Biochemical and Population Genetics of the Rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, Carbonic Anhydrases I and II, from the Iberian Peninsula and France

Available studies on the biochemical and electrophoretic characterization of European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) carbonic anhydrases I and II (CAI, CAII) show contradictory results about their relative electrophoretic mobility and substrate specificity. After positive identification of carbonic anhydrase activity by CO2 hydration, the differential esterase activity of CAI and CAII toward β-napththyI acetate and flourescein diacetate,respectively, were used to identify the banding patterns corresponding to each locus. Electrophoretic and hybrid isoelectric focusing analyses of the CAI and CAII loci in 1 domestic and 19 wild rabbit populations led to the recognition of genetic polymorphism at the CAI locus and of extensive variability at the CAII locus. Four and nine alleles at the CAI and CAII loci, respectively, are described. The geographic distribution of genetic variability is consistent with the existence of two evolutionary groups within O. cuniculus.