ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE APOLIPOPROTEIN-E (APO-E) GENE - LOW-FREQUENCY OF APO E4 ALLELE IN BASQUES AND IN TRIBAL (BAIGA) POPULATIONS OF INDIA

The distribution of apolipoprotein E (ape E) polymorphism was examined in 11 population groups not previously studied for this system. There is a marked difference in phenotype and gene frequency between the po pulations of England and Spain. The south European populations of Basq ues and Spanish non-Basques showed greater similarity to the populatio ns of South Asia. The study clearly indicates that the distribution pf apo E alleles does match with regions showing a high mortality rate o f coronary heart disease. The data presented also indicate that authoc hthon groups such as Basques in Europe and tribals in India may throw better light on the role of apolipoproteins in the regulation of lipid levels in disease.