MAMMALIAN HEMOGLOBINS 321 



It is extremely important to study murine hemoglobins, because there are so many 

 potentialities in mice for experimental analysis. I hope studies in mice will help us to 

 understand genetic differences in human hemoglobins for which experimental analysis 

 is not possible. The kind of breeding tests which can be performed with mice are not 

 possible in human populations at any rate. In connection with that I especially 

 congratulate you on the finding of a difference of the segregation pattern of differences 

 between the hemoglobin of SEC mice, which we have known formerly as an electro- 

 phoretically single hemoglobin, and that of C57BL/6, which is another single hemoglobin. 

 These two segregate independently of the albino locus, as I understand it. Differences 

 between single and diffuse hemoglobins previously observed appear to be very closely 

 linked with albinism. Now we are beginning to progress in using the potentialities 

 of mouse genetics to help in the understanding of how these hemoglobin differences 

 in mice actually arise through genie action. 



Recently I have been learning about column chromatography as a method for 

 studying differences in murine hemoglobins. There are two reasons for using this 

 method. One is that Dr. Richard Schweet of the University of Kentucky Medical 

 School has used column chromatography very effectively in the study of hemoglobin 

 synthesis. 103 Since he has become interested in murine hemoglobins and wishes to 

 do this kind of work with them, chromatography is an obvious method of choice. 

 After observing his work with column chromatography, I would comment that the 

 patience required for this method is considerable. 



As for the degree of resolution, it appears to be excellent in the separation of 

 particular components of hemoglobin from different strains. A great advantage in 

 column chromatography is that one can prepare mixtures of different hemoglobins and 

 tell whether the same hemoglobin component is present in both strains. Perhaps 

 "fingerprinting" could do the same, but I am reasonably sure that we will find out 

 more by using both methods than by utilizing either exclusively. So far we have 

 found that there are two, different, diffuse types of hemoglobin in the two inbred 

 strains which we have studied extensively; that is, samples from the inbred flexed 

 mouse and the AKR mouse give different hemoglobin patterns on column chromato- 

 graphy. The two single ones with which we were dealing are alike. One is the 

 C57BL/6 hemoglobin which is like that of SWR/J. This is fortunate in that one strain 

 is albino, the other full color. This difference in a gene linked to a locus affecting 

 hemoglobin will help us to use the same tool in different linkage experiments. 



The AKR/J hemoglobins have two major components and a minor. C57BL/6J 

 and SWR/J have a single, major component and a minor. Extensive experiments 

 involving mixtures and F x hybrids must now be carried out if inheritance of murine 

 hemoglobins is to be more clearly understood. I wish that there were a quick way 

 of doing the hard job, but I really do not think there is any means of avoiding the 

 extensive, difficult work required. 



Dr. Popp, have you studied N-teminal amino acids ? Something on this is known 

 from Dr. Schweet's work also. In the C57BL/6 major component, there is an alpha 



