SSCP analysis of the tyrosine kinase domain of the insulin receptor gene: polymorphisms detected in South African black and white subjects.

The frequency of DNA polymorphisms in the tyrosine kinase domain (exons 17-21) of the insulin receptor gene was assessed in 30 black and 30 white South Africans, using single-stranded conformation polymorphism and direct sequencing analysis. A comparison of the frequencies of the normal versus the combined polymorphic alleles, found only in exon 17, showed a significant difference between black and white groups (P = 0.037).