ON THE IDENTITY OF "NOTHING DEHYDROGENASE"

Abstract

The histochemical demonstration of dehydrogenase activity using tetrazolium sometimes occurs in the absence of added substrate. This occurrence has been called "nothing dehydrogenase". The present study, based on starch gel electrophoresis of mouse tissues and of pure alcohol dehydrogenase, as well as quantitative measurements of the latter, indicates that alcohol dehydrogenase is the major agent of "nothing dehydrogenase" activity.