title: Mitochondrial telomeres as molecular markers for identification of the opportunistic yeast pathogen Candida parapsilosis.
abstract: Recent studies have demonstrated that a large number of organisms carry linear mitochondrial DNA molecules possessing specialized telomeric structures at their ends. Based on this specific structural feature of linear mitochondrial genomes, we have developed an approach for identification of the opportunistic yeast pathogen Candida parapsilosis. The strategy for identification of C. parapsilosis strains is based on PCR amplification of specific DNA sequences derived from the mitochondrial telomere region. This assay is complemented by immunodetection of a protein component of mitochondrial telomeres. The results demonstrate that mitochondrial telomeres represent specific molecular markers with potential applications in yeast diagnostics and taxonomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, 84215 Bratislava, Slovakia. nosek@fns.uniba.sk
authors.forename: Jozef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nosek
authors.forename: L'ubomír
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tomáska
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rycovská
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukuhara
mesh_terms: D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000382:microbiology; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods; D013045:Species Specificity; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D005819:Genetic Markers; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S