Investigations on the ethnic variability of the ABO blood group polymorphism in Iran

112 Iranian population samples with a total of 600954 individuals are analyzed concerning the ethnic variability of ABO allele frequencies. The genetic heterogeneity within and between these population samples is considerable. This heterogeneity is discussed with regard to the ethnohistory of Iran. The most striking ABO allele frequencies are observed in Assyrians, Armenians and Zoroastrians, which differ extremely from that of all the other hitherto studied ethnic groups of Iran. Obviously varying ABO allele frequencies are seen also in Yazdis as well as in Turkomans and Arabs living in Iran. And finally the Iranian Jews reveal clear frequency differences in comparison with all the other Iranian population groups. It can be assumed that the specific ABO allele frequencies found in the above mentioned ethnic groups are connected with their different geographical origin as well as with their marked endogamy.