Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase Porbandar: a new slow variant with slightly reduced activity in a South African family of Indian descent.

A new variant of the red cell enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase has been detected in a South African male of Indian descent and in several of his relatives. The enzyme variant is characterized by slow electrophoretic mobility, low Michaelis constants for the substrates glucose-6-phosphate and NADP, and increased utilization of the substrate analogues 2-deoxyglucose-6-phosphate and deamino-NADP relative to the normal (B+) enzyme. There is no evidence that the enzyme variant, for which the name "G6PD Porbandar" is suggested, is associated with any hematological abnormality.