Cloning of region-specific genetic markers of planaria using a new method--ordered differential display

A new method for finding differentially expressed genes, termed ordered differential display of mRNAs (ODD), was used in the search for region-specific molecular markers of freshwater planarian Dugesia tigrina. In this method, the effect of selective suppression of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used for the differential amplification of a pool of 3'-terminal cDNA fragments generated by digestion of cDNAs with a restriction endonuclease. In the resulting amplified cDNAs, every mRNA is represented by a cDNA fragment whose length is determined by the position of the restriction site nearest to the 3'-terminus. Subsequent PCR with primers 3'-extended by two random nucleotides allowed the amplification of 1/192 part of all cDNA molecules present in the sample. The comparison of the generated pools of cDNA molecules separated by PAGE leads to the identification of differentially expressed sequences. The systematic study of the total mRNA pool is achieved by the successive use of all possible combinations of extended primers. Some sequences preferentially expressed along the anterior-posterior axis of planarian were identified using ODD.