Usual human livers contain two major ALDH isozymes, i.e., cytosolic ALDH1 and mitochondrial ALDH2, while approximately 50% of Orientals are "atypical" and have only the ALDH1 and are missing the ALDH2. Instead, the atypical livers contain an enzymatically inactive but immunologically cross-reactive material (CRM) corresponding to the ALDH2 component. Some Orientals are found to be atypical also in the ALDH1 locus, i.e., they are missing the enzymatically active ALDH1 but contain a large amount of CRM corresponding to the ALDH1 component. cDNA for ALDH1 and that for ALDH2 were cloned and their nucleotide sequences were determined. The amino acid sequences of ALDH1 and ALDH2 were deduced from their cDNA sequences. The molecular abnormality of the inactive ALDH2(2) is found to be the substitution of Glu at the 14th position from the COOH-terminal of the protein by Lys which resulted from G----A transition in the gene.