IDENTIFICACIÓN DEL GEN QUE CODIFICA PARA LA PROTEÍNA KMP-11 DE Crithidia spp.: COMPARACIÓN CON SUS ORTÓLOGOS DE OTROS TRIPANOSOMÁTIDOS

• Main Authors: C. Cuervo, J. Rauscher, M.C. López, M.C. Thomas, C.J. Puerta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pontificia Universidad Javeriana 2007-12-01
• Series: Universitas Scientiarum
• Subjects: Crithidia spp.; kinetoplast; KMP-11 protein; orthologue; trypanosomatids.
• Online Access: https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B_IdlsctkRrxVV8yVEVfRG1BQmM/edit?usp=sharing&pli=1&docId=0B_IdlsctkRrxUElyRXRqR0pLT3M

Kinetoplastida order comprises a group of organisms characterized by the presence of extra-nuclear DNAknown as kinetoplast. Within this highly divergent family of protozoa, the trypanosomatids include manygenera of economical and medical interest since they are pathogenic for humans, plants and insects.Genus Crithidia is formed by a group of monogenetic parasites found in the digestive tract of arthropods.Recent studies have shown the conservative character of the kinetoplastid membrane protein-11 (KMP-11) and its biological and immunological importance in the context of its association with the trypanosomatidmembrane. In this paper, Crithidia spp. KMP-11 protein genes were sequenced. The Crithidia spp. KMP-11 genes have a 279 bp open reading frame which codes for a protein with a molecular weight of 11 kDa.This protein shows a high identity with its orthologues in other trypanosomatids. Phylogenetic analyses,based on the coding nucleotide sequence, support the polyphyletic character of Crithidia genus given thatit is more closely related to T. rangeli, T. cruzi and T. brucei than to Leishmania.