Role of Genetic Control and Random Association in Production of Bovine Transferrin Phenotypes

Abstract

Stained bovine transferrin density patterns on polyacrylamide gels were examined, to determine whether the multiple bands might result from random pairing of two types of events differing in their effects upon the electrophoretic mobility of the transferrin molecule.Event X was proposed to confer upon the molecule one more net negative charge than Event Y, resulting in three classes of molecules: Tf-XX, Tf-XY(or Tf-TX), and Tf-YY. The proportions of molecules in each of these classes was proposed to be x2, 2 xy, and y2, respectively, where x and y represented the frequency of occurrence of the two events.The hypothesis that the multiple transferrin bands might represent these molecular classes was tested by comparing observed relative band densities with expected class proportions. When both events were assumed to occur with equal frequency, a band-for-band comparison by means of a paired “t” test indicated the hypothesis should be rejected (p<.001 for the rear band). However, when best-fitting values of x and y were calculated, the hypothesis was upheld (.20<p<.30).No more variation in relative band density was seen in samples from different animals than among samples from the same animal.