The hemoglobin O mutation in Indonesia: Distribution and phenotypic expression

Abstract

We have investigated hemoglobin O Indonesia (HbOIna) in related ethnic populations of the Indonesian archipelago: 1725 individuals of the five ethnic populations of South Sulawesi (Bugis, Toraja, Makassar, Mandar, and Kajang) and 959 individuals of the neighboring islands, who were divided into five phylogenetic groups: (a) Batak; (b) Malay from Padang, Pakanbaru, and Palembang in the island of Sumatra; (c) Javanese-related populations (Java, Tengger, and Bali) from the islands of Java and Bali; (d) populations of the Lesser Sunda Islands of Lombok, Sumba, and Sumbawa; and (e) the Papuan-language-speaking population of Alor Island. Nineteen individuals heterozygous for HbOIna were identified from the Bugis, Toraja, Makassar, and Kajang ethnic populations, but none from the other populations. In all cases, the underlying mutation was found to be in codon 116 (GAG to AAG) of the αI-globin gene, resulting in the Glu116Lys amino acid change. The level of HbO in the 17 individuals plus 12 additional family members carrying the mutation was found to be 11.6 ± 1.0%, significantly lower than the expected 17%-22%, indicating the instability of HbO.