RAPD-PCR Analysis of Genetic Similarity Between Males and Females of Anguina tritici

Sexual differentiation in Anguina tritici requires about two months of feeding ectoparasitically by the second stage juveniles making it a very interesting phenomenon to understand at molecular level. Understanding the molecular genetic differences between male and female nematodes of this nematode may be helpful to estimate genetic proximity between them which in turn could probably reveal number of genes involved in sex determination. Random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to analyze genomic DNA from females and males of Anguina tritici causing ear cockle disease in wheat, with a view to identify sex-specific differences predicted by an XX/XY system of chromosomal sex determination. 107 random primers belonging to OPA, OPB, OPC, OPD, OPE and OPG used for the RAPD analysis produced 1023 RAPD markers. UPGMA clustering based on these RAPD fragments indicated about 67% similarity between males and females of A. tritici. 54 primers belonging to different series of random primers have amplified about 106 male specific RAPD fragments and an average number of male specific bands produced per primer is 0.99.