Acid Phosphatase Polymorphism in European Shad (Fish: Clupeids)

Genetic polymorphism of acid phosphatases wasinvestigated in 11 populations of the two European Alosaspecies using isoelectric focusing after sampletreatment with neuraminidase. Two distinct loci, ACP1 and ACP2, were detected being ACP2 polymorphic.The observed genetic diversity between the species atthe ACP2 locus supports other studies which indicatethat A. alosa is the less polymorphic species of the two. This locus shows a higher geographicthan interspecific pattern of differentiation and theACP*2 allele is essentially confined to theMediterranean.     

Genetic Heterogeneity in the Indian Mus musculus

This study deals with the characterization of 10populations of M. musculus from differentgeographical locations in India. The genetics of Indianwild mice has been completely obscure and this is thefirst report on allozyme variations in the naturalpopulation. We have used a set of 24 biochemical geneticmarkers to measure levels of diversity within and amongpopulations. The allelic frequency data indicate extreme genetic variability, which is furtherenhanced by the presence of novel alleles. Overall thespecies shows a high level of heterogenity. The highlypolymorphic central populations of M. musculus cannot be assigned to any one particularsubspecies. The allelic profiles, however, indicate agradual differentiation toward the castaneus andbatcrianus subspecies lineages.     

Plasma Esterase (ES) Polymorphism in the Tammar Wallaby, Macropus eugenii

The major plasma esterase in the tammar wallabywas identified as a carboxylesterase by inhibitionstudies and polymorphism with six variants was observedby isoelectric focusing (pH 4.2-4.9), followed by staining for esterase activity. Familystudies demonstrated an inheritance of six codominantalleles, ES^A,B,C,D,E,F, and populationstudies revealed marked differences in the allelefrequencies in five Australian populations of tammar wallabies.     

Distribution of Allelic Forms of Erythrocyte H1 Histones in Japanese Quail Populations Divergently Selected for Amount of Weight Loss After Transient Starvation

Three polymorphic subtypes of erythrocytehistone H1 (H1.a, H1.b, and H1.z) were analyzed using asodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel in quailpopulations divergently selected for a high (line 1) or low (line 2) reduction in body massfollowing temporary food withdrawal. Both H1.b and H1.zhistone alleles were found to be differently distributedin these populations during the selection period. The frequency of b¹ in line 2 wasapproximately 1.9-2.8 times lower than in line 1 andapproached the values in line 1 when the selection wassuspended. Similarly, the frequency of allelez² at locus H1.z increased significantly (about 1.6-2.3 times)in line 2 during selection and returned to the initialvalues when selection was stopped. On the other hand,allele a⁰ at locus H1.a was kept atrelatively low levels (usually below 0.05) in both linesduring selection. At that time its level wasapproximately three to four times lower than in a randommating control population. When selection was suspended, the frequency of a⁰ in line 1increased significantly, approaching the values in thecontrol line, and remained essentially unchanged in line2. Thus, all three polymorphic histone H1 loci in quailresponded through changes in allele frequencies to thebreeding selection, which was directed at the amount ofbody weight loss upon transient starvation. It seemsthat either H1 histone locus could be linked to loci controlling the rate of body weightreduction following starvation or weight loss duringfasting might be influenced by a panel of H1 histonealleles that can contribute to functional differences in avian chromatin.