Protein polymorphism in quail populations selected for large body size

Protein polymorphism in a randombred chicken population

Polymorphism in plasma amylase, plasma alkaline phosphatase, non-specific esterase and red cell esterase-D of the Athens-Canadian randombred (ACRB) population of chickens was determined by polyacrylamide and starch gel electrophoresis. Amylase alleles Amy-1A and Amy-1B were segregating in the ACRB population with frequencies of 0.45 and 0.55 respectively. For the plasma alkaline phosphatase the F and S bands, the B band and a new isozyme migrating at a faster rate than the previously reported F band were detected. A genetic nomenclature for plasma alkaline phosphatase is suggested which considers the difference between the F and S bands as the presence or absence of sialic acid attached to a primary protein. Plasma esterase activity was observed in all four of the regions previously reported, but there was no polymorphism found in any of the loci. All birds in this population showed the same red-cell esterase-D phenotype which consisted of a main band with sub-bands on each side.

Trends in heterozygosity in the process of producing inbred strains of Japanese quail

Trends in heterozygosity in the process of producing inbred strains of Japanese quail were examined through the characterization of protein polymorphisms based on gene freqencies of 7 polymorphic loci. The average heterozygosity (Ho) at generation 1 was 0.472 and it decreased with increasing inbreeding coefficient (F) to 0.214 at generation 5 when F was 0.594. In all generations, the observed heterozygosities of the surviving families tended to be higher than those of the families that did not survive. The frequency of heterozygotes of the Es-4 locus in surviving families was higher than that of the extinct families in each generation and the difference became conspicuous in generation 4. These results suggest that a heterozygote advantage of Es-4 locus is revealed by inbreeding.

Heterogeneity of serum, egg amylase and egg lysozyme in the interspecific hybrids of ducks

Polymorphism of serum and egg amylase by means of horizontal agarose gel electrophoresis and egg lysozyme by means of horizontal starch gel electrophoresis in Pekin, Muscovy ducks and their interspecific hybrids was studied. In the interspecific hybrids of ducks the codominant type of heredity of serum, egg yolk and egg white amylase isozymes, as well as egg white lysozyme, were found.

Stability of hemoglobin gene frequency in randombred chicken and quail populations

The stability of hemoglobin polymorphism in a randombred chicken and a randombred Coturnix quail population was studied by comparing the frequencies of known hemoglobin mutant genes after several generations of maintaining nonselected randombred populations. The current gene frequency of .053 in the chicken population was similar to the .060 gene frequency determined 13 generations ago. A gene frequency of .069 was observed for the mutant hemoglobulin in the quail population compared to a .042 frequency 15 generations ago.