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Differentiation of Trypanosoma cruzi I (TcI) and T. cruzi II (TcII) genotypes using genes encoding serine carboxypeptidases

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Abstract

The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (Kinetoplastida, Trypanosomatidae) can be classified based on biochemical and molecular markers, into six lineages or discrete typing units (DTUs), T. cruzi I–VI (TcI–VI), from which TcI and TcII are the parental genotypes. Trying to understand the dispersion of the subpopulations of T. cruzi in nature and its complex transmission cycles, the serine carboxypeptidase genes of T. cruzi were used as a molecular marker in the present study. DTUs of 25 T. cruzi isolates derived from different hosts and from different regions of Brazil were classified. Using specific primers, the complete serine carboxypeptidase open reading frame of 1401 bp was sequenced. The obtained data shows significant differences in the sequences of TcI and TcII. The analysis of the T. cruzi significantly different serine carboxypeptidase genes allowed distinguishing between the parental DTUs TcI to TcII and the hybrid DTU TcVI which grouped within the latter branch. The sequence diversity within the T. cruzi subpopulations was rather low. The analysis using the genes encoding proteases seems to be an interesting approach for the reconstruction of the origin and genotype evolution of T. cruzi.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr. Octavio Fernandes and Dr. Adeílton Brandão (Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas—IOC/FIOCRUZ) for the technical support. The present study received financial support from Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro—FAPERJ (Cientistas do Nosso Estado: E-26/100.456/2007 and Research Fellow: E-26/152.913/2005) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico—CNPq (Edital Universal: 472276/2006-9). All material has been collected before Oct. 12, 2014.

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  1. Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Av. Brasil 4365 Manguinhos, CEP: 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Catarina Andréa Chaves de Araújo & Ana Maria Jansen

  2. Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113, Bonn, Germany

    Christoph Mayer

  3. Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil 4365 Manguinhos, CEP: 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Peter Josef Waniek & Patricia Azambuja

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  1. Catarina Andréa Chaves de Araújo
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  2. Christoph Mayer
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  3. Peter Josef Waniek
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  4. Patricia Azambuja
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  5. Ana Maria Jansen
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Correspondence to Catarina Andréa Chaves de Araújo.

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Supplemental figure 1

Bayesian phylogenetic tree of the full data set using the GTR+I+G model. The same tree but with collapsed outgroup is shown in Fig. 1. The respective genotypes are shown after the name of the isolates. Isolates without genotype are T. c. marinkellei. (PDF 148 kb)

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de Araújo, C.A.C., Mayer, C., Waniek, P.J. et al. Differentiation of Trypanosoma cruzi I (TcI) and T. cruzi II (TcII) genotypes using genes encoding serine carboxypeptidases. Parasitol Res 115, 4211–4219 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-5198-8

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