Chromosomes of lemuriformes. I. A chromosome complement of Lepilemur mustelinus (I. Geoffroy 1851)

The diploid chromosome number of two specimens of Lepilemur mustelinus (I. Geoffroy 1851) is 2N = 20. All of the chromosomes, except the Y chromosome, are metacentric or submetacentric; the Y chromosome is acrocentric and is the shortest chromosome in the complement. Satellites on autosomal pair 5 provide marked chromosomes for the animals studied and may be a marked pair for the species.     

Prosimian hemoglobins. III. The primary structures of the duplicated alpha-globin chains of Lemur variegatus

The amino acid sequences of the alpha chains of hemoglobins purified from Lemur variegatus erythrocytes have been determined. The sequences were determined primarily from peptides generated from treatment of the isolated alpha chains with cyanogen bromide or warm formic acid. The ordering of the peptides from both alpha globins was based on the homology between lemur hemoglobins and those of other primates. The genetic difference at position 15 (Asn vs. Lys) explains the phenotypic characteristic of two hemoglobin species during alkaline electrophoresis. The function of certain residues is discussed in the context of other known sequences. The dispersion of the amino acid changes noted in lemur species falls mostly within the first 75 residues of the alpha chain (exons 1 and 2). The extent of divergence of the L. variegatus alpha-globin chains from the Lemur fulvus alpha globin is similar to that seen for the beta-globin chains of these species. This degree of separation (11-16 residues) is consistent with an extended period of independent evolution by these congeneric species after their divergence.     

Transferrins,haptoglobins, and ceruloplasmins among tribal groups of Madagascar

Transferrin phenotypes of 403 Malagasy were determined by autoradiography after electrophoresis of plasma or serum. Three phenotypes, Tf C, Tf CD, and Tf D, were found. The frequency of Tf^D was 0.051 in the total sample, 0.041 in tribes of the Madagascar plateau, and 0.075 in tribes of the coastal and lowland regions. Haptoglobin phenotypes of 402 Malagasy were determined. The frequency of Hp¹ was 0.41 in the total sample, 0.38 in tribes of the plateau, and 0.49 in coastal-lowland tribes. There is a significant difference in the frequency of Hp¹ between the tribes of the plateau and those of the coastal and lowland regions. This confirms earlier observations of significant differences in frequencies of haptoglobins and hemoglobin S. Plasma or serum samples from 405 Malagasy were examined by electrophoresis to determine ceruloplasmin phenotypes. Seven distinct ceruloplasmin bands were observed. These were A, B, Galveston, Bridgeport, New Haven, Tananarive, and X, the last two described for the first time. Ten different phenotypes composed of one or two of the bands were observed. The frequency of the allele for ceruloplasmin B (CpB) was 0.78 in the total sample, 0.73 in tribes of the plateau, and 0.92 in coastal and lowland tribes. There is a significant difference in the frequency of this allele in the two major tribal groups, and this provides additional evidence of genetic differences between the peoples of the plateau and those of the coast and lowland regions of Madagascar.