Peptidases A, B, C, D and S in the American mink: polymorphism and chromosome localization

An electrophoretic analysis of peptidases was carried out in a population of American mink. Based on substrate and tissue specificities, as well as subunit composition, homologies were established between mink peptidases A, B, C, D and S and human peptidases. Polymorphism for peptidases B and D was demonstrated for minks of three coat colour types. Breeding data indicated that the peptidase variations are under the control of allele pairs at distinct autosomal loci designated as PEPB and PEPD, respectively. Using a panel of American mink-Chinese hamster hybrid clones, the gene for PEPB was assigned to mink chromosome 9.