Fingerprinting cyanobionts and hosts of theAzolla symbiosis by DNA amplification

Cyanobionts of six species of the aquatic fernAzolla were evaluated by specific and random DNA profiles amplified by the DNA polymerase chain reaction. Simultaneous examination of the prokaryoticAnabaena azollae and the host was achieved using primers for the chloroplast-encoded intron of the tRNA-Leucine (UAA) gene. These amplifiedtrnL intron sizes, restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the amplified 16s rRNA gene, and random amplified polymorphic DNAs demonstrated the capacity of this method for the rapid assessment of similarities amongAnabaena azollae and minorAnabaena isolates fromAzolla.