Naturally occurring activity variation of an alkaline phosphatase isozyme associated with physiological fitness in an intertidal population of Macoma balthica
We observed variability in the level of an isozyme for the enzyme alkaline phosphatase (AKP, EC 3.1.3.1) in a Macoma balthica population from Hudson Bay. The distribution of "high" and "no" activity AKP-2 variants were different in samples from "high" tide as compared w...
Published in: | Canadian Journal of Genetics and Cytology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
1986
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1139/g86-040 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/g86-040 |
Summary: | We observed variability in the level of an isozyme for the enzyme alkaline phosphatase (AKP, EC 3.1.3.1) in a Macoma balthica population from Hudson Bay. The distribution of "high" and "no" activity AKP-2 variants were different in samples from "high" tide as compared with "low" tide areas. Furthermore, the AKP-2 activity level is associated with survival at high temperature (32 °C), but in the "high" tide subpopulation only. Although this striking association between the activity level of an isozyme and an environmental parameter in a natural population is one of the very few in the literature, further studies are required to establish the genetic basis for the level of the enzyme activity and the biochemical basis for this relationship.Key words: isozyme, alkaline phosphatase, natural selection, evolution. |
---|