Allotypic phenotypes displaying different frequencies in healthy and beta-thalassemic sample populations

This paper presents data on the identification of an allotypic polymorphism carried on a beta-lipoprotein in human serum. The antigen, whose inheritance is investigated in 78 families, is coded by a polymorphic locus (As) existing in 4 allelic states. The products of these alleles exhibit a serological linear subtyping pattern with respect to the alloantisera recognizing the allotypes. The allelic frequencies prove different in healthy (beta beta) and thalassemic (beta beta thal) sample populations, thus suggesting linkage dysequilibrium between the recessive alleles of the As and beta loci.