Cellulose acetate electrophoresis for screening transferrin polymorphism in brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) populations

Abstract

Previous starch gel electrophoretic studies on transferrin have indicated considerable polymorhism in brown trout (Salmo trutta) populations with diagnostic alleles for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and various brown trout subspecies and races. Transferrin polymorphism is of interest for studies and monitoring of natural or anthropogenically induced hybridization between Atlantic salmon and brown trout or between several brown trout subspecies and races because only small samples of blood (100 mu l) are needed which may be obtained without killing the fish. The authors present a fast and simple method for the separation of transferrin alleles. We recommend cellulose acetate electrophoresis which has several advantages as compared to previous methods of separation and which is suitable for routine analysis of large samples within short time