DESCRIPTION OF ELECTROPHORETIC LOCI AND TISSUE-SPECIFIC GENE-EXPRESSION IN THE HORSESHOE BAT GENUS RHINOLOPHUS (RHINOLOPHIDAE)

The number of loci encoding an enzyme system, tissue specificity of ge ne expression and the degree of gene expression in various tissues are often not mentioned in evolutionary studies, but could indirectly pro vide evidence of evolutionary relationships. Protein electrophoresis w as used to study the distributions and tissue specificity of gene expr ession of enzymes encoded by 42 loci in Rhinolophus clivosus and R. la nderi, the genetically most divergent of the ten species of southern A frican horseshoe bats. No differences in gene expression were found be tween R. clivosus and R. landeri and isozyme patterns may be compared with other bat species to derive possible phylogenetic relationships.