Identification of a genetic marker associated with the resistance to Schistosoma mansoni infection using random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis

In schistosomiasis, the host/parasite interaction remains not completely understood. Many questions related to the susceptibility of snails to infection by respective trematode still remain unanswered. The control of schistosomiasis requires a good understanding of the host/parasite association. In this work, the susceptibility/resistance to Schistosoma mansoni infection within Biomphalaria alexandrina snails were studied starting one month post infection and continuing thereafter weekly up to 10 weeks after miracidia exposure. Genetic variations between susceptible and resistant strains to Schistosoma infection within B. alexandrina snails using random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis technique were also carried out. The results showed that 39.8% of the examined field snails were resistant, while 60.2% of these snails showed high infection rates.In the resistant genotype snails, OPA-02 primer produced a major low molecular weight marker 430 bp. Among the two snail strains there were interpopulational variations, while the individual specimens from the same snail strain, either susceptible or resistant, record semi-identical genetic bands. Also, the resistant character was ascendant in contrast to a decline in the susceptibility of snails from one generation to the next.     

Genetic markers between Biomphalaria glabrata snails susceptible and resistant to Schistosoma mansoni infection

The analysis of the genetic variability related to susceptibility to Schistosoma mansoni infection in the vector of the genus Biomphalaria is important in terms of a better understanding of the epidemiology of schistosomiasis itself, the possible pathological implications of this interaction in vertebrate hosts, and the formulation of new strategies and approaches for disease control. In the present study, the genetic variability of B. glabrata strains found to be resistant or susceptible to S. mansoni infection was investigated using DNA amplification by random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR). The amplification products were analyzed on 8% polyacrylamide gel and stained with silver. We selected 10 primers, since they have previously been useful to detect polymorphism among B. glabrata and/or B. tenagophila. The results showed polymorphisms with 5 primers. Polymorphic bands observed only in the susceptible strain. The RAPD-PCR methodology represents an adequate approach for the analysis of genetic polymorphisms. The understanding of the genetic polymorphisms associated to resistance may contribute to the future identification of genomic sequences related to the resistance/susceptibility of Biomphalaria to the larval forms of S. mansoni and to the development of new strategies for the control of schistosomiasis.     

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) polymerase chain reaction assay for identification of Schistosoma mansoni strains sensitive or tolerant to anti-schistosomal drugs

The genetic differences between Schistosoma mansoni strains from different geographic areas that were reportedly resistant or sensitive to anti-schistosomal drugs were studied with randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. Of the 20 RAPD primers we chose, 19 showed the capacity to produce a medium to high level of amplification and 6 revealed difference PCR bands between drug-resistant and drug-sensitive strains. One particular primer, 5'-CAGCGACAAG-3', showed 2 major difference bands between praziquantel (PZQ)-resistant and PZQ-sensitive strains from the endemic area of Egypt. These results demonstrate that defined sequence primers could be applied as a useful tool for differentiating drug-resistant and -sensitive schistosome parasites in the field.     

Biomphalaria tenagophila: dominant character of the resistance to Schistosoma mansoni in descendants of crossbreedings between resistant (Taim, RS) and susceptible (Joinville, SC) strains

The aim of the present work was to study parasitological, molecular, and genetic aspects in descendants of crossbreedings between a totally resistant Biomphalaria tenagophila strain (Taim, RS) and another one highly susceptible (Joinville, SC) to Schistosoma mansoni. Descendants F1 and F2 were submitted to S. mansoni infection (LE strain). The susceptibility rates for individuals from Group F1 were 0 to 0.6%, and from Group F2 was 7.2%. The susceptible individuals from Group F2 discharged a lower number of cercariae, when compared with the susceptible parental group, and in 2 out of 9 positive snails the cercarial elimination was discontinued. In order to identify genetic markers associated with resistance the genotype of parental snails and their offspring F1 and F2 were analyzed by means of the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA method. Nevertheless, it was not possible to detect any marker associated to resistance, but the results showed that in the mentioned species the resistance character is determined by two dominant genes.     

与小麦白粉病抗性基因Pm2紧密连锁RAPD标记的筛选研究

以２５６个随机引物对含小麦抗白粉病基因Ｐｍ２近等基因系进行ＲＡＰＤ分析,发现１７个随机引物的扩增产物在抗、感ＮＩＬｓ材料间表现多态性,且其中５个引物经４次以上重复,均获相同结果,其多态性标记分别为ＯＰＭ０８(１６００)、ＯＰＩ０４(１７００)、ＯＰＨ１９(１１００、ＯＰＥ０９(９００)及ＯＰＭ１６(８５０)。当以这５个随机引物对１４个已知含Ｐｍ２基因的抗病材料及９个不含Ｐｍ２基因的感病材料进行检测时,只有标记ＯＰＩ０４(１７００)在１２个抗病材料中出现（另两个抗病材料中未检测到）,而在９个感病材料中均未出现。进一步用 ＯＰI(０４)对１０２株（Ｃｈａｎｃｅｌｌｏｒｘ Ｕｋａ／８＊Ｃｃ）Ｆ２分离群体进行分析,估算出标记ＯＰＩ０４(１７００)与Ｐｍ２基因间的遗传距离为１２．２±３．３ｃＭ。     

普通小麦抗、感赤霉病品种(系)的RAPD标记分析

采用RAPD技术,用524个随机引物对3个抗病品种和4个感病品种的基因组DNA进行扩增,发现3个引物能在抗、感品种间检测到稳定的多态性。这3个引物及它们产生的多态片段是S347 1220bp、S372 872bp和S375 1360bp,其中S347 1220bp和S372 875bp在感病品种上呈显性扩增,在抗病品种上无扩增,相反S375 1360bp在感病品种上无扩增,在抗病品种上呈显性扩增。初步判断这3个特异带与小麦赤霉病抗性有关。     

Impact of the age of Biomphalaria alexandrina snails on Schistosoma mansoni transmission: modulation of the genetic outcome and the internal defence system of the snail

Of the approximately 34 identified Biomphalaria species,Biomphalaria alexandrina represents the intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni in Egypt. Using parasitological and SOD1 enzyme assay, this study aimed to elucidate the impact of the age of B. alexandrina snails on their genetic variability and internal defence against S. mansoni infection. Susceptible and resistant snails were reared individually for self-reproduction; four subgroups of their progeny were used in experiment. The young susceptible subgroup showed the highest infection rate, the shortest pre-patent period, the highest total cercarial production, the highest mortality rate and the lowest SOD1 activity. Among the young and adult susceptible subgroups, 8% and 26% were found to be resistant, indicating the inheritance of resistance alleles from parents. The adult resistant subgroup, however, contained only resistant snails and showed the highest enzyme activity. The complex interaction between snail age, genetic background and internal defence resulted in great variability in compatibility patterns, with the highest significant difference between young susceptible and adult resistant snails. The results demonstrate that resistance alleles function to a greater degree in adults, with higher SOD1 activity and provide potential implications for Biomphalaria control. The identification of the most susceptible snail age enables determination of the best timing for applying molluscicides. Moreover, adult resistant snails could be beneficial in biological snail control.     

The effectiveness of ISSR profiling for studying genetic diversity of Aspergillus flavus from peanut-cropped soils in China

We used markers based on inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) to examine the genetic diversity of Aspergillus flavus from peanut-cropped soils in China. Of the 100 primers, 22 primers produced clear and reproducible ISSR bands, and the di-nucleotide accounted for 73% of those primers. The size of DNA fragments ranged from 100 to 2000 bp. The primer UBC 834 produced the largest number of polymorphic bands (10), followed by UBC 809, UBC 817, UBC 895, and UBC 899, which all amplified 7 polymorphic bands. Using the five primers, the tested strains were clearly separated based on genetic similarity coefficients (GSC). The range of GSC was from 0.59 to 0.90. In unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) analysis, the A. flavus samples grouped in five clusters. The study showed that the ISSR technology is an effective molecular approach for studying diversity of A. flavus from peanut-cropped soils in China.     

The relationship between genetic variability and the susceptibility of Biomphalaria alexandrina snails to Schistosoma mansoni infection

In the present study, Biomphalaria snails collected from five Egyptian governorates (Giza, Fayoum, Kafr El-Sheikh, Ismailia and Damietta), as well as reference control Biomphalaria alexandrina snails from the Schistosome Biological Supply Center (SBSC) (Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Egypt), were subjected to species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to identify the collected species. All of the collected snails were found to be B. alexandrina and there was no evidence of the presence of Biomphalaria glabrata. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR assays showed different fingerprints with varying numbers of bands for the first generation (F?) of B. alexandrina snail populations (SBSC, Giza, Fayoum, Kafr El-Sheikh, Ismailia and Damietta). The primer OPA-1 produced the highest level of polymorphism and amplified the greatest number of specific bands. The estimated similarity coefficients among the B. alexandrina populations based on the RAPD-PCR profiles ranged from 0.56 (between SBSC and Ismailia snails) to 0.72 (between Ismailia and Kafr El-Sheikh snails). Experimental infection of the F? of progeny from the collected snails with Schistosoma mansoni (SBSC strain) showed variable susceptibility rates ranging from 15% in the Fayoum snail group to 50.3% in SBSC snails. A negative correlation was observed between the infection rates in the different snail groups and the distances separating their corresponding governorates from the parasite source. The infection rates of the snail groups and their similarity coefficients with SBSC B. alexandrina snails were positively correlated. The variations in the rates of infection of different B. alexandrina groups with S. mansoni, as well as the differences in the similarity coefficients among these snails, are dependent not only on the geographical distribution of the snails and the parasite, but also on the genetic variability of the snails. Introduction of this variability into endemic areas may reduce the ability of the parasite to infect local hosts and consequently reduce schistosomiasis epidemiology.     

DNA fingerprinting of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Flavobacterium columnare</Emphasis> using RAPD-PCR

In the present study, DNA fingerprinting of eight strains of Flavobacterium columnare was done by random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting method. The strains were collected from Fish Health Management Division, Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar, India. A total number of 160 primers were screened for RAPD-PCR, of which 10 primers yielded amplification with all the strains. The molecular weight of amplified bands varied from 0.29–2.63 Kb. The number of bands varied from 1 to 8. Unique band was seen with primer OPY-15 with molecular weight 0.75 Kb that can be used for epidemiological study. Genetic variability was investigated using NTSYS software. Highest genetic similarity was found between MS1 and MS3 followed by MS5 and MS7. Minimum genetic similarity was found between MS2 and MS8. Phylogenetic tree was constructed using UPGMA and neighbor joining methods.     

Genes tagging and molecular diversity of red rot susceptible/tolerant sugarcane hybrids using c-DNA and unigene derived markers

Sugarcane is an important international commodity as a valuable agricultural crop especially in tropical and subtropical countries. Two bulked DNA used to screen polymorphic primers from commercial hybrids (varieties) with moderately resistant and highly susceptible to red rot disease. Among 145 simple sequence repeat and unigene primers screened, 37 (25%) were found to be highly robust and polymorphic with Polymorphism Information Content values ranging from 0.50 to 1.00 with the mean value of 0.82. Among these microsatellites, twenty one were used in the study of genetic relationships and marker identification in sugarcane varieties for red rot resistance. A total of 105 polymorphic DNA bands were identified, with their fragment size ranging from 54 to 1,280 bp. Jaccard’s similarity coefficient value recorded between closely related hybrids was 0.986 while lowest coefficient value of 0.341 was detected with distantly related hybrids. The average similarity coefficient among these hybrids was 0.663. Cluster analysis resulted in a dendrogram with two major clusters separating the moderately resistant varieties from highly susceptible varieties. Three group specific fragments amplified by unigene Saccharum microsatellite primers viz; two markers UGSM316₈₅₀ and UGSM316₆₀ were closely associated with moderately resistant varieties by appearing bands in this region but the bands were absent in highly susceptible varieties. Similarly UGSM316₄₀₀ marker was tightly linked with highly susceptible varieties by amplifying uniformly in sugarcane varieties showing highly susceptible reaction to red rot but it was absent in moderately resistant varietal groups. Validation of red rot resistance/susceptibility associated markers on a group of different mapping populations for red rot resistant/susceptible traits is in progress.     

甜菜夜蛾抗高效氯氟氰菊酯近等基因系的RAPD标记

用随机引物扩增的方法对近等基因系抗高效氯氟氰菊酯种群和敏感种群甜菜夜蛾进行比较分析,从160条引物中筛选,引物S42(GGACCCAACC)和OPH13(GACGCCACAC)在抗性种群中扩增分别得到了1条特异扩增带,带型清晰、重复性较好,所以S42和OPH13产生的两条特异扩增带是分别与甜菜夜蛾对高效氯氟氰菊酯抗性相关的RAPD分子标记。     

Search for retroviral related DNA polymorphisms using RAPD PCR in schizophrenia

Random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) is widely used to detect polymorphisms in many organisms. Individual (or strain) specific amplified bands are generated with single or pairs of primers in PCR reactions and can serve as genetic markers. We have used this method to generate a large number of reproducible bands with single primers, random and retroviral related, on 92 human DNA samples. Theoretically, RAPD PCR presents a logical approach for assessing variability among individuals. We used ten retroviral related primers (12, 20 and 22 bp) and eight random primers (10 bp) to assess individual differences in the context of testing the retroviral hypothesis for schizophrenia. Three pairs of discordant monozygotic twins, four pairs of discordant full sibs and 53 schizophrenic individuals with 25 of their unrelated matched controls were analyzed. Ten of these primers resulted in a total of approx. 850 amplified bands (65-110 bands per primer). Almost all of these bands were identical among each individual analyzed. However, the results are inconclusive with respect to the retroviral hypothesis for schizophrenia. The general lack of RAPD polymorphism in this study may argue for mechanisms other than rearrangements such as inversions, associated with the evolution of the human genome.     

粘类小麦细胞质雄性不育系的RAPD分析

利用250条10-聚寡核苷酸随机引物对具粘果山羊草(Aegilops kotschyi)、易变山羊草(Ae.variabilis)、偏凸山羊草(Ae.ventricosa)和二角山羊草(Ae．bicornis)细胞质不育系及其保持系5-1的总DNA进行了RAPD多态性分析,其中31条引物对4种不育系及其保持系总DNA均无扩增,217条引物扩增条带完全相同。有2条随机引物在2种不育系之间有特异的扩增片段,其中引物S22在偏凸山羊草细胞质雄性不育系基因组DNA中扩增出分子量约为1600bp的特异带,引物S202在粘果山羊草细胞质雄性不育系基因组DNA中扩增出约1300bp特异带。线粒体基因组DNA的RAPD分析表明,4种不育系及其保持系mtDNA存在明显的差异。证明了S22—1600为偏凸山羊草细胞质不育系及其mtDNA基因组DNA的RAPD特异片段．S202—1300可能为粘果山羊草细胞质不育系及其ctDNA基因组DNA的RAPD特异片段。     

A Multiplex-PCR approach to identification of the Brazilian intermediate hosts of Schistosoma mansoni

Due to difficulties concerning morphological identification of planorbid snails of the genus Biomphalaria, and given a high variation of characters and in the organs with muscular tissue, we designed specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers for Brazilian snail hosts of Schistosoma mansoni from available sequences of internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of the ribosomal RNA gene. From the previous sequencing of the ITS2 region, one primer was designed to anchor in the 5.8S conserved region and three other species-specific primers in the 28S region, flanking the ITS2 region. These four primers were simultaneously used in the same reaction (Multiplex-PCR), under high stringency conditions. Amplification of the ITS2 region of Biomphalaria snails produced distinct profiles (between 280 and 350 bp) for B. glabrata, B. tenagophila and B. straminea. The present study demonstrates that Multiplex-PCR of ITS2-DNAr showed to be a promising auxiliary tool for the morphological identification of Biomphalaria snails, the intermediate hosts of S. mansoni.     

Use of inter-simple sequence repeat markers to develop strain-specific SCAR markers forFlammulina velutipes

In this paper, we report for the first time on authentication of Flammulina velutipes cultivars by using strain-specific sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers developed from inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. The genomic DNA polymorphism was analyzed by the ISSR technique in 7 strains of F. velutipes presently cultivated in China on a commercial scale. Eight primers selected from 20 ISSR primers amplified 104 clear and stable bands, of which 81 bands were polymorphic. Among the selected primers, primer ISSR9 can distinguish strain No. 12 from the other 6 strains by amplifying a unique and reproducible band of approximately 750 bp. According to the sequence of the strain-specific fragment, a pair of SCAR primers was designed to diagnose strain No. 12 on the molecular level. The validity of the SCAR marker was confirmed by using DNA samples from another 12 strains of F. velutipes obtained from different parts of China. Our data provided the foundation for a precise and rapid PCR-based strain-diagnostic system for F. Velutipes.     

野生稻和栽培稻的随机多态DNA(RAPD)分析

应用 RAPD方法对药用野生稻、普通野生稻、粳稻和籼稻进行基因组多态性分析。 1 2个随机引物共扩增出 1 3 2条 RAPD带 ,片段大小在 3 0 0～ 3 5 0 0 bp之间 ,其中有 1 0 6条表现出多态性 ,占总扩增片段的86.4%。根据遗传距离分析 ,用 UPGMA法构建了聚类树状图 ,结果表明 ,普通野生稻的遗传特性比药用野生稻更接近于栽培稻。     

Molecular identification of AFLP fragments associated with elytra color variation of the Asian ladybird beetle,Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

The Asian ladybird beetle, Harmonia axyridis shows polymorphism in elytra color patterns. However, it is uncertain whether these color patterns are regulated by genetic factors. This investigation used amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis to determine any genetic causes of the variability of color patterns. Using four individuals of each group, AFLP analysis produced 37 polymorphic bands. Among several polymorphic bands, six AFLP markers were associated with elytra color patterns after further analysis using six additional individuals of each group. These polymorphic sites were sequenced but did not match DNA sequence data deposited in GenBank. Based on the color-associated AFLP markers, SCAR primers were designed for PCR amplification of genomic DNA. These primers (SCAR 12 and SCAR 44) were used to analyze color-associated loci and/or alleles of H. axyridis DNA. SCAR 12 primers designed from a Spectabilis type-specific fragment (AFLP 12) amplified a specific band of 530 bp in four Spectabilis individuals, but not in the insects with other color patterns.