Comparative activity of red cell adenosine deaminase allelic forms.

Abstract

CERTAIN enzymes have allelic forms which can be distinguished electrophoretically. The variability of the structural genes determining these enzymes1 is one of the most challenging problems in modern biology, since no particular reason can be found for their selection during evolution and so they form the main subject of debate between the ‘pan-neutralists’ and the ‘pan-selectionists’. To try and throw some light on this problem we have compared the enzymic activity of the different electrophoretic forms of human red cell adenosine deaminase.