Contributions to the study of blood constituents in domestic animals in South Africa. 3. Normal values for the activity of glyceraldehyde-phosphate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in the erythrocytes of sheep

Abstract

Normal values have been established for the activity of glyceraldehyde-phosphate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in the erythrocytes of sheep maintained under experimental and field conditions in South Africa. The 10 per cent lower, 80 per cent and 10 per cent upper limits have been established for the former enzyme as 400- 424, 425-730 and 731-900 micrograms/ml of blood respectively. Negligible activity of the latter enzyme has been demonstrated in the ovine erythrocyte by three different methods. Glycolysis in the red blood cells of the sheep is believed to proceed mainly via the direct Embden-Meyerhof pathway. The importance of these findings with regard to the ovine disease syndromes, geeldikkop and enzootic icterus, is mentioned.