Transferrin (Tf) subtyping on agarose: a new technique for isoelectric focusing

Isoelectric focusing (IEF) of the serum protein transferrin (Tf) on polyacrylamide gels has been found to be a useful tool in population genetics and forensic medicine. Three autosomal codominant alleles can be subtyped from the TfC allele, TfC1, TfC2, and TfC3. In this report the authors describe the use of agarose as an alternative technique for Tf subtyping. The method is faster, easier to perform and eliminates the use of toxic chemicals used with polyacrylamide gels. Results of subtyping for the three alleles Tfc1, Tfc2, and Tfc3 are described for a population of U.S. whites (n = 392) and U.S. blacks (n = 194).