Distribution of Gm and Km allotypes among five populations in China

Serum samples from five populations in China [173 from Huhehote (Naimengu Zhizhiqu), 195 from the Beijing area, 131 from Hefei (Anhui Province), 155 from Hangzhou (Zhejiang Province), and 152 from Guangzhou (Guangdong Province)] were tested for G1m(1, 2, 3, and 17), G2m(23), G3m(5, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, and 26), and Km(1). The Gm pattern of the Chinese populations are characterized by the presence of four haplotypes, Gm1, 17;..;21, 26, Gm1, 2, 17;..;21, 26, Gm1, 17;..;10, 11, 13, 15, 16, and Gm1, 3;23;5, 10, 11, 13, 14, 26, which are characteristic of Mongoloid populations. Agreement was obtained in all Chinese samples between the observed and expected frequencies on the basis of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium of phenotypes. Heterogeneity tests of the haplotypic distributions among the five populations showed no significant differences in the distributions of Gm phenotypes between Huhehote and Beijing nor between Hefei and Hangzhou, whereas highly significant differences were observed among the three districts: northern part (Huhehote and Beijing), central part (Hefei and Hangzhou), and southern part (Guangzhou). The data indicate a south to north genocline, ranging from Huhehote to Guangzhou in which Gm1, 17;..;21, 26 changes from 0.471 to 0.183, Gm1, 17;..;10, 11, 13, 15, 16 from 0.097 to 0.033, and Gm1, 3;23;5, 10, 11, 13, 14, 26 from 0.229 to 0.730. In contrast to the Gm system, no significant regional differences in the frequencies of the Km1 allele were observed among the five populations.