Healthy sporophytes of two gametophyte mutants of Laminaria japonica with different heat resistances: kelp 901 (901, with comparatively stronger heat-resistance) and Rongcheng No.1 (RC, sensi- tive to heat stress), were respectively collected during October to December 2002 from Yantai and Rong- cheng Sea Farm in the Shandong Peninsula of China. The contents of some biochemical materials and antioxidant capacity were analyzed under controlled laboratory conditions to identify if there is any rela- tion between the overall antioxidant capacity and the heat-resistance in L. japonica and to understand possible mechanism of heat-resistance. Results show that: (1) the overall antioxidant capacity in healthy sporophyte of 901, such as vitamin E, polyphenol, and ascorbic acid contents and the enzymatic activity of SOD, POD, CAT, Gpx, PPO, and PAL, were not always higher than that of RC under controlled labo- ratory conditions, and no significance (P>0.05) was shown in total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in 901 and RC. Result suggested that the difference in antioxidant capacity was not a decisive factor for different heat-resistances in L. japonica; (2) the simultaneous assay on isozymes was carried out using vertical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Considerable differences in peroxide (PRX), malate dehy- drogenase (MDH), malic enzyme (ME), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) were obtained in 901 and RC from either the band number, relative mobility (Rf), or staining intensity, and ME could be used as an indicator to distinguish healthy sporophyte of 901 and RC under controlled labo- ratory conditions.
