Human placental glucose dehydrogenase: IEF polymorphism in two Italian populations and enzyme activity in the six common phenotypes.

Glucose dehydrogenase (hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) has been assayed qualitatively and quantitatively in more than 600 human placentae collected in two Italian populations. The gene frequencies for GDH1, GDH2 and GDH3 were, respectively, 0.66, 0.21 and 0.12 in Continental Italy and 0.65, 0.23 and 0.12 in Sardinia. Among the six common phenotypes there was no difference in catalytic activity.