Phenotype Distribution of Serum Esterase Isozymes in Some Native Breeds of Fowl Maintained in the Northern Parts of the Tohoku District of Japan

• Published in: Japanese poultry science Vol. 13; no. 4; pp. 136 - 140
• Main Authors: IWASAKI, Setsuo, TAKAYASU, Ichiro, TOYOKAWA, Koji, TSUBOMATSU, Kaizo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Poultry Science Association 1976
• ISSN: 0029-0254
• DOI: 10.2141/jpsa.13.136

Three native breeds of fowl, such as Koeyoshi-dori, Hinai-dori and Kinpa-dori, were established and have been maintained in the northern parts of the Tohoku district. Japanese Game and Japanese Game Bantam, which are more common in Japan, are also fed in the same area, and it is considered that Japanese Game might have concerned itself more or less with the establishment of the other four breeds. The authers had already published a study on serum alkaline phosphatase isozymes (IWASAKI et al. 1974). This time they made some experiments in order to compare phenotypic distribution of serum esterase isozymes among the five breeds above mentioned. The authors applied the horizontal starch gel electrophoresis to analyse the isozymes, introducing almost the same method as LAW and MUNRO (1965), with constant gradient of 280 volts per the gel (inner size 18.0×18.0×0.6cm) at 5°C for three hours. The results were as follows: 1. Three bands, C, A and B, in order of their mobility, from the fastest to the slowest (GRUNDER 1968, 1971), were detected in Es-1 region, and six types, C, A, B, CA, CB and AB, were observed. B-type presented itself more frequently in four breeds, including the three particular breeds together with Japanese Game, than in Japanese Game Bantam. And all of Kinpa-dori belonged to B. The three natives lacked band C at all, while it appeared in Japanese Game and Japanese Game Bantam. 2. The estimated frequencies of Es-1B genes were, Kinpa-dori: 1.000, Hinai-dori: 0.965, Koeyoshi-dori: 0.917, Japanese Game: 0.828 and Japanese Game Bantam: 0.409. As for Es-1C genes, they were 0.034 in Japanese Game, and 0.386 in Japanese Game Bantam. 3. Chi-square tests were performed, and the significant difference was found among five breeds (P<0.005), but no difference was found among the four breeds except Japanese Game Bantam (0.25<P<0.50). 4. Analogous trends of gene frequencies shown by both the group of three native fowls and Japanese game seemed to prove that the latter might have contributed to the establishment of the former.