Figure 2.

RT-PCR assay of mRNA expression of cercarial-marker serine protease and the calcium-binding protein gene. (A) MR, miracidia; CR, cercariae; NDG, non-infected digestive gland of snail; 28DG, digestive gland 28 days after infection, containing sporocysts; 56DG, digestive gland 56 days after infection, containing cercariae. For each sample, the left lane shows RT-PCR for protease, and the right lane shows RT-PCR for the calcium-binding protein gene. (B) Bge, established embryonic snail cell culture; MS, mother sporocysts after 2 days of culture (freshly transformed); MS+DSE, in vitro culture of mother sporocysts containing developing sporocyst embryos; MS+DS, culture containing mother sporocysts and emergent daughter sporocysts; MC, coculture of Bge and sporocysts in which cercarial differentiation had been detected.