Development of new microsatellites for the hookworm Ancylostoma caninum and analysis of genetic diversity in Brazilian populations.

Considering the great efforts towards formulating a vaccine against hookworms, and the concerns about the spread of drug resistance through hookworm populations, it is justified to study the molecular diversity and population genetic structure of these nematodes. This work had the aim to develop microsatellite markers to investigate the genetic structure and the molecular diversity of Brazilian populations of Ancylostoma caninum. Seven microsatellites markers were successfully used to characterize five Brazilian populations.

Evolutionary interplay between structure, energy and epistasis in the coat protein of the ϕX174 phage family.

Viral capsids are structurally constrained by interactions among the amino acids (AAs) of their constituent proteins. Therefore, epistasis is expected to evolve among physically interacting sites and to influence the rates of substitution. To study the evolution of epistasis, we focused on the major structural protein of the ϕX174 phage family by first reconstructing the ancestral protein sequences of 18 species using a Bayesian statistical framework.

Evolutionary dynamics of the human NADPH oxidase genes CYBB, CYBA, NCF2, and NCF4: functional implications.

The phagocyte NADPH oxidase catalyzes the reduction of O2 to reactive oxygen species with microbicidal activity. It is composed of two membrane-spanning subunits, gp91-phox and p22-phox (encoded by CYBB and CYBA, respectively), and three cytoplasmic subunits, p40-phox, p47-phox, and p67-phox (encoded by NCF4, NCF1, and NCF2, respectively). Mutations in any of these genes can result in chronic granulomatous disease, a primary immunodeficiency characterized by recurrent infections.

Complete Genome Sequence of the Novel Phage MG-B1 Infecting Bacillus weihenstephanensis.

Here, we describe a novel virulent bacteriophage that infects Bacillus weihenstephanensis, isolated from soil in Austria. It is the first phage to be discovered that infects this species. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of this podovirus.

Genetic variability in the 5' UTR and NS5A regions of hepatitis C virus RNA isolated from non-responding and responding patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 infection.

Sequence variation among different hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolates has adaptive significance and reflects the modes and intensities of selection mechanisms operating on the virus. In this work, we sought to investigate using classical population genetics parameters, the genetic variability of HCV genotype 1 using the 5' UTR and NS5A regions from treatment non-responding and responding groups of patients. Both regions showed low genetic variability and the 5' UTR showed neutral deviation.

Molecular systematics of the genus Artibeus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae).

A molecular phylogeny of the genus Artibeus using 19 of the 20 recognized species, many with samples from a broad geographic range, is presented. The analysis shows a clear distinction between the two subgenera (or genera), the 'large'Artibeus and the 'small'Dermanura, in both mitochondrial and nuclear genes. The placement and status of A.

CYBB, an NADPH-oxidase gene: restricted diversity in humans and evidence for differential long-term purifying selection on transmembrane and cytosolic domains.

CYBB encodes the gp91-phox protein of the phagocytic NADPH oxidase; the innate immunity-related enzymatic complex responsible for the respiratory burst. Mutations in CYBB can cause chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), a primary immunodeficiency characterized by ineffective microbicidal activity, for which over 150 family-specific mutations have been described. It is also plausible that common SNPs in CYBB alter the expression or function of gp91-phox, determining differences in susceptibility to complex disorders such as autoimmune or infectious diseases.

Characterization of field bovine herpesvirus samples using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD).

Bovine herpesvirus 5 (BoHV-5) and Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) are members of the family Herpesviridae, subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae. Although BoHV-1 and BoHV-5 are closely related viruses (their genomes share 85% similarity), they exhibit some important differences at the genetic level which may explain the differences in their pathogenicity and epidemiological characteristics. Bovine herpesvirus 5 is a neurovirulent virus that causes fatal meningoencephalitis in calves and has been described in Australia, Argentina, United States and Brazil.

Evolutionary studies on an alpha-amylase gene segment in bats and other mammals.

Comparative studies of salivary glands showed that they maybe related to the adaptive radiation of bats, especially in the family Phylostomidae. In this study we have been searching for a likely relationship between different feeding habits found in bats and possible adaptive changes in a coding segment of the alpha-amylase enzyme. We have also tested some hypothesis about the phylogenetic relationship of bats and other mammals.

Analysis of the first and second internal transcribed spacer sequences of the ribosomal DNA in Biomphalaria tenagophila complex (Mollusca: Planorbidae).

The first and second internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS1 and ITS2) of the ribosomal DNA of Biomphalaria tenagophila complex (B. tenagophila, B. occidentalis, and B.