Characterisation of large and small subunit rRNA and mini-exon genes further supports the distinction of six Trypanosoma cruzi lineages

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 1218-1226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Brisse ◽  
Jan Verhoef ◽  
Michel Tibayrenc
2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 337-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila Cristina Nardelli ◽  
Andréa Rodrigues Ávila ◽  
Aline Freund ◽  
Maria Cristina Motta ◽  
Lauro Manhães ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We used differential display to select genes differentially expressed during differentiation of epimastigotes into metacyclic trypomastigotes in the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. One of the selected clones had a sequence similar to that of the small-subunit (SSU) processome protein Sof1p, which is involved in rRNA processing. The corresponding T. cruzi protein, TcSof1, displayed a nuclear localization and is downregulated during metacyclogenesis. Heterologous RNA interference assays showed that depletion of this protein impaired growth but did not affect progression through the cell cycle, suggesting that ribosome synthesis regulation and the cell cycle are uncoupled in this parasite. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays of several SSU processome-specific genes in T. cruzi also showed that most of them were regulated posttranscriptionally. This process involves the accumulation of mRNA in the polysome fraction of metacyclic trypomastigotes, where TcSof1 cannot be detected. Metacyclic trypomastigote polysomes were purified and separated by sucrose gradient sedimentation. Northern blot analysis of the sucrose gradient fractions showed the association of TcSof1 mRNA with polysomes, confirming the qPCR data. The results suggest that the mechanism of regulation involves the blocking of translation elongation and/or termination.


2002 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 721-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Kunz ◽  
K. Mätz-Rensing ◽  
N. Stolte ◽  
P. B. Hamilton ◽  
F.-J. Kaup

Trypanosoma cruzi-like flagellates were incidentally noted in blood smears of a routinely monitored rhesus monkey experimentally infected with the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). Immunodeficiency in the course of the SIV infection reactivated a chronic infection of Chagas' disease that had been unnoticed when the macaque was imported to Europe. The animal developed no specific clinical symptoms of American trypanosomiasis, but histologically a chagasic myocarditis was detected. Analysis of the small subunit rRNA gene of the trypanosome identified the protozoan as T. cruzi.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Abdul Ghafar ◽  
Anson V. Koehler ◽  
Ross S. Hall ◽  
Charles G. Gauci ◽  
Robin B. Gasser ◽  
...  

Protists of the genera Babesia and Theileria (piroplasms) cause some of the most prevalent and debilitating diseases for bovines worldwide. In this study, we established and used a next-generation sequencing-informatic approach to explore the composition of Babesia and Theileria populations in cattle and water buffalo in a country (Pakistan) endemic for these pathogens. We collected individual blood samples from cattle (n = 212) and water buffalo (n = 154), extracted genomic DNAs, PCR-amplified the V4 hypervariable region of 18S small subunit rRNA gene from piroplasms, sequenced amplicons using Illumina technology, and then analysed data using bioinformatic platforms. The results revealed piroplasms in 68.9% (252/366) samples, with overall occurrence being markedly higher in cattle (85.8%) than in water buffaloes (45.5%). Babesia (B.) occultans and Theileria (T.) lestoquardi-like species were recorded for the first time in Pakistan, and, overall, T. annulata was most commonly detected (65.8%) followed by B. bovis (7.1%), B. bigemina (4.4%), and T. orientalis (0.5%), with the genetic variability within B. bovis being pronounced. The occurrence and composition of piroplasm species varied markedly across different agro-ecological zones. The high detection of T. annulata in asymptomatic animals suggested a relatively high level of endemic stability of tropical theileriosis in the bovine population.


Genetics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 154 (2) ◽  
pp. 909-921 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Parsch ◽  
John M Braverman ◽  
Wolfgang Stephan

Abstract A novel method of RNA secondary structure prediction based on a comparison of nucleotide sequences is described. This method correctly predicts nearly all evolutionarily conserved secondary structures of five different RNAs: tRNA, 5S rRNA, bacterial ribonuclease P (RNase P) RNA, eukaryotic small subunit rRNA, and the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of the Drosophila bicoid (bcd) mRNA. Furthermore, covariations occurring in the helices of these conserved RNA structures are analyzed. Two physical parameters are found to be important determinants of the evolution of compensatory mutations: the length of a helix and the distance between base-pairing nucleotides. For the helices of bcd 3′ UTR mRNA and RNase P RNA, a positive correlation between the rate of compensatory evolution and helix length is found. The analysis of Drosophila bcd 3′ UTR mRNA further revealed that the rate of compensatory evolution decreases with the physical distance between base-pairing residues. This result is in qualitative agreement with Kimura's model of compensatory fitness interactions, which assumes that mutations occurring in RNA helices are individually deleterious but become neutral in appropriate combinations.


2006 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 6707-6715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew B. Dalby ◽  
Daniel N. Frank ◽  
Allison L. St. Amand ◽  
Alison M. Bendele ◽  
Norman R. Pace

ABSTRACT Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly prescribed for a variety of inflammatory conditions; however, the benefits of this class of drugs are accompanied by deleterious side effects, most commonly gastric irritation and ulceration. NSAID-induced ulceration is thought to be exacerbated by intestinal microbiota, but previous studies have not identified specific microbes that contribute to these adverse effects. In this study, we conducted a culture-independent analysis of ∼1,400 bacterial small-subunit rRNA genes associated with the small intestines and mesenteric lymph nodes of rats treated with the NSAID indomethacin. This is the first molecular analysis of the microbiota of the rat small intestine. A comparison of clone libraries and species-specific quantitative PCR results from rats treated with indomethacin and untreated rats revealed that organisms closely related to Enterococcus faecalis were heavily enriched in the small intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes of the treated rats. These data suggest that treatment of NSAID-induced ulceration may be facilitated by addressing the microbiological imbalances.


2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (20) ◽  
pp. 7467-7475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Apprill ◽  
Heather Q. Marlow ◽  
Mark Q. Martindale ◽  
Michael S. Rappé

ABSTRACTRelationships between corals and specific bacterial associates are thought to play an important role in coral health. In this study, the specificity of bacteria associating with the coralPocillopora meandrinawas investigated by exposing coral embryos to various strains of cultured marine bacteria, sterile seawater, or raw seawater and examining the identity, density, and location of incorporated cells. The isolates utilized in this experiment included members of the Roseobacter and SAR11 clades of theAlphaproteobacteria, aPseudoalteromonasspecies of theGammaproteobacteria, and aSynechococcusspecies of theCyanobacteriaphylum. Based on terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of small-subunit rRNA genes, similarities in bacterial communities associated with 170-h-old planulae were observed regardless of treatment, suggesting that bacteria may have been externally associated from the outset of the experiment. Microscopic examination ofP. meandrinaplanulae by fluorescencein situhybridization with bacterial and Roseobacter clade-specific oligonucleotide probes revealed differences in the densities and locations of planulae-associated cells. Planulae exposed to either raw seawater or strains ofPseudoalteromonasand Roseobacter harbored the highest densities of internally associated cells, of which 20 to 100% belonged to the Roseobacter clade. Planulae exposed to sterile seawater or strains of the SAR11 clade andSynechococcusdid not show evidence of prominent bacterial associations. Additional analysis of the raw-seawater-exposed planulae via electron microscopy confirmed the presence of internally associated prokaryotic cells, as well as virus-like particles. These results suggest that the availability of specific microorganisms may be an important factor in the establishment of coral-bacterial relationships.


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander H Treusch ◽  
Elif Demir-Hilton ◽  
Kevin L Vergin ◽  
Alexandra Z Worden ◽  
Craig A Carlson ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 6452-6460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. Hunter ◽  
Geoff M. Petch ◽  
Leo A. Calvo-Bado ◽  
Tim R. Pettitt ◽  
Nick R. Parsons ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The microbiological characteristics associated with disease-suppressive peats are unclear. We used a bioassay for Pythium sylvaticum-induced damping-off of cress seedlings to identify conducive and suppressive peats. Microbial activity in unconditioned peats was negatively correlated with the counts of P. sylvaticum at the end of the bioassay. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiling and clone library analyses of small-subunit rRNA gene sequences from two suppressive and two conducive peats differed in the bacterial profiles generated and the diversity of sequence populations. There were also significant differences between bacterial sequence populations from suppressive and conducive peats. The frequencies of a number of microbial groups, including the Rhizobium-Agrobacterium group (specifically sequences similar to those for the genera Ochrobactrum and Zoogloea) and the Acidobacteria, increased specifically in the suppressive peats, although no single bacterial group was associated with disease suppression. Fungal DGGE profiles varied little over the course of the bioassay; however, two bands associated specifically with suppressive samples were detected. Sequences from these bands corresponded to Basidiomycete yeast genera. Although the DGGE profiles were similar, fungal sequence diversity also increased during the bioassay. Sequences highly similar to those of Cryptococcus increased in relative abundance during the bioassay, particularly in the suppressive samples. This study highlights the importance of using complementary approaches to molecular profiling of complex populations and provides the first report that basidiomycetous yeasts may be associated with the suppression of Pythium-induced diseases in peats.


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