Enolase isozymes in Coho salmon

1. Analysis of the enolase isozymic distribution has been performed in tissues of the Coho salmon, using electrophoretic separation on cellulose acetate strips followed by localization of enzymatic activity. 2. A total of six electrophoretically distinct forms are seen in Coho salmon in patterns that differ both qualitatively and quantitatively from one tissue to another. 3. The isozymes in skeletal muscle and liver are sufficiently similar to one another that a purification procedure previously developed for trout muscle enolase by Cory & Wold (1966) can be used to partially purify enolase from either of the above-mentioned Coho tissues. The main form of enolase in Coho muscle has an isoelectric point of 7.57. 4. Both liver and skeletal muscle enolases can be reversibly denatured in guanidine HCl and subsequently renatured. Liver enolase appeared to renature somewhat faster than muscle enolase under the same conditions. 5. While polyploidy among salmonids may contribute to the complexity of enolase patterns in fish, the differences in isozymic patterns seen from one tissue to another indicate the presence of distinct, nonallelic genes, probably arising through gene duplication.