were tested. Although
remifentanil hydrochloride,
fentanyl citrate (I50 values; 1.45mM and 6.1 mM, respectively) inhibited the activity of the
enzyme belonging to the healthy person, they did not alter
enzyme activity on two of the three persons with
G6PD deficiency. Other drugs (
alfentanil hydrochloride and
pethidine hydrochloride) did not effect the
enzyme activity of the healthy or G6PD-deficient children.