APPLICATION OF RFLP ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY CYST POPULATIONS OF ARTEMIA URMIANA GùNTHER, 1899 (BRANCHIOPODA, ANOSTRACA) FROM URMIA LAKE, IRAN

摘要

A rapid and reliable PCR-RFLP method was optimized to identify cyst batches of Anemia urmiana collected from different regions of Urmia Lake. Following DNA extraction, a 1564 bp region of a mitochondrial gene encoding the ribosomal RNA was successfully amplified by the PCR technique. Eleven restriction endonucleases were subsequently employed in order to digest the PCR product. These enzymes gave specific restriction patterns for discriminating cyst batches collected from top and bottom layers of three main geographical areas of Urmia Lake. Detailed analysis revealed that the RFLP patterns of four restriction enzymes (Hinfl, Taql, Mspl, and Mbol) were sufficient to differentiate between the samples studied. The method described is sensitive, rapid,and reliable, and can be a useful tool for the identification of various populations of A. urmiana existing in the ecosystem of Urmia Lake.