Urinary pepsinogen isozymes: a highly polymorphic locus in man.

A genetic analysis of human urinary pepsinogen isozymes is presented. Nine discrete phenotypes were identified in a population survey of 215 unrelated Caucasian individuals. The phenotypes were characterized by differences among the staining intensities of the activated group I pepsinogens, Pg 5, Pg 4, Pg 3, and Pg 2. The genetic studies demonstrated that the codominant expression of four alleles, PgA, PgB, PgC and PgD, at a single genetic locus determined the nine phenotypes identified. Linkage analysis excluded close linkage of the Pg locus with the chromosome 6 markers HLA, GLO1, and Bf.