Fasciola hepatica: identification of molecular markers for resistant and susceptible Pseudosuccinea columella snail hosts.
Protein electrophoresis, RAPD-PCR and nuclear rDNA ITS sequencing were performed to search for genetic differences between Pseudosuccinea columella snails susceptible and resistant to Fasciola hepatica infection. Of the 21 enzymatic loci analyzed in both populations, none of them exhibited neither within- or between-group variation. Such an absence of enzyme polymorphism support the hypothesis of selfing as the "prevalent" mating system for this hermaphroditic species. Conversely, the RAPD profiles displayed clear differences between susceptible and resistant isolates for 17 of the 26 primers tested while no within-group variation was detected. rDNA ITS sequence analysis from snails of each isolates showed only two bases that differed between groups accounting for a 0.17% of variation confirming that susceptible and resistant snails belong to the same species. This is the first time that a genetic variation using RAPD markers is demonstrated between susceptible and resistant lymnaeid snails vis-a-vis of F. hepatica infection in absence of experimental selection.
Laboratorio de Malacología, Instituto "Pedro Kouri", IPK Apartado 601, Marianao 13, Ciudad Habana, Cuba.
Alfredo
A
Gutiérrez
Jean-Pierre
JP
Pointier
Jorge
J
Fraga
Edouard
E
Jobet
Sylvain
S
Modat
R T
RT
Pérez
Mary
M
Yong
J
J
Sanchez
Eric S
ES
Loker
André
A
Théron
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry; D005210:Fasciola hepatica / Q000502:physiology*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000032:analysis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D012908:Snails / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology
D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D005819:Genetic Markers; D007527:Isoenzymes