The Distribution of Haptoglobin Protein Phenotype in University Gymnastic Players

Abstract

Purpose: Haptoglobin (Hp) is a plasma protein that is synthesized by the liver and released into circulation and which plays an important role in iron metabolism. Methods: In this study, we investigated the distribution of Hp protein polymorphism in a university male control group and gymnast group as well as its correlation with iron metabolism. The phenotype distribution of Hp protein polymorphism was measured by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and peroxidase staining methods, and serum iron metabolism-associated parameters were analyzed automatically. Results: The distribution of Hp protein polymorphism was 14.0%, 42.0% and 44.0% for Hp11, Hp21 and Hp22 phenotypes, respectively. The observed phenotype distribution did not deviate from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. There were no statistically significant differences in phenotype and allele frequencies between the normal control group and the gymnasts. There were significant differences in serum Hp level among each phenotype of Hp gene polymorphism (P < 0.05). In particular, the subjects with the Hp11 phenotype (118.4 ± 33.4 mg/dL) had significantly higher serum Hp concentrations than those with the Hp21 phenotype (79.5 ± 29.5 mg/dL) or the Hp22 phenotype (62.9 ± 23.3 mg/dL). This significance was maintained when the subjects were divided into the control group and the gymnast group. Conclusion: Thus, our data suggest that Hp protein polymorphism significantly affects serum Hp level in the both groups