The 60 and 63 kDa proteolytic peptides of the red cell membrane band-3 protein: their prevalence in human and non-human primates

✍ Scribed by Marcos Palatnik; Maria Lucia Marti Silva Simões; Zoraide Maia Salomão Alves; Nanci Souto Maior Laranjeira

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 769 KB
• Volume: 86
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0340-6717
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00197692

✦ Synopsis

Three phenotypes based on the polymorphism of band-3 protein from human red cells are described. Limited proteolysis of intact red cells from most individuals (homozygotes) yields a peptide of 60 kDa, but in some cases (heterozygotes), there is also a 63-kDa peptide, and rarely only the single peptide of 63kDa is found. This is the first description of the 63-kDa homozygote. The interpretation that the three phenotypes are controlled by two alleles of a single autosomal locus, with no dominance, is supported by population and family studies. The frequencies of the allele, which we designate as p63, is 0.041 4-0.0068 in Caucasoids and 0.125 _+ 0.0121 in Negroids. The electrophoretic profiles and molecular weights of the peptides obtained with several commercial proteases from Streptornyces griseus are similar to those obtained with chymotrypsin. Whereas band-3 protein in two New-World monkeys (Saimiri and Cebus) resisted pronase attack, an Old-World monkey (Macaca mulatta) was monomorphic for a 63-kDa fragment, and in an ape (Pan troglodytes), a doublet of 62kDa and 64kDa was found. Band-3 protein polymorphism appears to be a good marker for genetic differentiation in human populations.