DNA Barcoding in Saprolegnia
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC Ballroom A
Start Date
17-5-2012
End Date
17-5-2012
Abstract
Saprolegnia is a genus of common freshwater protists that have been found to contribute to the mortality of amphibians and fish in hatcheries. One problem with these protists is that they are very hard to identity down to the species level. Traditionally, different species have been identified based on the anatomy of their reproductive structures, but recent research has clearly indicated that this is more unreliable than to compare the genetic relationships among these protists. The goal of our research is to simplify the process of identification by finding an appropriate region of DNA that is suitable for DNA barcoding; identification through the use of standardized short sequences of DNA. Another problem in the selection of an appropriate barcoding region in these organisms is the observation that the two main (nuclear ITS and mitochondrial CO1) genes used in DNA barcoding studies produce conflicting phylogenies and species boundaries. In order to better understand the evolution of these protists and find the best choice for a DNA barcoding gene, multiple additional mitochondrial genes from a number of isolates of Saprolegnia species were amplified via PCR and sequenced. Phylogenetic trees for each gene were estimated using several different methodologies and resulting trees were compared to the trees from each gene. Preliminary results suggest that differences among gene phylogenies may be due to hybridization or lineage sorting.
Recommended Citation
Mueller, Ryanne, "DNA Barcoding in Saprolegnia" (2012). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 95.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2012/posters/95
Poster Number
12
Additional Mentoring Department
Biological Sciences
DNA Barcoding in Saprolegnia
SURC Ballroom A
Saprolegnia is a genus of common freshwater protists that have been found to contribute to the mortality of amphibians and fish in hatcheries. One problem with these protists is that they are very hard to identity down to the species level. Traditionally, different species have been identified based on the anatomy of their reproductive structures, but recent research has clearly indicated that this is more unreliable than to compare the genetic relationships among these protists. The goal of our research is to simplify the process of identification by finding an appropriate region of DNA that is suitable for DNA barcoding; identification through the use of standardized short sequences of DNA. Another problem in the selection of an appropriate barcoding region in these organisms is the observation that the two main (nuclear ITS and mitochondrial CO1) genes used in DNA barcoding studies produce conflicting phylogenies and species boundaries. In order to better understand the evolution of these protists and find the best choice for a DNA barcoding gene, multiple additional mitochondrial genes from a number of isolates of Saprolegnia species were amplified via PCR and sequenced. Phylogenetic trees for each gene were estimated using several different methodologies and resulting trees were compared to the trees from each gene. Preliminary results suggest that differences among gene phylogenies may be due to hybridization or lineage sorting.
Faculty Mentor(s)
James Johnson, Steve Wagner