Linamarase expression in cassava cultivars with roots of low- and high-cyanide content.

This paper reports the expression and localization of linamarase in roots of two cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) cultivars of low and high cyanide. Two different patterns of linamarase activity were observed. In the low-cyanide type, young leaves displayed very high enzyme activity during the early plant growing stage (3 months), whereas in root peel, the activity increased progressively to reach a peak in 11-month-old plants.

Towards the physical map of the Trypanosoma cruzi nuclear genome: construction of YAC and BAC libraries of the reference clone T. cruzi CL-Brener.

Strategies to construct the physical map of the Trypanosoma cruzi nuclear genome have to capitalize on three main advantages of the parasite genome, namely (a) its small size, (b) the fact that all chromosomes can be defined, and many of them can be isolated by pulse field gel electrophoresis, and (c) the fact that simple Southern blots of electrophoretic karyotypes can be used to map sequence tagged sites and expressed sequence tags to chromosomal bands. A major drawback to cope with is the complexity of T. cruzi genetics, that hinders the construction of a comprehensive genetic map.

Cloning and partial characterization of a 28 kDa antigenic protein of Trypanosoma cruzi.

Eleven antigenic clones were isolated from a Trypanosoma cruzi cDNA expression library using a pool of Chagasic sera from Venezuelan patients. These clones were tested with 26 Chagasic sera and 11 sera from patients with other diseases. One clone (Clone 2) reacted with the majority of the Chagasic sera and did not react with the non-Chagasic sera.

[The Dot immunoenzymatic assay on nitrocellulose (Dot-ELISA) in the diagnosis of Chagas disease. II. Seroepidemiologic study in 4 rural communities of Venezuela].

A survey of human Trypanosoma cruzi infection in four rural communities of two Venezuelan states with different epidemiological Chagas' disease situations was carried out using the Dot-ELISA and conventional serology. In the two hamlets of Zulia state, no seropositives were found in the under-15 age group whereas seropositivity in the over-15 group was 15.6%.