title: Transcription of meiotic-like-pathway genes in Giardia intestinalis.
abstract: The reproductive mechanism of Giardia intestinalis, considered one of the earliest divergent eukaryotes, has not been fully defined yet. Some evidence supports the hypothesis that Giardia is an exclusively asexual organism with a clonal population structure. However, the high genetic variability, the variation in ploidy during its life cycle, the low heterozygosity and the existence of genes involved in the meiotic-like recombination pathway in the parasite's genome cast doubt on exclusively asexual nature of Giardia. In this work, semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis was used to assess the transcription pattern of three meiosis-like-specific genes involved in homologues recombination: dmc1, hop1 and spo11. The mRNAs were amplified during the parasite's differentiation processes, encystation and excystation, and expression was found at each stage of its life cycle. A semiquantitative assessment also suggests that expression of some of the genes is regulated during encystation process.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Laboratorio de Investigaciones Básicas en Bioquímica, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Sandra P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: Isabel C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Castellanos
authors.forename: Magda E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Alvarado
authors.forename: Paula C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gallego
authors.forename: Moisés
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wasserman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003434:Crossing Over, Genetic; D017125:Genes, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics*; D016829:Giardia lamblia / Q000235:genetics*; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012100:Reproduction, Asexual; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger