Evidence for two additional common alleles at the PGM1 locus (phosphoglucomutase--E.C.: 2.7.5.1). A comparison by three different techniques.

Lysates of erythrocytes, leukocytes, lymphocytes, and extracts of sperms were investigated for the PGM1 isozymes by three techniques: starch gel electrophoresis, high voltage thin-layer agarose gel electrophoresis, and thinlayer isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gel. On starch, only the well known common phenotypes 1, 2-1, and 2 were demonstrable. On agarose, different distances of the two main cathodal bands (a, b) among the phenotypes 2-1 were noted. Furthermore, on agarose, some types considered as homozygous on starch gel had a single, sharp banded pattern, while others were broad and blurred. Optimal separation was achieved by isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gel. In 291 leukolysates, 10 different phenotypes were identified. These are considered as gene products of 4 different common alleles at the PGM1 locus as suggested by preliminary family investigations. In a random population from Hessen these four alleles, had the following frequencies: PGM 1 a1 0.6186, PGM 1 a2 0.1718, PGM 1 a3 0.1426, and PGM 1 a4 0.067. The preliminary designation a1, a2, a3 and a4 was chosen as the assumed polymorphism was demonstrated on acrylamide and agarose. The sum of the frequencies PGM 1 a1 and PGM 1 a3 (the gene products of which have apparently the same electrophoretic mobility on starch) is similar to the frequency of the old PGM 1 1 allele (0.757) in Caucasoids, PGM 1 a2 and PGM 1 a4 have a frequency of 0.2388 corresponding with the frequency of the old allele PGM 1 2 .