Isoenzymes pp 18-31 | Cite as

Isoenzymes in genetics and evolution

  • C. C. Rider
  • C. B. Taylor
Chapter
Part of the Outline Studies in Biology book series (OSB)

Abstract

Isoenzyme analysis is now an important experimental technique in genetics. Each genetically determined isoenzyme subunit type, by definition, is the result of a different gene, whether we are considering an enzyme encoded by multiple alleles at a single locus, or multiple loci. Therefore, wherever the isoenzyme subunit type is found, the gene coding for it is not only present, but is being expressed. In this way the isoenzyme subunit is a marker for its own gene. Theoretically, this is not restricted to enzymes; any polypeptide is a marker for its encoding gene. However, in practice, since enzymes are catalytically active they can be assayed specifically so that enzyme variants can be detected more readily than the genetic variants of non-enzymic proteins. It must be emphasized that only isoenzymes due to genetic multiplicity are of interest here. Use of isoenzymes as markers in modern biochemical genetics is so widespread that the hypothesis ‘one gene — one enzyme’ proposed by Nobel laureates Beadle and Tatum could often be rephrased ‘one gene — one isoenzyme subunit’. The usefulness of isoenzymes as genetic markers is illustrated in the following experiment devised to test the Lyon Hypothesis. Not only was this a particularly elegant application of isoenzyme markers, but also was in its own right an important advance in our understanding of genetic regulation.

Keywords

Pyruvate Kinase Multiple Allele Neutral Mutation Divergent Evolution Enzyme Polymorphism 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© C. C. Rider, C. B. Taylor 1980

Authors and Affiliations

  • C. C. Rider
    • 1
  • C. B. Taylor
    • 2
  1. 1.Royal Holloway CollegeUniversity of LondonUK
  2. 2.University of SheffieldUK

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