A2 gene of Old World cutaneous Leishmania is a single highly conserved functional gene.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Leishmaniases are among the most proteiform parasitic infections in humans ranging from unapparent to cutaneous, mucocutaneous or visceral diseases. The various clinical issues depend on complex and still poorly understood mechanisms where both host and parasite factors are interacting. Among the candidate factors of parasite virulence are the A2 genes, a family of multiple genes that are developmentally expressed in species of the Leishmania donovani group responsible for visceral diseases (VL). By contrast, in L. major determining cutaneous infections (CL) we showed that A2 genes are present in a truncated form only. Furthermore, the A2 genomic sequences of L. major were considered subsequently to represent non-expressed pseudogenes 1. Consequently, it was suggested th

SUBMITTER: Garin YJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1274274 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature