We identified pepsinogen C (PGC) gene polymorphisms by means of
PCR,
which amplified DNA
in the region within the intron between exons 7 and 8, and by 6% polyacrylamide
gel electrophoresis.
Six alleles were found in a Japanese population. The frequencies of these
alleles in 408 unrelated
Japanese individuals were 0·074, 0·026, 0·335, 0·237,
0·016 and 0·314, respectively. The serum
pepsinogen II level significantly decreased in the order of the allele
6
homozygote, the allele 6
heterozygote and the other genotypes (χ2=7·850,
D.F.=2, p=0·020). These findings indicated that
the genetic background of serum pepsinogen should be considered when
screening for stomach cancer by this procedure.