scholarly journals Occurrence of a Hybrid Between Taenia saginata and Taenia asiatica Tapeworms in Cambodia

2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-182
Author(s):  
Taehee Chang ◽  
Bong-Kwang Jung ◽  
Sooji Hong ◽  
Hyejoo Shin ◽  
Seungwan Ryoo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Gene ◽  
Elongation Factor ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Nuclear Genes ◽  
Taenia Saginata ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Hybrid Form ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Preah Vihear ◽  
Taenia Asiatica

Human infection with <i>Taenia asiatica</i> or a hybrid between <i>Taenia saginata<i> and <i>T. asiatica</i> has not been reported in Cambodia. We detected for the first time a hybrid form between <i>T. saginata</i> and <i>T. asiatica</i> in Preah Vihear Province, Cambodia. An adult tapeworm specimen, i.e., 75 cm long strobila without scolex, was expelled from a 27-year-old man after praziquantel medication and purging. It was morphologically indistinguishable between <i>T. saginata</i> and <i>T. asiatica</i>. Several proglottids were molecularly analyzed to confirm the tapeworm species. The mitochondrial gene encoding cytochrome <i>c</i> oxidase subunit 1 (<i>cox</i>1) and nuclear genes encoding elongation factor-1α (<i>ef1</i>) and ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM)-like protein (<i>elp</i>) were sequenced, and a single-allele analysis was performed to confirm the haploid genotype. The results revealed that our sample showed a discrepancy between the mitochondrial and 2 nuclear genes. It possessed homozygous sequences typical of <i>T. saginata</i> at <i>cox</i>1 and <i>ef1</i> loci. However, it was heterozygous at the <i>elp</i> locus, with 1 allele in <i>T. asiatica (elpA)</i> and 1 in <i>T. saginata (elpC</i>), which indicates that it is a hybrid between <i>T. saginata</i> and <i>T. asiatica</i>. The present results confirmed the presence of a hybrid between <i>T. saginata</i> and <i>T. asiatica</i> in Cambodia and strongly suggest the existence of also ‘pure’ <i>T. asiatica</i> in Cambodia.

scholarly journals Molecular Diagnosis of Taenia saginata Tapeworms from Two Residents of Northern Cambodia

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taehee Chang ◽  
Bong-Kwang Jung ◽  
Woon-Mok Sohn ◽  
Sooji Hong ◽  
Hyejoo Shin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intestinal Parasites ◽  
Taenia Solium ◽  
Lao Pdr ◽  
Elongation Factor ◽  
Taenia Saginata ◽  
Elongation Factor 1 Alpha ◽  
Magnesium Salts ◽  
Preah Vihear ◽  
Elongation Factor 1 ◽  
Taenia Asiatica

<i>Taenia saginata</i> infection has seldom been reported in Cambodia. In this study, we performed a survey of intestinal parasites in 1,156 residents of Preah Vihear and Stung Treng Provinces in 2018. The results revealed that 26 (2.4%) cases were positive for Taenia spp. eggs. In order to obtain the strobilae of the tapeworms, 2 patients in Preah Vihear were treated with praziquantel and purged with magnesium salts. The proglottids expelled after the medication were morphologically and molecularly analyzed to determine the species. The main uterine lateral braches in gravid proglottids were >15 in number suggesting that they are either <i>T. saginata</i> or <i>Taenia asiatica</i>. The sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (<i>cox1</i>) gene and 2 nuclear loci, elongation factor-1 alpha (<i>ef1</i>) and ezrin-radixin-moesin-like protein (<i>elp</i>), were identical to the sequences of <i>T. saginata</i> available in GenBank but distant from <i>Taenia solium</i>, <i>T. asiatica</i>, and <i>T. saginata</i>-<i>T. asiatica</i> hybrid. This is the first report of the presence of <i>T. saginata</i> in the northern part of Cambodia bordering Lao PDR based on a molecular confirmation.

scholarly journals Functional constraints on replacing an essential gene with its ancient and modern homologs

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betül Kacar ◽  
Eva Garmendia ◽  
Nurcan Tunçbağ ◽  
Dan I. Andersson ◽  
Diarmaid Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Protein Function ◽  
Essential Gene ◽  
Elongation Factor ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Protein Translation ◽  
Protein Activity ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Functional Conservation ◽  
Genes Encoding

AbstractThe complexity hypothesis posits that network connectivity and protein function are two important determinants of how a gene adapts to and functions in a foreign genome. Genes encoding proteins that carry out essential informational tasks in the cell, in particular where multiple interaction partners are involved, are less likely to be transferable to a foreign organism. Here we investigated the constraints on transfer of a gene encoding a highly conserved informational protein, translation elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu), by systematically replacing the endogenoustufAgene in theEscherichia coligenome with its extant and ancestral homologs. The extant homologs representedtufvariants from both near and distant homologous organisms. The ancestral homologs represented phylogenetically resurrectedtufsequences dating from 0.7 to 3.6 bya. Our results demonstrate that all of the foreigntufgenes are transferable to theE. coligenome, provided that an additional copy of the EF-Tu gene,tufB, remains present in theE. coligenome. However, when thetufBgene was removed, only the variants obtained from the γ-proteobacterial family (extant and ancestral), supported growth. This demonstrates the limited functional interchangability ofE. coli tufwith its homologs. Our data show a linear correlation between relative bacterial fitness and the evolutionary distance of the extanttufhomologs inserted into theE. coligenome. Our data and analysis also suggest that the functional conservation of protein activity, and its network interactivity, act to constrain the successful transfer of this essential gene into foreign bacteria.

scholarly journals Stimulation of Transcription by Mutations Affecting Conserved Regions of RNA Polymerase II

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (10) ◽  
pp. 2590-2598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques Archambault ◽  
David B. Jansma ◽  
Jean H. Kawasoe ◽  
Kim T. Arndt ◽  
Jack Greenblatt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Elongation Factor ◽  
Transcriptional Elongation ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Nascent Transcript ◽  
Conserved Regions ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Transcriptional Start Sites

ABSTRACT Mutations that increase the low-level transcription of theSaccharomyces cerevisiae HIS4 gene, which results from deletion of the genes encoding transcription factors BAS1, BAS2, and GCN4, were isolated previously in SIT1 (also known asRPO21, RPB1, and SUA8), the gene encoding the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). Here we show that sit1 substitutions cluster in two conserved regions of the enzyme which form part of the active site. Sixsit1 mutations, affect region F, a region that is involved in transcriptional elongation and in resistance to α-aminatin. Foursit1 substitutions lie in another region involved in transcriptional elongation, region D, which binds Mg2+ ions essential for RNA catalysis. One region D substitution is lethal unless suppressed by a substitution in region G and interacts genetically withPPR2, the gene encoding transcription elongation factor IIS. Some sit1 substitutions affect the selection of transcriptional start sites at the CYC1 promoter in a manner reminiscent of that of sua8 (sua stands for suppression of upstream ATG) mutations. Together with previous findings which indicate that regions D and G are in close proximity to the 3′ end of the nascent transcript and that region F is involved in the translocation process, our results suggest that transcriptional activation by the sit1 mutations results from alteration of the RNAPII active center.

scholarly journals A new aphid genus and species (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Macrosiphini) living on ferns in Costa Rica and Mexico

2013 ◽  
Vol 145 (5) ◽  
pp. 509-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan M. Nieto Nafría ◽  
Nicolás Pérez Hidalgo ◽  
David Martínez-Torres ◽  
William Villalobos Muller
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Mitochondrial Gene ◽  
Elongation Factor ◽  
Nuclear Gene ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Aphid Species ◽  
Pteridium Aquilinum ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Morphological And Molecular Data

AbstractAphid species colonising ferns belong to the subfamily Aphidinae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and the majority of these to the tribe Macrosiphini. A new genus in this tribe and its type species: Gibbomyzus pteridophytorumnew genus, new species, are established. Apterous and alate viviparous females are described from specimens collected on Blechnum buchtienii Rosenstock (Blechnaceae) in Costa Rica and on Pteridium aquilinum (Linnaeus) Kuhn (Dennstaedtiaceae) and an unidentified fern in Mexico. The taxonomic validity of the two new taxa is discussed based on morphological and molecular data. Morphologically, the new genus is compared with genera with swollen siphunculi recorded in the New World, and also with genera living on ferns anywhere in the world. The identification key by Blackman and Eastop to aphids living on ferns is modified. Molecular analyses were carried out on the sequences of a fragment of the mitochondrial gene encoding for cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and of a fragment of the nuclear gene encoding elongation factor-1 alpha. In both analyses, G. pteridophytorumnewspecies sequences showed considerable divergence (∼4% or more) from those of 23 other species from diverse genera of Macrosiphini, supporting the conclusions of the morphological study and justifying the establishment of the new genus.

scholarly journals Expression and function of the cdgD gene, encoding a CHASE–PAS-DGC-EAL domain protein, in Azospirillum brasilense

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
José Francisco Cruz-Pérez ◽  
Roxana Lara-Oueilhe ◽  
Cynthia Marcos-Jiménez ◽  
Ricardo Cuatlayotl-Olarte ◽  
María Luisa Xiqui-Vázquez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Azospirillum Brasilense ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Wheat Roots ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Plant Growth Promoting

AbstractThe plant growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense contains several genes encoding proteins involved in the biosynthesis and degradation of the second messenger cyclic-di-GMP, which may control key bacterial functions, such as biofilm formation and motility. Here, we analysed the function and expression of the cdgD gene, encoding a multidomain protein that includes GGDEF-EAL domains and CHASE and PAS domains. An insertional cdgD gene mutant was constructed, and analysis of biofilm and extracellular polymeric substance production, as well as the motility phenotype indicated that cdgD encoded a functional diguanylate protein. These results were correlated with a reduced overall cellular concentration of cyclic-di-GMP in the mutant over 48 h compared with that observed in the wild-type strain, which was recovered in the complemented strain. In addition, cdgD gene expression was measured in cells growing under planktonic or biofilm conditions, and differential expression was observed when KNO3 or NH4Cl was added to the minimal medium as a nitrogen source. The transcriptional fusion of the cdgD promoter with the gene encoding the autofluorescent mCherry protein indicated that the cdgD gene was expressed both under abiotic conditions and in association with wheat roots. Reduced colonization of wheat roots was observed for the mutant compared with the wild-type strain grown in the same soil conditions. The Azospirillum-plant association begins with the motility of the bacterium towards the plant rhizosphere followed by the adsorption and adherence of these bacteria to plant roots. Therefore, it is important to study the genes that contribute to this initial interaction of the bacterium with its host plant.

Structure, expression, chromosomal location and product of the gene encoding Adh2 in Petunia.

Genetics ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
pp. 999-1007
Author(s):  
R G Gregerson ◽  
L Cameron ◽  
M McLean ◽  
P Dennis ◽  
J Strommer
Keyword(s):  
Chromosomal Location ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Genomic Libraries ◽  
Regulatory Strategy ◽  
Adh1 Gene ◽  
Adh Genes ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Adh Gene ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Abstract In most higher plants the genes encoding alcohol dehydrogenase comprise a small gene family, usually with two members. The Adh1 gene of Petunia has been cloned and analyzed, but a second identifiable gene was not recovered from any of three genomic libraries. We have therefore employed the polymerase chain reaction to obtain the major portion of a second Adh gene. From sequence, mapping and northern data we conclude this gene encodes ADH2, the major anaerobically inducible Adh gene of Petunia. The availability of both Adh1 and Adh2 from Petunia has permitted us to compare their structures and patterns of expression to those of the well-studied Adh genes of maize, of which one is highly expressed developmentally, while both are induced in response to hypoxia. Despite their evolutionary distance, evidenced by deduced amino acid sequence as well as taxonomic classification, the pairs of genes are regulated in strikingly similar ways in maize and Petunia. Our findings suggest a significant biological basis for the regulatory strategy employed by these distant species for differential expression of multiple Adh genes.

scholarly journals Triatomine Feeding Profiles and Trypanosoma cruzi Infection, Implications in Domestic and Sylvatic Transmission Cycles in Ecuador

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Sofía Ocaña-Mayorga ◽  
Juan José Bustillos ◽  
Anita G. Villacís ◽  
C. Miguel Pinto ◽  
Simone Frédérique Brenière ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Meal ◽  
Mitochondrial Gene ◽  
Intestinal Content ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Dispersal Capacity ◽  
Transmission Cycle ◽  
Rhodnius Ecuadoriensis ◽  
Transmission Cycles ◽  
Endemic Areas ◽  
Southern Highland

Understanding the blood meal patterns of insects that are vectors of diseases is fundamental in unveiling transmission dynamics and developing strategies to impede or decrease human–vector contact. Chagas disease has a complex transmission cycle that implies interactions between vectors, parasites and vertebrate hosts. In Ecuador, limited data on human infection are available; however, the presence of active transmission in endemic areas has been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to determine the diversity of hosts that serve as sources of blood for triatomines in domestic, peridomestic and sylvatic transmission cycles, in two endemic areas of Ecuador (central coastal and southern highland regions). Using conserved primers and DNA extracted from 507 intestinal content samples from five species of triatomines (60 Panstrongylus chinai, 17 Panstrongylus howardi, 1 Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus, 427 Rhodnius ecuadoriensis and 2 Triatoma carrioni) collected from 2006 to 2013, we amplified fragments of the cytb mitochondrial gene. After sequencing, blood meal sources were identified in 416 individuals (146 from central coastal and 270 from southern highland regions), achieving ≥ 95% identity with GenBank sequences (NCBI-BLAST tool). The results showed that humans are the main source of food for triatomines, indicating that human–vector contact is more frequent than previously thought. Although other groups of mammals, such as rodents, are also an available source of blood, birds (particularly chickens) might have a predominant role in the maintenance of triatomines in these areas. However, the diversity of sources of blood found might indicate a preference driven by triatomine species. Moreover, the presence of more than one source of blood in triatomines collected in the same place indicated that dispersal of vectors occurs regardless the availability of food. Dispersal capacity of triatomines needs to be evaluated to propose an effective strategy that limits human–vector contact and, in consequence, to decrease the risk of T. cruzi transmission.

scholarly journals Non-Syndromic Dentinogenesis Imperfecta Caused by Mild Mutations in COL1A2

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 526
Author(s):  
Yejin Lee ◽  
Youn Jung Kim ◽  
Hong-Keun Hyun ◽  
Jae-Cheoun Lee ◽  
Zang Hee Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Collagen Type ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Collagen Type I ◽  
Type I ◽  
Dentinogenesis Imperfecta ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Korean Families ◽  
Whole Exome ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Candidate Gene Sequencing

Hereditary dentin defects can be categorized as a syndromic form predominantly related to osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) or isolated forms without other non-oral phenotypes. Mutations in the gene encoding dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) have been identified to cause dentinogenesis imperfecta (DGI) Types II and III and dentin dysplasia (DD) Type II. While DGI Type I is an OI-related syndromic phenotype caused mostly by monoallelic mutations in the genes encoding collagen type I alpha 1 chain (COL1A1) and collagen type I alpha 2 chain (COL1A2). In this study, we recruited families with non-syndromic dentin defects and performed candidate gene sequencing for DSPP exons and exon/intron boundaries. Three unrelated Korean families were further analyzed by whole-exome sequencing due to the lack of the DSPP mutation, and heterozygous COL1A2 mutations were identified: c.3233G>A, p.(Gly1078Asp) in Family 1 and c.1171G>A, p.(Gly391Ser) in Family 2 and 3. Haplotype analysis revealed different disease alleles in Families 2 and 3, suggesting a mutational hotspot. We suggest expanding the molecular genetic etiology to include COL1A2 for isolated dentin defects in addition to DSPP.

scholarly journals CAU-1, a Subclass B3 Metallo-β-Lactamase of Low Substrate Affinity Encoded by an Ortholog Present in the Caulobacter crescentus Chromosome

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 1823-1830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Denis Docquier ◽  
Fabrizio Pantanella ◽  
Francesco Giuliani ◽  
Maria Cristina Thaller ◽  
Gianfranco Amicosante ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Caulobacter Crescentus ◽  
Hypothetical Protein ◽  
Exchange Chromatography ◽  
Substrate Affinity ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Native Form ◽  
Significant Similarity ◽  
Expression Studies ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Isoelectric Ph

ABSTRACT The sequenced chromosome of Caulobacter crescentus CB15 encodes a hypothetical protein that exhibits significant similarity (30 to 35% identical residues) to metallo-β-lactamases of subclass B3. An allelic variant of this gene (divergent by 3% of its nucleotides) was cloned in Escherichia coli from C. crescentus type strain DSM4727. Expression studies confirmed the metallo-β-lactamase activity of its product, CAU-1. The enzyme produced in E. coli was purified by two ion-exchange chromatography steps. CAU-1 contains a 29-kDa polypeptide with an alkaline isoelectric pH (>9), and unlike the L1 enzyme of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, the native form is monomeric. Kinetic analysis revealed a preferential activity toward penicillins, carbapenems, and narrow-spectrum cephalosporins, while oxyimino cephalosporins were poorly or not hydrolyzed. Affinities for the various β-lactams were poor overall (Km values were always >100 μM and often >400 μM). The interaction with divalent ion chelators appeared to occur by a mechanism similar to that prevailing in other members of subclass B3. In C. crescentus, the CAU-1 enzyme is produced independently of β-lactam exposure and, interestingly, the bla CAU determinant is bracketed by three other genes, including two genes encoding enzymes involved in methionine biosynthesis and a gene encoding a putative transcriptional regulator, in an operon-like structure. The CAU-1 enzyme is the first example of a metallo-β-lactamase in a member of the α subdivision of the class Proteobacteria.

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