Isozymes from conchocelis and leafy thalli of Porphyra species

To establish a method for identifying Porphyra species, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to examine the presence of isozymes at the growing stage from conchocelis (2n) to leafy thalli (n). The five Porphyra species used in this experiment were P. tenera (Minomi), P. tenera (Matsukawa), P. yezoensis f. narawaensis, P. yezoensis (Saga10), and P. yezoensis (Green). The six enzymes for examining isozymes were CAT, POD, GOT, GDH, ADH, and AK. In conchocelis, the six enzymes differed with the five species. Particularly, POD and GOT were effective for separating P. tenera and P. yezoensis, and CAT and AK for identifying the tested species. POD and GOT showed the same isozyme profiles in leafy thalli and conchocelis. Other enzymes had fewer isozymes in leafy thalli than conchocelis. CAT showed no significant difference among the species, and AK was effective only for separating P. tenera and P. yezoensis.