Genetic regulation of liver alcohol dehydrogenase in Peromyscus

Abstract

Data from genetic crosses of Peromyscus maniculatus and P. polionotus suggests that electrophoretic variants of liver alcohol dehydrogenase are coded by alleles at a single locus. These alleles, designated AdhF, AdhS, and AdhN, determine, respectively, the fast, slow, and not detectable (null) ADH electrophoretic phenotype. Heterozygotes (AdhF/AdhS) exhibit three bands on zymograms, suggesting a dimeric subunit structure for the enzyme. However, AdhF/AdhN and AdhS/AdhN animals exhibit a single band, suggesting that the AdhN allele does not produce a polypeptide subunit capable of dimerizing into an active molecule. Fast and slow electrophoretic phenotypes exhibit multiple bands which can be converted into single major fast and slow bands, respectively, upon treatment with oxidized or reduced NAD. Addition of NAD also stabilizes both the fast and slow enzyme to heat inactivation at 60 C for at least 30 min.