Crude protein electrophoresis of six species of Asplenium L.

Abstract

Protein electrophoresis of leaflet was carried out using six species of Asplenium, to separate and identify different protein bands in each species. Young leaflets of each species were collected from Southwestern Nigeria for gel electrophoresis. The leaflets were washed with distilled water, macerated with sterile mortar and pestle in 7.5 ml of 0.9% NaCl. Schematic electrophoregram of the electrophoretic gel of the six species showing clear protein profile with different protein bands was drawn. The distribution of protein bands was divided into three types which include the slow - moving band, intermediate-moving band and fast-moving band. The unique bands that distinguished each species from one another and interspecific bands which two or three species had in common were identified. All the species had 0.6 band with the same intensity except A. barterii. The dendrogram showed that among the six taxa A. barterii, A. monanthes and A. unilaterale were clustered into one main group, indicating that they are closely related. A. nidus, A. sceipei and A. scolopendrium were in a different cluster and that they are distantly related to the other species. Leaflet electrophoresis revealed taxonomic characters which showed the relationship among the taxa studied.