Population distribution of human salivary amylases: differential inhibition by wheat protein

Based upon response to an inhibitor from wheat gliadin, 80 random samples of human salivary amylase were separated into three phenotypic groups. Each phenotype occurred with a high frequency rendering this a polymorphinc locus. The susceptibility to the inhibitor may be a useful marker for studies of tendency to caries and periodontal disease as well as for studies of genetic variation and linkage.