A search for the Indianapolis-variant of human alcohol dehydrogenase in liver autposy samples from North Germany and Japan.

Human liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) variants were screened in random autopsy specimens from 53 North German and 34 Japanese individuals. Based on pH-activity profile and electrophoretic pattern, only ADH2 and ADH3 variants were detected. In relatively fresh specimens, an "anodic band" or "pi-ADH" band was also observed. The recently reported new molecular forms collectively called "ADH Indianapolis" (Bosron et al. 1980) could not be demonstrated and therefore may be confined hitherto only to the American black population.