Electrophoretic identification of muscle proteins in 7 puffer species

Species identification of puffer species using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) with Coomassie blue and Coomassie blue/silver double staining was performed. A comparison was also made among extracts of sarcoplasmic, myofibrillar, SDS-soluble, and urea-soluble proteins. Protein bands of lower molecular weight showed the species-specific characteristics. Double staining better discriminated the protein banding patterns of different puffer species than Coomassie blue staining. Species identification of all tested puffers could be achieved by judging from the SDS-PAGE patterns of the 4 protein extracts stained with both stains along with protein band densities.