title: First report on the systematic sequencing of the small genome of Encephalitozoon cuniculi (Protozoa, Microspora): gene organization of a 4.3 kbp region on chromosome I.
abstract: Belonging to a large group of parasitic amitochondrial protozoans (Microspora), Encephalitozoon cuniculi infects humans and other mammals. Because of its medical importance and small genome size (2.9 Mbp), we are systematically sequencing its smallest (217 kbp) chromosome. The shotgun cloning strategy now has produced the sequence of randomly dispersed contigs representing more than 180 kbp of this chromosome. The present report describes analysis of the 4.3 kbp contig, which includes the complete coding regions of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), thymidylate synthase (TS), and serine hydroxymethyl transferase (SHMT) genes and the partial coding region of an aminopeptidase (AP) gene. In contrast to the other reported protozoan genes, DHFR and TS are encoded by two different open reading frames (ORFs). The SHMT gene is the first one identified in a protozoan and corresponds to the cytosolic form of the enzyme. No introns were detected, and the intergenic noncoding regions do not exceed 50 bp. The mean GC content is close to 60%, and there is a G or C third-base codon bias. Transcription and translation initiation signals also are analyzed, and a model for the mRNA-ssu rRNA interactions is proposed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Protistologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire des Parasites Opportunistes, Université B. Pascal, Aubière, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Duffieux
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peyret
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Roe
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Vivares
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003062:Codon; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D009670:Encephalitozoon cuniculi / Q000235:genetics*; D018503:Genome, Protozoan; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016053:RNA, Protozoan; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal