Serum transferrins(Tf)of bottlenose dolphin(Tursiops truncatus)and Yangtze finless porpoise(Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis)were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(PAGE),and the molecular weight of bottlenose dolphin Tf was determined by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE).Bottlenose dolphin Tf and Yangtze finless porpoise Tf appeared to be β-globulins.Both species have five bands even though they belong to different families,which is more bands than previously reported for some fish and terrestrial mammals.The distance between the Tf bands was gradually less from the fastest band to the slowest band.The last two bands were close to each other.However,there were no difference among the two bottlenose dolphins and three finless porpoises.Bottlenose dolphin Tf is composed of two components,whose molecular weight disparity is about 3 000 Da.The Tf molecular weights from two bottlenose dolphins were 72 700 Da/69 900 Da and 73 100 Da/69 700 Da,respectively.These values are obviously lower than those in previous studies of humans,rabbits,rats,Guinea pigs,horses,dogs,mice and cats.
