title: High conservation of the fine-scale organisation of chromosome 5 between two pathogenic Leishmania species.
abstract: In a previous work we showed a remarkable conservation of the general structure of the genome (chromo-some number and synteny) among different pathogenic species of Old World Leishmania, indicating the absence of major interchromosomal rearrangements during evolution. In the present study, we have compared the fine structure of chromo-some 5 among two of these divergent species (Leishmania major and Leishmania infantum) by means of physical mapping. Remarkably, the 42 markers jointly mapped on these two chromosomes were found in an identical order along the chromosome. This perfect colinearity of the markers is in striking contrast to the large genetic distance that separates these species and suggests that conservation of the fine-scale organisation of chromosomes may be critical in Leishmania. If this colinearity is confirmed on the whole of the chromosome set, the current systematic sequencing programme of the genome of L.major should greatly help in the development of comparative genetics between different species of Leishmania.
authors.affiliation: CNRS EP 613 'Génome et Biologie Moléculaire des Protozoaires Parasites', Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Faculté de Médecine, 163 Rue A. Broussonet, 34090 Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ravel
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dubessay
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Britto
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blaineau
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bastien
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pagès
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002875:Chromosomes; D018503:Genome, Protozoan; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000235:genetics*; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000235:genetics*; D015183:Restriction Mapping