Serum Protein Polymorphisms in a Liberian Population

Abstract

Serum protein variations were studied in a Liberian population living in Buchanan town. Of the α₁-antitrypsin genes only M₁and M₃ were polymorphic. The frequencies of the haptoglobin and Gc genes were in accordance with earlier known estimates in African populations. There was, however, a relatively low frequency of Hp 0 which may be related to the low malarial parasite prevalence in this group. The transferrin C2 gene was found in a significantly lower frequency among Liberians compared to European and Asiatic populations. A new transferrin variant was observed by isoelectric focusing. This variant could not be identified with conventional starch or polyacrylamide electrophoresis.