Genetic Variation in Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (Acari: Ixodidae) Populations in Kenya, Assessed by two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis

Abstract

The study of protein variation is an indirect, relatively inexpensive approach to genetic analysis. In this study, the protein profiles of two distinct populations of the brown ear tick (Rhipicephalus appendiculatus) in Kenya, which differ in their Theileria parva vectorcompetence were compared by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. A majority of the proteins were homologous to both populations. However, a few proteins were found to be population-specific. Since proteins are gene products, the presence of population-specific proteins suggests genetic differences between the two populations. It is speculated that some of these population-specific proteins might be related to the observed differences in T. parva vector competence.