Emoglobine multiple nella capra e loro caratterizzazione

The aim of this paper was to assess the best method for phenotyping all hemoglobin morphs in goat. Results of the comparison between different analytical methods are presented. Hemoglobin (Hb) phenotypes were investigated in 200 adult Garganica goats with polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing (PAGIF). The heterogeneity of globin chains was revealed by acid electrophoresis in the presence of urea and Triton X 100 (AUT PAGE) and high performance liquid chromatography (inverse phase-C4, - RP-HPLC-, and cationic weak exchange). In order to identify different allelic and non allelic variants at the alpha and beta loci, the primary structure of globins was analysed by electro-spray mass spectrometry (ESMS). Three non allelic ??-chains were detected, one being encoded by the '5 upstream gene - ??? - and the other two - one of which never characterized - by the '3 downstream gene. As to the ?-chains, five codominant alleles -?A -?D, ?D Malta, ?E and ? unknown - were found, sometimes associated with the non allelic ?C, in anaemic goats. Due to the absence in the sample of individuals carrying the I?B gene, the Hb patterns described refer to a monomorphic condition at the I?locus. Based on the structural identification of globins, the comparison between the results obtained using the above-mentioned analytical methods outlined the impossibility to type goat individuals by means of a single technique and this because of the large hemoglobin heterogeneity recorded - namely up to 18 different tetramers with a maximum of 9 multiple forms in a single subject. However, for an easy screening of goat populations, reliable results may be provided by an analytical approach which combines hemoglobinand globin patterns obtained by PAGIF and AUT PAGE, respectively.