title: The heterogeneity of choanomastigote-shaped trypanosomatids as analyzed by their kDNA minicircle size: taxonomic implicaitons.
abstract: The kDNA minicircle size was analyzed in 15 species of choanomastigote-shaped trypanosomatids and four main groups of species were identified: (1) "Crithidia" deanei, "C." desouzai and "Herpetomonas" roitmani, which presented the largest molecules (> or = 3,800 bp), (2) "C." oncopelti with minicircles of at least four different sizes within 1,300-2,650 bp, (3) C. fasciculata, C. guilhermei and C. luciliae, having at least two sizes of minicircle (2,650 bp and 3,000 bp) and (4) a heterogeneous group of species presenting minicircles of a single size, including several Crithidia spp. (having 1,600 bp or 1,700 bp minicircles) and two Proteomonas spp. presenting the smallest minicircles (about 1,500 bp). These results were compared with other observations and discussed from a taxonomic point of view.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Brandão
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Degrave
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sousa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003421:Crithidia / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D004270:DNA, Circular / Q000235:genetics*; D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast / Q000235:genetics*; D018740:Genetic Heterogeneity; D013045:Species Specificity; D014351:Trypanosomatina / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004270:DNA, Circular; D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast