Polymorphism analysis of MTHFR, factor II, and factor V genes in the Pomeranian population of Espirito Santo, Brazil.

Pomeranian populations worldwide immigrated originally from the north of Europe, and because of their preferential marriage, religion, and cultural habits, they show little or no reproductive mixing with local populations. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene (MTHFR) C677T, Factor V Leiden, and Factor II G20210A polymorphisms are linked to augmented clotting and their frequencies may vary according to population ethnicity. We aimed to assess the frequencies of these thrombophilic alleles in the Pomeranian population residing in Espirito Santo and compare with the general population of the Espirito Santo state, Brazil. A total of 200 individuals were analyzed. The intrapopulation fixation index of the MTHFR C677T polymorphism was 0.03736. The observed heterozygosity was 0.44 and 0.4 for the general and Pomeranian populations, respectively. According to the chi-square test, both populations are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Four polymorphic alleles were detected for Factor II (2.02%) and 8 for Factor V (4.81%). Our results show that there is gene flow between the general and the Pomeranian population of Espirito Santo, which should no longer be considered an isolated population.