Hemizygous subtelomeres of an African trypanosome chromosome may account for over 75% of chromosome length.

ABSTRACT: African trypanosomes are parasitic protozoa that infect a wide range of mammals, including humans. These parasites remain extracellular in the mammalian bloodstream, where antigenic variation allows them to survive the immune response. The Trypanosoma brucei nuclear genome sequence has been published recently. However, the significant chromosome size polymorphism observed among strains and subspecies of T. brucei, where total DNA content may vary up to 30%, necessitates a comparative study to determine the underlying basis and significance of such variation between parasites. In addition, the sequenced strain (Tb927) presents one of the smallest genomes analyzed among T. brucei isolates; therefore, establishing polymorphic regions will provide essential complementary information to the seq

SUBMITTER: Callejas S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1557766 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature