ELECTROPHORETIC DIFFERENCES IN THE EGG-WHITE PROTEINS OF THE HEN

Abstract

The whites of 339 eggs laid by 64 White Rock – Leghorn crossbred hens and 48 pedigreed pullet progeny of 23 of these hens have been examined by Smithies' starch gel electrophoretic procedure. All samples exhibited three to five distinct bands in the region of the electrophoretic diagram comparable to that of alpha and beta globulins of chicken serum. Six characteristic patterns were formed from different combinations of these bands. An attempt is made to explain these patterns as being genetically controlled.