Transferrin Polymorphism in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

Abstract

Three main patterns of transferrins, made up of two molecular types, were found by starch–agar electrophoresis in plasma of hatchery and wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).Distributions of the observed patterns from progenies of three hatchery matings agreed with expected Mendelian distributions in offspring of known parentage, implying that the bands have their origin in two codominant alleles. In nearly all samples of the wild salmon the genetic basis of transferrin variation was demonstrated by nonsignificant differences between observed and expected distributions when the Hardy–Weinberg formula was applied.Frequencies of the TfA allele differed in samples from different rivers and within the same river; the Atlantic salmon forms genetically different populations. Interchange of stocks probably influenced the values of the different gene frequencies found.