Polymorphisms of Pi, Hp, ADA and AK in Mongolian, Korean and Zhuang populations of China

Molecular characterization of PI * S hangzhou , a SERPINA1 allele from continental China encoding a defective alpha-1-antitrypsin

Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a heritable condition that predisposes to respiratory and hepatic complications. Screenings in East Asia human populations for the AATD alleles most commonly found among Caucasians have yielded poor outcomes. Serum alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) levels, AAT phenotypes, and sequences of SERPINA1 gene were examined in a Chinese child with a moderate deficit of serum AAT, who had suffered several episodes of liver disease, as well as in his first-order relatives. Results allowed the identification of PI ^* S _hangzhou , a novel SERPINA1 defective allele, which has been characterized by a L276R substitution, found in a SERPINA1-M3 genetic background. Moreover, potential effects of PI ^* S _hangzhou mutation over the AAT structure were studied by 3D homology modeling. The presence of an arginine residue at position 276 could destabilize the tertiary structure of AAT, since it occurs at a highly conserved hydrophobic cavity in the protein surface, and very close to two positively-charged lysine residues. Attending to the frequency of R276 variant reported in databases for individuals of East Asian ancestry, the PI ^* S _hangzhou allele may explain the global prevalence of the PiS phenotype observed in China.

Incidence and prevalence of ulcerative colitis in the Songpa-Kangdong District, Seoul, Korea, 1986-1997

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is regarded as a rare disease in developing countries, but accurate data are generally lacking. We performed the present study to evaluate the incidence and prevalence of UC in Korea.

METHODS

A retrospective study was performed from 1986 to 1997 in the Songpa-Kangdong district of Seoul, Korea. To recruit UC patients as completely as possible, multiple information sources including all medical facilities in the study area and three referral centres located nearby, but outside the study area were used. The incidence and prevalence rates were adjusted using the 1997 Korean population statistics.

RESULTS

During the study period, a total of 94 incident cases were identified, for an adjusted mean annual incidence rate of 0.68 per 100,000 inhabitants. On 31 December 1997, 91 patients with UC lived in the study area, giving an adjusted prevalence rate of 7.57 per 100,000 inhabitants. By using the Poisson regression analysis, the annual incidence rate increased significantly from 0.20 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1986-1988 to 1.23 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1995-1997 (P < 0.005). Patient age at diagnosis, the interval from onset of symptoms to diagnosis, and the disease extent at diagnosis were fairly constant throughout the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence and prevalence of UC in our study area are still low compared with those of Western countries, but the incidence rate is steadily increasing.

Origin of the Koreans: a population genetic study

A population genetic study was undertaken to investigate the origin of Koreans. Thirteen polymorphic and 7 monomorphic blood genetic markers (serum proteins and red cell enzymes) were studied in a group of 437 Koreans. Genetic distance analyses by both cluster and principal components models were performed between Koreans and eight other populations (Koreans in China, Japanese, Han Chinese, Mongolians, Zhuangs, Malays, Javanese, and Soviet Asians) on the basis of 47 alleles controlled by 15 polymorphic loci. A more detailed analysis using 65 alleles at 19 polymorphic loci was performed on six populations. Both analyses demonstrated genetic evidence of the origin of Koreans from the central Asian Mongolians. Further, the Koreans are more closely related to the Japanese and quite distant from the Chinese. The above evidence of the origin of Koreans fits well with the ethnohistoric account of the origin of Koreans and the Korean language. The minority Koreans in China also maintained their genetic identity.

PI polymorphism in Israel: report on six Jewish population groups

A total of 1148 Israeli Jews was typed for PI and divided by areas of origin into six groups: Eastern Europe (n = 236), Central Europe (n = 156), Rumania (n = 158), Bulgaria (n = 215), North Africa (n = 229), and Middle East (n = 154). Frequencies of PI*M1 (0.74-0.77) in Jews of European countries were higher than 0.68 in Jews of N. Africa and 0.62 in Jews of the Middle East. PI*M2 frequencies were correspondingly lower in European Jews: 0.11-0.14 vs 0.19 and 0.20 in non-European Jews. PI*M3 frequency range was 0.07-0.11 in European Jews and was highest in Middle Eastern Jews (0.17). PI*Z was found in one MZ individual. PI*S was low (less than 0.01) except in Sephardi Jews of Bulgaria and N. Africa (0.016 and 0.015). A rare variant, PI*Elemberg, was observed in five individuals from different countries of origin. The present results are in accord with those of a previous study on some Israeli Jewish groups and on some other Middle Eastern groups.

Alpha 1-protease inhibitor (PI) subtypes in seven populations of east Asia

The distribution of serum alpha 1-protease inhibitor (PI) or alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1AT) subtypes was determined by thin-layer isoelectric focusing in a group of 1233 individuals from six Mongoloid populations of East Asia and Dravidian Indians. The sample comprised 385 Chinese from Singapore and 151 Chinese from the Fujien province; 126 Malays; 243 Filipinos; 112 Thais; 56 Koreans and 160 Dravidian Indians. The frequency of PiM1 ranged from 0.65 in the Thais to 0.81 in the Fujien Chinese. The highest frequency of PiM2 was found in the Dravidian Indians (0.28) followed by the Thais (0.25). The frequency of PiM3 was found to vary from 0.03 to 0.07 in these populations. A low frequency of PiF (0.01 to 0.02) and PiS (0.01 to 0.04) was also observed in the Mongoloid populations but absent in the Indians. The PiZ allele was completely absent in all these populations. The phenotypic distribution of PI subtypes was at Hardy-Weinburg equilibrium in all the populations.

Blood genetic markers in the Chinese of two eastern provinces

A total of 205 Han Chinese from two eastern provinces (155 from Fujien and 50 from Hopeh) were tested for the distribution of six blood groups--A1A2BO, MN, Rhesus (CcDEe), Lewisa, Kell (Kk) and Fya--four serum proteins--albumin and haptoglobin types; transferrin and group-specific component subtypes--haemoglobin, and twelve red cell enzyme systems--glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, lactate and malate dehydrogenases; acid phosphatase, esterate-D, glyoxalase I, adenylate kinase, glucose-phosphate isomerase, phosphoglucomutase (locus 2), and superoxide dismutase types; and phosphoglucomutase (locus 1) subtypes. The frequencies of blood groups were more or less within the reported frequencies in the Chinese. However the frequency of le was much lower in the present series. The Chinese are characterized by low p1, Ro, k, le, and a high Fya in general. P2 was lacking in the Chinese. There were some differences in the blood group frequencies in the two provinces. The frequencies of Hp alleles; Tf and Gc subtypes show characteristic mongoloid features with high Hp1, TfD, and GcIF. The frequency of TFC2 was higher in the Fujien province than that in Hopeh. At the hemoglobin locus only one Hb AD was detected, while the frequency of the beta-thalassemia trait was 0.03. No red cell G6PD deficiency or variant was detected. The distribution of red cell enzymes showed Mongoloid characteristics with low PGDC, AK2, ESD1, GLO1, and higher pa. PGM1 subtypes also had Mongoloid characteristics with lower PGM2+ and higher PGM2-. The phenotypic distribution of all the fifteen polymorphic loci was at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in both the Chinese populations.

Diversity of some gene frequencies in European and Asian populations. IV. Genetic population structure assessed by the variogram

Isolation-by-distance models of population structure predict an exponential decrease of genetic relatedness with distance. Under the Kimura-Weiss (1964) model the plots of gene frequency variance versus distance (variograms), computed at various loci, are expected to have equal slope and reach a common asymptote. The gene frequency distributions at eight loci in 192 European and Asian populations have been summarized by variograms. On the average, the Kimura-Weiss model seems to describe adequately allele frequency change up to 900 km, but gradients are apparent at greater distances for most markers studied. These patterns may result form either differential selection or long-range gene flow; however, the extensive clinal variation observed for glyoxalase, esterase D and 6-PGD cannot be entirely accounted for by the Neolithic radiation of early farmers in the Middle East and Europe.