Zone Electrophoretic Comparison of Muscle Myogens and Blood Proteins of Artificial Hybrids of Salmonidae with Their Parental Species

Abstract

Starch-gel zone electropherograms of the muscle myogen and blood hemoglobins and disc electropherograms of the serum proteins of a number of artificial hybrids involving the Salmo, Salvelinus, and Cristivomer genera are compared to their respective parental species. The pattern variations observed in the serum proteins and muscle myogens in many of the parental species are discussed in relation to the frequent variations obtained in F1-hybrid patterns. The necessity is pointed out for defining biochemical as well as morphological uniformity of parent species used for artificial hybridization studies, particularly as freshwater species of fishes, in contrast to marine species, frequently hybridize in nature or have hybridized in recent history, judging from the variations in their protein patterns. The extent of known hybridizations in nature, which are indistinguishable morphologically but are frequently manifested at the molecular level as variations in protein patterns, and the usefulness of biochemical techniques in spotting these breakdowns of species lines, are discussed.