Blood Group Genetic Studies in an Urban Chinese Population

Abstract

The distribution of the blood group systems ABO, Rhesus, MNSs and P was studied in all or some of 1,007 Singapore Chinese. ABO gene frequencies were found to be consistent with previous studies and did not vary significantly between dialects. An individual of phenotype A₂B was detected although the population showed no other evidence for the A₂ gene. The possible significance of this observation in terms of weak H alleles in the population is discussed. The frequencies of the MNSs genes are consistent with previous studies. Two subjects appeared to lack the N^A component of the N antigen. The frequency of the R₁ gene of the Rhesus system was lower than has been detected previously and may relate to dialect differences. No examples of the C^w antigen were detected. The P blood group distribution appears to be subject to regional variation. It is concluded that classification of Chinese into dialect groups is a useful way of assessing genetic heterogeneity.

Blood genetic markers in the Chinese of two eastern provinces

“…There was a marked difference in the frequency of q and r in these two groups of Chinese (x21 = 6.44 and 3.10, respectively) and they were respectively 0.15 and 0.28 for q; and 0.69 and 0.55 for r in Fujien and Hopeh provinces. In general, the frequencies of p , q, and r in the studied populations are within the range of allelic frequencies published in Han Chinese in China and overseas (Wiener et al, 1944;Simmons et al, 1950;Sussman, 1956;Hawkins and Simons, 1976;Saha et al, 1975;Mourant et al, 1976). The range ofp in the Chinese in the above studies has been reported to vary from 0.15 to 0.25; that of q from 0.17 to 0.24 and r from 0.54 to 0.67.…”

HLA class I allele distribution of a Hong Kong Chinese population based on high‐resolution PCR‐SSOP typing

“…Hawkins (23) reviewed the literature on the distribution of blood genetic markers in Chinese populations around the world and found quite substantial differences in ABO blood group frequencies in large studies of Chinese in Singapore compared with Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. Believing that this may reflect the heterogeneous origins in China of migrants to the three capitals, Hawkins and Simons (24) later studied the ABO blood group distribution of 1007 Singapore Chinese classified by linguistic dialect group and found no significant differences between speakers of Hokkien, Teochew, and Cantonese.…”

Blood Groups in Infection and Host Susceptibility

“…A common weak A allele in Caucasians is ABO*A201 (1061⌬C; fs384), which is 20 amino acids longer than normal due to a frameshift mutation near the stop codon. The A 2 phenotype is found in 20% of white group A donors but is virtually absent among Asians, who tend to express weak B alleles (2,7).…”