| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1354593 | Biochemical Systematics and Ecology | 2009 | 7 Pages |
The antigenic patterns recognised by Western blotting in seed proteins of species of Opuntioideae (Cactaceae) were analysed in an attempt to evaluate their usefulness in systematics. Total protein profiles were also analysed by SDS–PAGE. The resulting similarity and distance matrices were further used to carry out Cluster Analysis (UPGMA) and Principal Coordinates Analysis. Populations of Opuntia cardiosperma were found to exhibit a prominent morphological uniformity, a unique electrophoretic pattern and a uniform antigenic pattern. The latter was obtained using anti-O. cardiosperma as antiserum. Results from the qualitative and quantitative interspecific analyses of antigenic profiles helped to characterise all the species studied. Tephrocactus articulatus and Cylindropuntia imbricata evidenced lower affinity with O. cardiosperma than the species of Opuntia s.s. Our results demonstrate that in Cactaceae, Western blotting analysis broadens the usefulness range of immunological techniques at the specific level and complements the information collected from electrophoretic profiles.
