Serum Factors of Australian Aborigines from North Queensland

Abstract

HAPTOGLOBIN polymorphism was first discussed by Smithies and Walker^1,2. When subjected to purification and reductive cleavage in the presence of 8 M urea the haptoglobins have recently been found by Connell et al.³ to exhibit sub-types corresponding to two forms of the gene Hp¹ (Hp^1F and Hp^1S). Thus after reductive cleavage the Hp 2–1 heterozygote can be identified as either Hp 2–1F or Hp 2–1S, and the Hp 1–1 phenotype exists as either homozygous Hp 1F–1F or Hp 1S–1S or heterozygous Hp 1F–1S. Racial distinctions are marked in regar^S to the frequencies of the Hp^1F and Hp^1S genes. Smithies et al.⁴ have reported a gene frequency for Hp^1F and Hp^1S of 0.16 and 0.24 in 93 Caucasians; Giblett and Brooks⁵ report a corresponding frequency of 0.133 and 0.251 in 66 Caucasians, 0.259 and 0.293 in 222 Negroes, and 0.005 and 0.256 in Orientals. In American Indians, Flory⁶ found a frequency of 0.005 for Hp^1F genes and 0.472 for Hp^1S genes.