Plasminogen (PLG): a useful genetic marker for paternity examinations.

The genetically determined polymorphism of plasminogen (PLG) was analyzed by isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide gels. For analysis neuraminidase-pretreated sera were used. PLG was developed functionally by activation with urokinase and subsequent lysis of casein in an agar overlay. In a random sample of 957 unrelated healthy individuals from Southern Germany, three common phenotypes, PLG1, 2-1, and 2, and five rare variants were found. The allele frequencies were: PLG*1 = 0.7174, PLG*2 = 0.2780, and PLG*Var = 0.0046. The theoretical exclusion rate in cases of disputed paternity is 16.5%.