This study deals with the electrophoretic characterization of Tilapia species using plasma and muscle proteins, as a taxonomically tool to differentiate Tilapia species that live in Egyptian habitat of the River Nile. These species are Oreochromis nilotrcits ( O. nihticus ) , O. aureus fiarotherodon galilaeits ( S. galilaeus ) and Tilapia zillii ( T. zillii). The data of electrophoretic protein separation indicated that each species has a characteristic specific pattern with more common bands for all species as well as species specific bands characteristic for each one. In this study, the protein of plasma and muscle were examined either treated with sample buffer or not treated. The results indicated that the protein pattern among the closer species exhibits common characters. In this regard, the obtained protein pattern of O. niloticus looks like that of O. aureus indicating a monophylogenetic origin of these species. Whereas, less degree of similarity was recorded between T. zillii and other species, indicating a genetic distance between this species and the rest of Tilapia species. |