Chromosomal polymorphism, syntenic relationships, and ploidy in the pathogenic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis.
Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and DNA hybridization were used to establish and compare the electrophoretic karyotypes of 12 clinical and environmental Paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates from different geographic areas. Gene mapping allowed the identification of synteny groups and the use of isolated whole chromosomal bands to probe chromoblots indicated the existence of repetitive sequences, contributing to a better understanding of the structure and organization of the fungus genome. This represents the first comparative mapping study among different isolates. The results are indicative of the existence of genetic differences among natural isolates. DNA content of DAPI-stained nuclei of each isolate was estimated by confocal microscopy. Comparison of the genome sizes estimated by PFGE with those calculated by microfluorometry indicated the possible existence of haploid and diploid (or aneuploid) isolates of the fungus.
Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, UNIFESP/EPM - Universidade Federal de São Paulo, SP, São Paulo, Brazil.
Luciano dos S
Ldos S
Feitosa
Patrícia S
PS
Cisalpino
Márcia R Machado
MR
dos Santos
Renato A
RA
Mortara
Tânia F
TF
Barros
Flávia V
FV
Morais
Rosana
R
Puccia
José Franco
JF
da Silveira
Zoilo P
ZP
de Camargo
D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D015825:Chromosomes, Fungal; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D016681:Genome, Fungal; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D010228:Paracoccidioides / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011003:Ploidies; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D026801:Synteny
D004271:DNA, Fungal