A comparison of Bulinus africanus group species (Planorbidae; Gastropoda) by use of the internal transcribed spacer 1 region combined by morphological and anatomical characters. 2000

P Raahauge, and T K Kristensen
Danish Bilharziasis Laboratory, Charlottenlund. pr@bilharziasis.dk

The morphological and anatomical characters applied to determine species identity in the Bulinus africanus group species are insufficient to unambiguously discriminate between arbitrary species of given populations. In order to solve this problem, four snail populations from Kenya have been investigated morphologically and anatomically, and the species status compared with the result of molecular methods. We have amplified the entire ITS region and found that the investigated populations showed intra-specific genetic polymorphism, thereby giving the taxa an identity which were indistinct when the region was cut with restriction enzymes. Instead, an amplification of the sub-region ITS 1 revealed an unambiguous identification. because the amplification revealed only one single fragment. We also found that the observed heterogeneity of the entire ITS region could be confined to the sub-region ITS 2. Furthermore, the micro-sculpture of the shell and penis to preputium proportion, which are normally applied as morphological characters, might be considered as inadequate, because of the lack of a significant difference in those characters between the two well established species, namely B. africanus and B. nasutus in the Kisumu area. Instead, these two taxa were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) to be one single species with a highly variable morphology. This result was further confirmed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) data and the mitochondrial cytochome oxidase subunit I (COI).

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007630 Kenya A republic in eastern Africa, south of ETHIOPIA, west of SOMALIA with TANZANIA to its south, and coastline on the Indian Ocean. Its capital is Nairobi. Republic of Kenya
D008928 Mitochondria Semiautonomous, self-reproducing organelles that occur in the cytoplasm of all cells of most, but not all, eukaryotes. Each mitochondrion is surrounded by a double limiting membrane. The inner membrane is highly invaginated, and its projections are called cristae. Mitochondria are the sites of the reactions of oxidative phosphorylation, which result in the formation of ATP. They contain distinctive RIBOSOMES, transfer RNAs (RNA, TRANSFER); AMINO ACYL T RNA SYNTHETASES; and elongation and termination factors. Mitochondria depend upon genes within the nucleus of the cells in which they reside for many essential messenger RNAs (RNA, MESSENGER). Mitochondria are believed to have arisen from aerobic bacteria that established a symbiotic relationship with primitive protoeukaryotes. (King & Stansfield, A Dictionary of Genetics, 4th ed) Mitochondrial Contraction,Mitochondrion,Contraction, Mitochondrial,Contractions, Mitochondrial,Mitochondrial Contractions
D012150 Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length Variation occurring within a species in the presence or length of DNA fragment generated by a specific endonuclease at a specific site in the genome. Such variations are generated by mutations that create or abolish recognition sites for these enzymes or change the length of the fragment. RFLP,Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism,RFLPs,Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms
D002033 Bulinus A genus of small freshwater snails of the order Pulmonata, found throughout Africa and the Middle East, where it is a vector of SCHISTOSOMA HAEMATOBIUM.
D003576 Electron Transport Complex IV A multisubunit enzyme complex containing CYTOCHROME A GROUP; CYTOCHROME A3; two copper atoms; and 13 different protein subunits. It is the terminal oxidase complex of the RESPIRATORY CHAIN and collects electrons that are transferred from the reduced CYTOCHROME C GROUP and donates them to molecular OXYGEN, which is then reduced to water. The redox reaction is simultaneously coupled to the transport of PROTONS across the inner mitochondrial membrane. Cytochrome Oxidase,Cytochrome aa3,Cytochrome-c Oxidase,Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit III,Cytochrome a,a3,Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit VIa,Cytochrome-c Oxidase (Complex IV),Cytochrome-c Oxidase Subunit III,Cytochrome-c Oxidase Subunit IV,Ferrocytochrome c Oxygen Oxidoreductase,Heme aa3 Cytochrome Oxidase,Pre-CTOX p25,Signal Peptide p25-Subunit IV Cytochrome Oxidase,Subunit III, Cytochrome Oxidase,p25 Presequence Peptide-Cytochrome Oxidase,Cytochrome c Oxidase,Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit III,Cytochrome c Oxidase Subunit IV,Oxidase, Cytochrome,Oxidase, Cytochrome-c,Signal Peptide p25 Subunit IV Cytochrome Oxidase,p25 Presequence Peptide Cytochrome Oxidase
D004275 DNA, Ribosomal DNA sequences encoding RIBOSOMAL RNA and the segments of DNA separating the individual ribosomal RNA genes, referred to as RIBOSOMAL SPACER DNA. Ribosomal DNA,rDNA
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013045 Species Specificity The restriction of a characteristic behavior, anatomical structure or physical system, such as immune response; metabolic response, or gene or gene variant to the members of one species. It refers to that property which differentiates one species from another but it is also used for phylogenetic levels higher or lower than the species. Species Specificities,Specificities, Species,Specificity, Species
D016133 Polymerase Chain Reaction In vitro method for producing large amounts of specific DNA or RNA fragments of defined length and sequence from small amounts of short oligonucleotide flanking sequences (primers). The essential steps include thermal denaturation of the double-stranded target molecules, annealing of the primers to their complementary sequences, and extension of the annealed primers by enzymatic synthesis with DNA polymerase. The reaction is efficient, specific, and extremely sensitive. Uses for the reaction include disease diagnosis, detection of difficult-to-isolate pathogens, mutation analysis, genetic testing, DNA sequencing, and analyzing evolutionary relationships. Anchored PCR,Inverse PCR,Nested PCR,PCR,Anchored Polymerase Chain Reaction,Inverse Polymerase Chain Reaction,Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction,PCR, Anchored,PCR, Inverse,PCR, Nested,Polymerase Chain Reactions,Reaction, Polymerase Chain,Reactions, Polymerase Chain
D019105 Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique Technique that utilizes low-stringency polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification with single primers of arbitrary sequence to generate strain-specific arrays of anonymous DNA fragments. RAPD technique may be used to determine taxonomic identity, assess kinship relationships, analyze mixed genome samples, and create specific probes. RAPD Technique,RAPD-PCR,Arbitrarily Primed PCR Reaction,RAPD Technic,Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technic,RAPD Technics,RAPD Techniques

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