Codominant autosomal inheritance of polymorphic red cell acid phosphates of lemurs and some properties of the enzymes.

Red cell acid phosphatase phenotypes of 207 captive animals of the genera Lemur, Hapalemur, and Prophithecus were determined by starch gel electrophoresis and phosphatase-specific staining. In Lemur fulvus, three phenotypes, designated A, B, and AB, were observed. In each of the species L. catta, L. macaco, L. mongoz, and L. variegatus, a single phenotype was observed, In Hapalemur griseus, three phenotypes were found: A,B, and AB. In Propithecus verreauxi, a single phenotype was found. Examination of breeding records in conjunction with the results of the electrophoretic analyses supports the conclusion that the erythrocytic acid phosphatases in this group of nonhuman primates are the products of at least two codominant autosomal alleles. There is a wide range of specific activities of the acid phosphatases as determined by colorimetric assays. The values range from 60.6 micronmoles of p-nitrophenol released per gram of hemoglobin per 30 min in Lemur catta to 429.1 micronmoles in Propithecus verreauxi. The enzymes of L. fulvus and P. vereauxi were purified approximately 400-fold, and Michaelis-Menten constants were determined on the purified preparations. For L. fulvus phenotype A, Km = 0.8 mM; for L. fulvus phenotype B, Km = 0.8 mM; and for P. verreauxi, Km = 0.6 mM; the substrate in each case was p-nitrophenylphosphate.