The electrophoretic patterns of tissue soluble proteins extracted from B. alexandrina snails maintained in the tested lining media (mud, cement, and plastic) and control ones at different intervals were studied. SDS-PAGE separation of tissue soluble proteins revealed protein fractions of molecular weight ranging between 5.39 and 186.84 KDa. There were many bands disappeared in exposed snails and present in control and vice versa. The highest number of bands were appeared in extracted tissue soluble proteins of B. alexandrina snails maintained in cement substratum (18bands) after 14 days with the appearance of additional band (molecular weight: 6.81KDa). Moreover, after 7 and 14 days, snails maintained in cement substratum showed the appearance of additional bands with the same molecular weight, these bands were observed only in cement in the two treatments. It is suggested that these are stress bands appeared only in snails maintained in cement after 7 and 14days exposure. The lowest number of bands (13 bands) appeared in extracted tissue soluble proteins of B. alexandrina snails maintained in plastic substratum after 7days exposure. The maximal molecular weight (186.84KDa) was appeared in extracted proteins of B. alexandrina snails maintained in cement substratum after 7 days exposure. The results indicated differences in similarity indices between different treatments and control. This may indicate that some factor was increased or decreased depending on the lined material used. The dendrograme from cluster analysis based on the similarity between B. alexandrina exposed to different lining materials and control ones was observed. Snails maintained in cement and plastic lining for different intervals were approximately similar in their effect on protein pattern and more effective than those in mud and control inducing change in protein pattern. Higher similarity was observed between snails maintained in cement for 3days and those maintained in plastic for 7 days (93.33%). Snails maintained in plastic for 14 days were similar by 86.67% with the two groups of snails in cement for 3 days and those in plastic for 7days. Thus, the effect of tested lining materials on each group of snails was different from each other in inducing change in protein pattern. |
