Genetic Variation in Nacobbus aberrans: An Approach toward Taxonomic Resolution

Biochemical and molecular analyses of genetic variation were evaluated to address the taxonomic status of Nacobbus aberrans. Isolates from Mexico, Peru, and Argentina, cultured on tomato in the greenhouse, were analyzed with respect to isozyme and DNA marker variation. Although acid phosphatase and malate dehydrogenase revealed distinct profiles for each isolate, non-specific esterases revealed possible affinities between the Peruvian isolates and between the isolates from Mexico and Peru. Two of l 0 RAPD primers revealed affinities suggested by esterase profiles. RFLP analysis of the rDNA repeating unit with six restriction enzymes revealed identical cleavage patterns between the Peru isolates and a distinct profile shared by isolates from Mexico and Argentina. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the 5.8S rRNA coding region revealed differences among the four isolates at eight of 157 positions; sequences of the Peruvian isolates differed from each other at only one position, whereas the Mexican and Argentine isolates were identical and could be distinguished from the Peruvian isolates. A distance matrix from unweighted pairwise comparisons of the 5.8S rDNA revealed apparent elevated intraspecific divergence in N. aberrans comparable to intergeneric divergence between Heterodera and Globodera. Analysis of additional N. aberrans isolates from throughout the distribution range should help determine the full extent of intraspecific genetic variation that underlies the phenotypic and morphologic diversity of the genus.