Abstract
We have analyzed the genomic DNA sequence corresponding to the human interferon-α2 (IFN-α2) gene locus. In human lymphoblastoid Namalwa cells, we have detected sequences corresponding to IFN-α2b and -2c, while in human KG-1 cells both IFN-α2a and -2b were present. However, in 100 independent IFN-α2 clones derived from 20 unrelated Caucasian volunteers, we found only sequences corresponding to IFN-α2b. Statistical analysis of this result suggests that the sequences corresponding to IFN-α2a and -2c are either rare allelic variants of this gene, occurring in only a minority of the Caucasian population, or are restricted to transformed cell lines.
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