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Daniel HM,
Meyer W,
( 2003 ) Evaluation of ribosomal RNA and actin gene sequences for the identification of ascomycetous yeasts. PMID : 12892922 : Abstract >>
Highly similar gene sequences of the 5' region of the large subunit (LSU) are commonly interpreted to predict the organism's identity. However, it was recognised that closely related taxa do not always show sufficiently diverged D1/D2 LSU sequences to differentiate between them. The effectiveness of species separation using D1/D2 LSU sequences, small subunit (SSU) sequences and actin gene sequences was determined by pair-wise comparisons. The LSU data showed coinciding similarities among and within species. The actin data resolved all investigated species. Examples strengthened the value of almost complete SSU sequences for species separation. The larger number of differences in the highly conserved actin gene, compared to the overall more variable LSU gene, is due to the tolerance of protein coding genes to synonymous nucleotide changes. In contrast, the pairing in secondary structures of the rRNA, ensuring the functionality of the molecule, relies on longer and uninterrupted sequence sections. In conclusion, D1/D2 LSU sequences are not specific enough to identify closely related taxa. The actin gene is a better marker in these cases. However, because of the availability of a large database of fungal D1/D2 LSU sequences, this gene region is currently still the preferred target for sequence-based identification.
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2. |
Feng X,
Wu J,
Ling B,
Yang X,
Liao W,
Pan W,
Yao Z,
( 2014 ) Development of two molecular approaches for differentiation of clinically relevant yeast species closely related to Candida guilliermondii and Candida famata. PMID : 24951804 : DOI : 10.1128/JCM.01297-14 PMC : PMC4313136 Abstract >>
The emerging pathogens Candida palmioleophila, Candida fermentati, and Debaryomyces nepalensis are often misidentified as Candida guilliermondii or Candida famata in the clinical laboratory. Due to the significant differences in antifungal susceptibilities and epidemiologies among these closely related species, a lot of studies have focused on the identification of these emerging yeast species in clinical specimens. Nevertheless, limited tools are currently available for their discrimination. Here, two new molecular approaches were established to distinguish these closely related species. The first approach differentiates these species by use of restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of partial internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and large subunit ribosomal DNA with the enzymes BsaHI and XbaI in a double digestion. The second method involves a multiplex PCR based on the intron size differences of RPL18, a gene coding for a protein component of the large (60S) ribosomal subunit, and species-specific amplification. These two methods worked well in differentiation of these closely related yeast species and have the potential to serve as effective molecular tools suitable for laboratory diagnoses and epidemiological studies.
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