Genetic polymorphisms of red cell enzymes in tribes of Andhra Pradesh, India.

The genetic heterogeneity of some common red cell enzyme markers among four endogamous tribal populations namely Konda Dora, Kotia, Bod Mali and Manzai Mali was investigated by starch/polyacrylamide/cellulose acetate gel electrophoresis. ACP, ESD, PGM1, G6PD, AK1, ADA, 6PGD enzymes and haemoglobin exhibited a polymorphism. PGM2, LDH, MDH, SOD, GOT, CA1, CA2 and GPI were monomorphic. A slow variant of SOD similar to that found in SOD 2-1 heterozygote was observed with a frequency of 1.31% among Kotia tribe. Most populations of the present study were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the majority of the genetic markers examined. The results are discussed in the light of available data on other Andhra populations.