A testis-specific lactate dehydrogenase in the pipid frog,Hymenochirus boettgeri

Summary Lactate dehydrogenase zymograms of mature testes ofHymenochirus boettgeri show in addition to the five isozymes composed of LDH-A and LDH-B subunits, a second 5-band system which is due to isozymes formed between LDH-A and a third subunit, LDH-C. These testis-specific LDH-C isozymes appear around 6 months after metamorphosis indicating that their expression is correlated with sexual maturity as is generally the case in mammals. This is the first report of a testis-specific LDH isozyme in a lower tetrapod; such isozymes have hitherto only been reported in mammals and in the pigeon.This study was supported by a grant from the Fond National Suisse de la Recherche Scientifique to H.R.K. We thank M. Sateur and F. Bourquin for their technical help.