title: Identification of differentially expressed cDNAs in Acanthamoeba culbertsoni after mouse brain passage.
abstract: Free-living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba are causative agents of granulomatous amebic encephalitis and amebic keratitis. Because the virulence of Acanthamoeba culbertsoni cultured in the laboratory is restored by consecutive brain passages, we examined the genes induced in mouse brain-passaged A. culbertsoni by differential display reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (DDRT-PCR). Enhanced A. culbertsoni virulence was observed during the second mouse brain passage, i.e., infected mouse mortality increased from 5% to 70%. Ten cDNAs induced during mouse brain passage were identified by DDRT-PCR and this was confirmed by northern blot analysis. BlastX searches of these cDNAs indicated the upregulations of genes encoding predictive NADH-dehydrogenase, proteasomal ATPase, and GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase B, which have previously been reported to be associated with A. culbertsoni virulence factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Institute of Tropical Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu-Lee
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Jongweon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Don-Soo
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soon-Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kyung-il
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Im
authors.forename: Tai-Soon
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Yong
mesh_terms: D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D000562:Amebiasis / Q000401:mortality / Q000469:parasitology*; D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern / Q000379:methods; D001921:Brain / Q000469:parasitology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular / Q000379:methods; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D017125:Genes, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012692:Serial Passage; D015854:Up-Regulation; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D016054:DNA, Protozoan