Through the application of a specific oxidase stain to results of starch gel electrophoresis of human serum, three different electrophoretic forms of ceruloplasmin-denoted CpA (fast), CpB (intermediate), and CpC (slow)-have been defined. The electrophoretic differences are small and were first recognized through a rare variant individual who had only the fast and slow forms. Five phenotypes displaying different combinations of the three electrophoretic forms have been defined in American Negroes; these are called CpA, CpAB, CpB, CpAC, and CpBC. Twin, family, and population studies have yielded evidence indicating that the A and B electrophoretic forms are controlled by a pair of autosomal codominant alleles, designated Cp A and Cp B, and suggesting that the C form may be determined by a third allele, Cp c, at the same locus. The variants constitute a genetic polymorphism in American Negroes, but occur only rarely in Caucasians.
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