GENETIC-VARIABILITY, IN THE SABLE (MARTES -ZIBELLINA L) WITH RESPECT TO GENES ENCODING BLOOD PROTEINS

Electrophoresis of blood proteins was used to determine, for the first time, the level of genetic variability of certain loci in the sable ( Martes zibellina L.,). Variation of 23 blood proteins encoded by 25 ge nes was analyzed. Polymorphism was revealed in six genes, The level of heterozygosity was estimated at 0.069; the proportion of polymorphic loci was 24%. Data on the history of the sable population maintained a t the farm, on geographical distribution of natural sable populations, and on the number of animals selected for reproduction in captivity i s presented. The great number of animals studied and the extensive ran ge of natural sable populations, on the basis of which the population maintained in captivity was obtained, suggest that the results of this work can be used for estimating the variability of the gene pool of s able as a species.