Orosomucoid 1 and orosomucoid 2 types in the Taiwanese and Japanese: evidence for five new orosomucoid variants.

The genetic polymorphisms of orosomucoid, ORM1 and ORM2, were analyzed by isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gels and subsequent immunoprinting. Sera from 600 unrelated individuals in Taiwan and Japan were examined. Five new alleles, designated ORM1*7, ORM1*8, ORM1*4.2, ORM2*8 and ORM2*10, were observed together with common and rare alleles that have been found in the Japanese and the Filipinos. As compared with the Japanese, the Taiwanese have a higher frequency of ORM1*1, and a significantly lower frequency of ORM1*2.1.