Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T04:23:11.934Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Polymorphic microsatellite markers identified in individual Plasmodium falciparum oocysts from wild-caught Anopheles mosquitoes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2000

T. G. ANTHONY
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Imperial College at Silwood Park, Ascot, Berks SL5 7PY, UK Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
H. E. TRUEMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
R. E. HARBACH
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
A. P. VOGLER
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Imperial College at Silwood Park, Ascot, Berks SL5 7PY, UK Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK

Abstract

The oocysts of Plasmodium falciparum that form on the midgut wall of anopheline vectors represent the meiotic products of the sexual cycle of the parasite and are useful for genetic analyses. Recognizing the limitations of current markers for the analysis of genetic variation, we describe a protocol for the DNA isolation and PCR amplification of microsatellite loci from individual oocysts. We present a simple method for the storage and isolation of individual Plasmodium oocysts from wild-caught mosquitoes and demonstrate that it is possible to extract sufficient oocyst DNA for approximately 50 amplifications. Genotyping was successful for 10 microsatellite loci and, using Genescan technology, we found extensive microsatellite polymorphism in an analysis of a dozen oocysts from each of 2 Anopheles gambiae female specimens collected within 6 months at the same location in northern Tanzania. All of the loci exhibited at least 2 alleles, with a maximum of 5. Homozygous and heterozygous oocysts could easily be discerned, but most of the oocysts were homozygous. The procedure has great potential for shedding light on genetic mechanisms operating during meiosis in mosquito vectors and the influence this may have on the genetic structure of natural populations of P. falciparum.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
2000 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)