Chemical characterization of a new Japanese variant of carbonic anhydrase I, CA INagasaki 1 (76 arg leads to gln)

A polymorphic variant of human erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase I with a widespread distribution in Australian aborigines, CAI Australia-9 (8 Asp leads to Gly): purification, properties, amino acid substitution, and possible physiological significance of the variant enzyme

Carbonic anhydrase I (EC 4.2.1.1) purified from the pooled packed red blood cells of 100 individuals typed as heterozygous for the common Australian Aboriginal carbonic anhydrase I variant CAI Australia-9 had a slightly higher specific CO2 hydratase or esterase (toward p-nitrophenyl acetate) activity than the normal component and a higher Km and Vmax using the esterase substrate. The variant enzyme was slightly more resistant to heat inactivation. The extent of inhibition of both enzymes by the specific inhibitor acetazolamide was identical, as was their immunological behavior and the lability of the active-site zinc ion. The variant enzyme was more resistant to chloride inhibition. The physiological importance of this observation is discussed in the context of a proposed adaptive advantage of the variant gene in the arid western and central regions of Australia. The amino acid substitution in the Aboriginal variant of a glycine for an aspartic acid residue has been located at residue 8 from the N terminus (i.e., 8 Asp leads to Gly), by proteolytic and partial acid hydrolyses. The possible effects of this substitution on the structure and function of the molecule are discussed.

Amino acid substitution and chemical characterization of a Japanese variant of carbonic anhydrase I: CA I Hiroshima-1 (86 Asp replaced by Gly)

An electrophoretic variant of red cell carbonic anhydrase I, designated CA I Hiroshima-1, has been observed in 12 apparently unrelated individuals during a survey of 13,019 individuals from the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Analyses of tryptic and chymotryptic peptide patterns of this CA I variant purified from 8 of the 12 individuals revealed the same altered peptides in each case. Examination of the amino acid sequence of an altered tryptic peptide purified from one of the variants showed that the aspartic acid residue at position 86 was replaced by a glycine residue. Thermostability studies demonstrated that all samples of CA I Hiroshima-1 were less stable than normal CA I. The specific esterase (p-nitrophenyl acetate) activities of the normal and variant CA I isozymes were essentially the same. The difference spectra of the normal and variant enzymes were essentially the same. The isoelectric focusing patterns of CA I Hiroshima-1 showed a different pattern of minor bands to those produced by normal CA I. The relative amounts of the normal and variant enzymes purified from single heterozygous individuals were similar.

Inherited variants of human red cell carbonic anhydrases

The present state of knowledge concerning the genetic control of human red cell carbonic anhydrases I and II (CA I and CA II) is reviewed. A total of 25 electrophoretic variants, and one deficiency variant of CA I, and 7 electrophoretic variants of CA II have been discovered after screening a minimum of about 50,000 (CA I) and 39,000 (CA II) individual bloods from a variety of human populations. The amino acid substitution has been determined for 8 of the CA I variants and one of the CA II variants. Three previously undescribed variants of CA I (CA I Montreal-1, CA I Montreal-2, and CA I Montreal-3) and two new variants of CA II (CA II London and CA II Detroit) are reported. Three of the CA I variants (CA I Australia-1, CA I Bombay, and CA I Mindanao), and four of the CA II variants (CA II2, CA II Australia, CA II Bombay, and CA II Baniwa) were observed to occur at frequencies of greater than 1%; however, CA I Bombay, CA I Mindanao, CA II Bombay, and CA II Baniwa appear to be private polymorphisms limited to small populations. None of the electrophoretic variants, or the CA I deficiency variant, even in the homozygous state, appear to be associated with any clinical disorder. A defective form of CA I reported as possibly responsible for an inherited type of renal tubular acidosis has not been characterized sufficiently to exclude the possibility of secondary effects.

The new variant carbonic anhydrase in the Japanese: CAINagasaki 1(76 Arg replaced by Gln) and CAIHiroshima 2

Hemolysates obtained from 4,919 residents of Hiroshima and 4,131 residents of Nagasaki for a total of 9,050 were examined for carbonic anhydrase I (CAI) using vertical starch gel electrophoresis. Eight inherited variants of carbonic anhydrase I, designated CAIHiroshima 1 (CAIHIR 1), were detected and two new fast variants of CAI were detected in one Nagasaki resident and in one Hiroshima resident. These fast variants were designated CAINagasaki 1 (CAINGS 1) and CAI Hiroshima 2 (CAIHIR 2). The isoelectric point of CAINGS 1 was 5.95 and that of CAIHIR 2 was 6.20.

Human erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase polymorphism in Kenya

In this study, 1736 Western Kenyans were examined for red cell carbonic anhydrase (CA) variants. No CA I variants were detected, but the CA II2 isozyme was found with a calculated gene frequency of 0.054.