NCJ Number
139821
Journal
Japanese Journal of Legal Medicine Volume: 46 Issue: 3 Dated: (June 1992) Pages: 177-181
Date Published
1992
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Genetic variants of salivary alpha-amylase were studied using isoelectric focusing in a pH gradient of 6-8 and silver staining methods.
Abstract
Five phenotypes were identified and were tentatively named Amy1N, Amy1SN, Amy1V1N, Amy1V2SN, and Amy1V3N. The frequencies of these phenotypes in 371 unrelated Japanese individuals were 94.33 percent Amy1N, 2.43 percent Amy1SN, 0.54 percent Amy1V1N, 0.27 percent Amy1V2SN, and 2.43 percent Amy1V3N. Although variant bands of Amy1V1N were detected by the immunoblotting method using anti-human salivary amylase, those bands were not stained by the starch-iodine method for the detection of amylase activity. This finding suggested that a mutation occurred in the region of the amylase molecule that showed the activity. Amy1V2SN comprised the production of three Amy1 Genes and indicated the duplication of the Amy1 gene. The individuals showing Amy1V3N phenotype accorded with those showing amylase variant by PAGE. Tables, photographs, and 17 references (Author abstract modified)