The immunoglobulin kappa locus: polymorphism and haplotypes of Caucasoid and non-Caucasoid individuals.

The immunoglobulin kappa locus has previously been characterized by comparing the restriction patterns of the DNA of 23 Caucasoid individuals and defining various polymorphisms and haplotypes. This study has now been extended to a group of 28 Blacks and another group of 13 individuals of different ethnic origins. The predominant haplotype of the Caucasoid group, called haplotype N, was also found frequently in the other groups. Some of the restriction fragment length polymorphism markers typical of haplotype G, on the other hand, were seen 2-3 times more frequently in the black than in the Caucasoid group. Haplotype 11, which is characterized by the absence of about half of the variable gene segments (V kappa) and which had been observed in 3 out of 46 Caucasoid alleles, has been found twice in the 82 alleles of the two new groups. A number of new polymorphisms was detected and new haplotypes were defined, although the structure of the immunoglobulin kappa locus seems generally to be well conserved among different populations.