Elsevier

Gene

Volume 166, Issue 1, 1 December 1995, Pages 167-172
Gene

Short communication
Minisatellites corresponding to the human polycore probes 33.6 and 33.15 in the genome of the most ‘primitive’ known eukaryote Giardia lamblia

https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-1119(95)00572-5Get rights and content

Abstract

DNA fingerprinting has been widely used for genetic characterization and individual recognition in a range of species, from man and other mammals down the evolutionary scale to some lower eukaryotic parasites. These techniques utilise repetitive elements first characterised in the human genome, known as minisatellites, which display extensive allelic variability. Few biological or biochemical characteristics have been found that distinguish isolates of Giardia lamblia (G1), or their apparent variations in virulence. We have characterized 21 G1 isolates in axenic culture using DNA fingerprinting with the human minisatellite probes, 33.6 and 33.15. Up to 12 variable bands per isolate were recognized in the size range of 2.5 to 15 kb by Southern blot hybridization of restriction endonuclease-digested Gl DNA. Most isolates demonstrated a distinct banding pattern or DNA fingerprint. The results suggest that this method may provide a basis for the detailed genotypic characterization of G1 which will be amenable to computer and statistical analysis for use in studies of virulence and epidemiology. Also, as G1 occupies a unique phylogenetic position as a member of the earliest known divergence from the eukaryotic line of descent, this study may provide a useful model for the study of other important eukaryotic pathogens, as it is rapidly becoming apparent that minisatellites are ubiquitous components of eukaryotic genomes.

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