Variation in the major surface glycoprotein genes in Pneumocystis jirovecii.

ABSTRACT: The genome of Pneumocystis, which causes life-threatening pneumonia in immunosuppressed patients, contains a multicopy gene family that encodes the major surface glycoprotein (Msg). Pneumocystis can vary the expressed Msg, presumably as a mechanism to avoid host immune responses. Analysis of 24 msg-gene sequences obtained from a single human isolate of Pneumocystis demonstrated that the sequences segregate into 2 branches. Results of a number of analyses suggest that recombination between msg genes is an important mechanism for generating msg diversity. Intrabranch recombination occurred more frequently than interbranch recombination. Restriction-fragment length polymorphism analysis of human isolates of Pneumocystis demonstrated substantial variation in the repertoire of the msg-gene fami

SUBMITTER: Kutty G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2561252 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature