Heterozygosity of the sheep: Polymorphism of 'malic enzyme', isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP+), catalase and esterase.

In contrast to other reports, it is found that the sheep has approximately as much enzyme variation as man. Most of the genetically interpretable enzyme variation in heart, liver, kidney and muscle from 52 sheep (Merinos or Merino crosses) is in the NADP-dependent dehydrogenases [two 'malic enzymes' and the supernatant isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP+)] and in the esterases. Ten different loci for NAD-dependent dehydrogenases are electrophoretically monomorphic, as are five different NADH diaphorases from heart muscle and 15 different major proteins from skeletal muscle. It is highly statistically significant that NADP-dependent dehydrogenases and esterases are polymorphic but representatives of several other major classes of enzymes are not. The physiological significance of this polymorphism may be related to the role of these enzymes in growth and detoxication, sheep having been selected by man for faster growth, of wool or of carcass, and for grazing a wide variety of plants.