However, some variation existed in the gene encoding cytosolic ALDH1 (i.e., the ALDH1A1 gene). About 10 percent of the people studied carried one copy of the variant ALDH1A1*2 allele (i.e., had an ALDH1A1*1/*2 genotype). Of these, 4 were Afro-Trinidadians (2 alcoholics and 2 control subjects) and 20 were Indo-Trinidadians (18 alcoholics and 2 control subjects). Moreover, two articipants (one Indo-Trinidadian alcoholic and one Afro-Trinidadian alcoholic) were homozygous for ALDH1A1*2 (i.e., had the ALDH1A1*2/*2 genotype). Additionally, four participants possessed an ALDH1A1*3 allele, all of whom were Afro-Trinidadian control subjects. Indo-Trinidadian participants with at least one ALDH1A1*2 allele were more likely to be alcohol dependent. Among Afro-Trinidadians, however, the small number of subjects with atypical ALDH1A1 polymorphisms limited any conclusions on the possible impact on alcoholism in that population (Moore et al. 2007).
