Carbonic anhydrase isozymes of blood and oviducal tissues of Leghorn hens.

A group of hens laying high specific gravity eggs and a group laying low specific gravity eggs were selected from each of 6 Single Comb White Leghorn strains and compared for possible qualitative differences in carbonic anhydrase (CA) isozymes in blood and oviducal tissues. Starch gel electrophoretic patterns of erythrocytes, blood plasma and oviducal tissues of magnum, isthmus and uterus from 173 selected hens disclosed 9 carbonic anhydrase isozymes. In oviducal tissues 5 isozyme zones were routinely observed in gel patterns. Of these zones, the 2 with the slowest migration rate had differing staining intensity depending upon the section of the oviduct examined. Five zones were also observed in patterns of lysed erythrocytes, 4 of them possessing the same electrophoretic mobility as 4 to 5 observed in the oviducal tissues, and 1 zone that was observed only in the erythrocytes. Plasma patterns of hens with active ovaries possessed 2 zones, 1 always and 1 occasionally present in patterns of oviducal tissues. Plasma patterns of hens with inactive ovaries possessed 1 or 2 additional unique CA zones. No qualitative differences were found in enzyme patterns between birds laying high specific gravity eggs and those laying low specific gravity eggs.