Analysis of mitochondrial DNA and development of PCR-based diagnostic molecular markers for Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) populations.

A 2.99 kb mtDNA fragment containing two variable restriction endonuclease sites (EcoRV and XbaI) was subcloned and sequenced from the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata). This fragment represents approximately one-fifth of the entire mitochondrial sequence. The sequence was aligned with the comparable region from Drosophila yakuba and Anopheles gambiae, resulting in 81.8% and 76.7% identity at the nucleotide level, and 77% and 67.7% identity, respectively, at the amino acid level. The sequenced region includes the complete genes for NADH dehydrogenase 4, NADH dehydrogenase 4L, NADH dehydrogenase 6, and transfer RNAs for proline, threonine and histidine, and part of the genes for NADH dehydrogenase 5 and cytochrome b. Oligonucleotide primers were designed to asymmetrically bracket each of two variable restriction endonuclease sites to allow PCR amplification and subsequent restriction endonuclease analysis of individual fly samples.