In a Hawaii Hereditary Anemia Screening Project, 4,984 participants were tested for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency by a filter paper blood spot fluorescence test. Abnormal samples and suspected heterozygotes were checked by quantitative G6PD assay (normal 4.5 to 14 units/g Hb). G6PD was deficient (< 1.5 units/g Hb) in 188 of 2,155 males; 7 other males had low activity (1.5 to 2.8 units/g Hb). The gene frequency, estimated from males after excluding referred and related cases, was 0.037 for Chinese, 0.134 for Filipinos, and 0.203 for Laotians. Among 2,829 females tested, family data showed 111 females were obliged to be at least heterozygous, regardless of G6PD activity, and 43 others had low G6PD activity. Most heterozygotes probably remained undetected by G6PD screening. In 28 females, activity was under 10%; in another 9 females, activity was < 1.5 units/g Hb. Since only 25 homozygotes would be predicted, this apparent excess of females with deficient activity could be due to unequal X-inactivation in some heterozygotes. DNA analysis by polymerase chain reaction amplification and special analytic procedures revealed 10 different missense mutations in 75 males. The nucleotide 835 A-->T and 1360 C-->T transitions were first detected in this Hawaiian Project; we found that the nucleotide 1360 mutation was the most common cause of G6PD deficiency in Filipinos. This is the first report of G6PD screening and analysis of molecular G6PD mutations in Filipino and Laotian populations.

Thellungiella salsuginea is highly tolerant to abiotic stress, while its a close relative Arabidopsis thaliana is sensitive to stress. This characteristic makes T. salsuginea an excellent model for uncovering the mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance. Abscisic acid (ABA) plays essential roles in plant abiotic and biotic stress tolerance.• To test the changes in gene expression of T. salsuginea under ABA treatment, in this study, the transcriptomes of T. salsuginea roots and leaves were compared in response to exogenously application of ABA.• The results showed that ABA treatment caused different expression of 2,200 and 3,305 genes in leaves and roots, respectively, compared with the untreated control. In particular, genes encoding transcription factors such as WRKY, MYB, NAC, GATA, ethylene-responsive factors (ERFs), heat stress transcription factors, basic helix-loop-helix, PLATZ and B3 domain-containing family members were enriched. In addition, 49 and 114 differentially expressed genes were identified as ABA-regulated genes, separately in leaves and roots, respectively, which were related to biotic and abiotic stresses. The expression levels of some genes were validated by qRT-PCR. Different responses of genes to ABA treatment were discovered in T. salsuginea and A. thaliana.• This transcriptome analysis expands our understanding of the role of ABA in stress tolerance in T. salsuginea. Our study provides a wealth of information for improving stress tolerance in crop plants.Plant Biology 21 (2019) 796-804