Analysis of the Anopheles gambiae genome using RAPD markers

RAPD analysis technique is used as a rapid and reliable tool for genome analysis in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Using more than eighty different commercially available primers we identified more than sixty different DNA segments that were differentially amplified in different strains of An. gambiae s.s. and An. arabiensis. An estimate of the cytogenetic position of these markers is provided by their hybridization to divisional dot-blot filters. Potentially useful RAPD markers can be cytogenetically mapped with more precision by in situ hybridization and, as they segregate as dominant markers in a Mendelian fashion, they can also be genetically mapped relative to other genes or rearrangements. Finally, we identified markers for their potential use in the identification of different mosquito strains.