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Polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis is a rapid and sensitive method to identify point mutations in a given sequence of genomic DNA. We tried to apply the PCR-SSCP to the diagnosis of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) deficiency, which is an autosomal recessive hereditary disease leading to 2, 8-dihydroxyadenine urolithiasis. Genomic APRT genes, with or without mutations, were amplified and labeled simultaneously with 32P-dCTP by PCR. When run in a 6% polyacrylamide gel containing 10% glycerol, two types of mutant genes, APRT*Q0 and APRT*J, gave bands clearly distinct from those of the respective normal APRT genes. Since heterozygotes as well as homozygotes for these mutant APRT genes can be detected in 2 days, PCR-SSCP should be a valuable method in the diagnosis of APRT deficiency and in screening a large population for APRT mutant genes.