Purine nucleoside phosphorylase polymorphism in the genus Littorina (Prosobranchia: Mollusca)

Examination of eight Atlantic species of the genus Littorina by starch gel electrophoresis of purine nucleoside phosphorylase revealed extensive polymorphism within the L. saxatilis complex. In this group, four alleles have been identified. Heterozygotes are four banded, and thus, as in vertebrates, the enzyme is likely to be a trimer. Breeding experiments confirmed the genetic interpretation of the phenotype patterns. Where species of the saxatilis complex [L. saxatilis (=L. rudis), L. arcana, L. nigrolineata, L. neglecta] are sympatric, there are sometimes significant allele frequency differences between them. A fifth allele was present at a high frequency in L. obtusata and L. mariae, and L. littorea and L. neritoides each possessed unique alleles. A total of eight alleles was identified. Densitometric scanning of heterozygote patterns pointed to activity differences between alleles and also showed that, while the heterotrimeric bands were never less intense than the homotrimeric bands, the heterotrimeric bands were sometimes less intense than expected. It is not clear whether this represents nonrandom association of subunits, decreased stability of heterotrimers, or simply an artifact of the staining and quantifying process.