The electrophoretic patterns of skipjack tuna tissue esterases

Abstract

As many as twelve bands of esterase activity were observed in the zymograms of homogenized skipjack tissue. With rare exception, the tissues of a single individual show a pattern of related similarity which is clearly evident in the more prominent bands. With the exception of light and dark muscles, each tissue is distinguishable, one from another, either by means of the banding pattern or by the density and rapidity of staining, or both. Some of the variations observed were so clearly similar to variations produced in known genetic systems in other forms as to reasonably postulate that they were the products of the segregation of presumably allelic genes. The usefulness of the techniques for population analysis is evaluated and some future applications are suggested.