Clinical Significance
G6PD is remarkable for its genetic diversity. Many variants of G6PD, mostly produced from missense mutations, have been described with wide ranging levels of enzyme activity and associated clinical symptoms. Two transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene.
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is very common worldwide, and causes acute hemolytic anemia in the presence of simple infection, ingestion of fava beans, or reaction with certain medicines, antibiotics, antipyretics, and antimalarials.
Cell growth and proliferation are affected by G6PD. G6PD inhibitors are under investigation to treat cancers and other conditions. DHEA is a G6PD inhibitor.
Read more about this topic: Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase
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