27-BASE-PAIR DELETION IN ERYTHROCYTE BAND-3 PROTEIN GENE RESPONSIBLE FOR SOUTHEAST-ASIAN OVALOCYTOSIS IS NOT COMMON AMONG SOUTHEAST-ASIANS

Screening for a 27-bp deletion in the band 3 protein gene that causes Southeast Asian/Melanesian ovalocytosis (SAO) was carried out using th e PCR method among 15 Southeast Asian populations of Thailand (Akha, H mong, Isaan, Red Karen, White Karen, Black Lahu, Lisu, Manni, Shan, an d central Thais) and Indonesia (Bugis, Dayak, Javanese, Madurian, and Toraja), Individuals with the 27-bp deletion were identified only in t he Bugis of southern Sulawesi, the Dayak of southern Bomeo, and Javane se of central Java. The gene frequency of the 27-bp deletion in the ge neral population was rather low: 0.012 and 0.013 in the Dayak and the Bugis, respectively. This restricted ethnic and geographic distributio n of the 27-bp deletion suggests (1) local differentiation in the prev alence of this deletion in a given ethnic group and (2) the presence o f molecular heterogeneity of SAG.