The genetics of hexokinase in a mosquito, Culex pipiens

The genetics of hexokinase (HK) variants in a mosquito, Culex pipiens L., was studied using starch gel electrophoresis. Three isozymic forms of HK, all migrating anodally, were present in all three body regions, but in differing proportions. No obvious differences in specificity for three hexose sugars was detected among the three isozymic bands. However, qualitative differences in staining intensity indicate the following order of substrate affinity: glucose greater than fructose greater than mannose. The inheritance of the HK variants is controlled by a pair of co-dominant alleles at a single genetic locus.