Comparative immunochemical analysis of intraspecies distinctions of serum proteins of starred sturgeon Acipenser stellatus (Acipenseriformes,Acipenseridae) from the Caspian basin

By methods of immunochemical analysis, antigenic characteristics of serum proteins of starred sturgeon Acipenser stellatus migrating to the Volga, the Ural, and the Kura are studied. Antigens of serum proteins of starred sturgeon with normal homo- and heteroantisera are differentiated immunoelectochemically into 22–25 components. Cross absorption of antisera revealed the presence of specific antigens. Volga starred sturgeon differs from the Ural starred sturgeon in one antigen which belongs to α₂-globulins and differs from the Kura starred sturgeon in two antigens which manifest themselves in the zone of β₁-globulins. Kura starred sturgeon differs from the Ural starred sturgeon in two antigens which are in the zone of α₂-globilins. It is concluded that presence of specific antigens in the Volga and the Kura population of starred sturgeon and in their absence in the Ural starred sturgeon indicate the reproductive independence of these intraspecies groups.