Genetic polymorphism of human erythrocyte glyoxalase II.

A new method for the detection of glyoxalase II (hydroxyacylglutathione hydrolase) after starch gel electrophoresis is described. A survey of Asian-Pacific populations indicates that genetic polymorphism of glyoxalase II is extremely rare. Polymorphism was observed only in a Micronesian population from the island of Nauru, in which the frequency of the new variant allele HAGH2 was found to be .016. The electrophoretic pattern in heterozygotes was a double band, suggesting that the structure of glyoxalase II is monomeric.