Electrophoretic Comparison of the Leishmania Vectors Phlebotomus papatasi and P. langeroni (Diptera: Psychodidae)

Abstract

Cellulose acetate electrophoresis was employed to detect 22 different enzyme systems in laboratory-reared populations of the sympatric Leishmania vectors, Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli) and P. langeroni Nitzulescu. Electrophoretic conditions sensitive enough to permit as many as eight separate enzyme assays to be performed on individual specimens were developed. Under these conditions, 18 enzymes were detected with high resolution and regularity. Evidence was obtained which suggested that a number of enzymes in both species are under multilocus genetic control. Polymorphism was observed in 14 of 25 (56%) loci detected in P. papatasi and in eight of 24 (33%) loci detected in P. langeroni. Differences in electrophoretic profiles of malic enzyme, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, and fumarate hydratase were considered to be genetically fixed in both sexes of P. papatasi and P. langeroni. Their detection may permit an accurate and more rapid separation of these vectors in field collections.

Genetic structure of Mediterranean populations of the sandfly Phlebotomus papatasi by mitochondrial cytochrome b haplotype analysis

“…1). Some populations, like those from Palestine, Israel and Egypt, were selected based on previous isoenzyme studies (Kassem et al , 1990) that suggested the presence of genetic polymorphism.…”

“…A variety of methods have been employed in the past to evaluate spatial components of genetic diversity among P. papatasi populations. Genomic allele frequency estimates have been used to calculate genetic diversity using allozyme (Kassem et al , 1990, 1993), mtDNA (Parvizi et al , 2003) and microsatellite loci (Hamarsheh et al , 2006).…”

Variation of Esterase Electromorphs Associated with Bloodmeal Digestion in Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae)

“…The latter authors have demonstrated that the electrophoretic mobility of carboxylesterases associated with organophosphate-resistance in Culex pipiens mosquitoes can be affected by proteolytic degradation during the preparation of homogenates (Callaghan et al 1994). This phenomenon has not been described for phlebotomine sand ßies despite the use of EST patterns in many taxonomical and genetic surveys: in the Old World Phlebotomus genus, EST isozymes have been shown to distinguish sympatric and related species of Larroussius and Phlebotomus subgenera (Kassem et al 1990, Madulo-Leblond et al 1991, Benabdennbi Cherkaoui 1998, Ghosh et al 1999.…”

Evidence for genetic differentiation at the microgeographic scale in Phlebotomus papatasi populations from Sudan

“…reported the presence of polymorphisms at many isoenzyme loci among populations of P . papatasi from Egypt but no significant genetic differentiation could be detected [17,18]. It must be stressed that the possibility of genetic differentiation in P .…”