Characterization of five human serum amyloid A₁alleles

The allelic variation of the serum amyloid A gene has been analyzed. We have identified five serum amyloid A1 alleles by genomic DNA sequence analysis that code for 3 protein variants. All three apoSAA proteins and both SAA2 proteins have been found in amyloid deposits. The relative frequency of each allele in a small sample of the British Caucasian population was also obtained. This could provide a basis for comparison with patient groups in which it is postulated that genetic variation of this gene may contribute to disease susceptibility.