Abstract
The distribution of chicken (Gallus domesticus) tissue (muscle, oviduct, heart, brain, kidney, and liver) aldolase isozymes was established electrophoretically. Each tissue, being composed of varying proportions of six isozymes, has a distinct isozyme pattern. Brain, oviduct, and heart tissue possess five isozymes of aldolase: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Leg and breast muscle of adults possess aldolase 5. Kidney and liver predominantly possess aldolase 6 with traces of isozymes 1–5. Aldolase 1 corresponds to aldolase C of mammals, 5 to aldolase A, and 6 to aldolase B.Antibodies to 5 react with 2, 3, and 4, but not with 1 and 6. Aldolase 5 hybridizes in vitro with 1 to form 2, 3, and 4. Aldolase 6 also hybridizes in vitro with 1 to form three intermediate hybrids, but these hybrids have not been detected in tissues. These observations imply that aldolase 1 (C) and 5 (A) are frequently synthesized simultaneously in the cell with the formation of the 2, 3, and 4 hybrids. Aldolase 6 (B), in contrast, may not be accompanied by the synthesis of other aldolases in the same cell. Pure preparations of aldolases 1, 5, and 6 were found to have similar molecular weights but different enzymatic properties.