Variants in Human Serum Albumin and Caeruloplasmin in Populations From Australia, New Guinea, South Africa and India

Abstract

Summary A survey of serum albumin and caeruloplasmin variants in populations of Australian Aborigines, Australian Caucasian, South African Bantu, Indians and New Cuinea indigenes has been carried out. One serum albumin variant in 595 samples from New Cuinea was detected. The variant phenotype contained a band migrating more rapidly than normal phenotype but more slowly than the Albumin Naskapi. It is provisionally identified as Albumin New Cuinea in accordance with the usage of Weitkamp, Shreffler and Saave (1969). No serum albumin variants were found in the other populations sampled. Caeruloplasmin variation was common amongst Bantu, rare amongst Aborigines and absent in Indians, Caucasians and New Guinea indigenes. The frequency of the CpA gene was 0·035 in Bantu and 0·002 in Aborigines.

Red cell enzyme and serum protein types in a population from Ndeni (Santa Cruz Islands)

“…For transferrin, Melanesian populations are characterized by high frequencies of the Tf m allele (Douglas et al 1964~ Kirk et al 1973, and the value of 5.8% for this allele in Ndeni is therefore not exceptional, An albumin variant, ALB NG, has been detected in a number of localities in New Guinea (McDermid 1971). Four examples of this were observed here.…”

Blood Groups, Serum Proteins, Haemoglobin and Some Serum and Red Cell Enzymes among the Kaoras of 24-Parganas in West Bengal (India)

“…The few Indian population so far studied for ceruloplasmin revealed the presence of the universal CpB gene, CpA and Cpc being very rare but present in some groups [McD ermid, 1971;Blake et al, 1971;Mukherjee et al, 1973b]. Only a single case of Cp(AB) type was found in the Kaora sample of 202 in this study.…”

The Distribution of Blood, Serum Protein and Enzyme Groups on Manus Island (Admiralty Islands, New Guinea)

“…Only one previous study of the distribution of caeru loplasmin variants in New Guinea has been made. Mc Dermid [1971] tested 560 samples from various places and found only CpB phenotypes. In the present series, all 45 Usiai and 138 Manus were also CpB.…”