title: Minicircle organization and diversity in Trypanosoma cruzi populations.
abstract: Trypanosoma cruzi strains and isolates can be divided into at least two groups using biochemical and molecular markers such as isoenzymes, ribosomal DNA, mini-exon gene spacers and some maxicircle genes. Despite the accumulating evidence that these major groups are phylogenetically distinct, their kinetoplast minicircle overall organization (i.e. number of conserved regions per length of minicircle molecule) remains conserved in all T. cruzi isolates studied so far, including the two T. cruzi major lineages -T. cruzi I and T. cruzi II - and a third group of uncertain taxonomic status, T. cruzi ZIII. Thus far, despite the extensive intra- and inter-minicircle sequence polymorphism, no group clustering has been observed.
authors.affiliation: Departamento Medicina Tropical, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Avenida Brasil 4365, 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: Angela C V
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Junqueira
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Degrave
authors.forename: Adeilton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brandão
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018105:DNA, Kinetoplast