Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Especialidad en Biotecnología, Departamento de Biotecnología y Ciencias Alimentarias, Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, 85000, Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico.
CONAHCYT-Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora, 85000, Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico.
Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 31;13(1):14318. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-41657-6.
Balamuthia mandrillaris is a pathogenic protozoan that causes a rare but almost always fatal infection of the central nervous system and, in some cases, cutaneous lesions. Currently, the genomic data for this free-living amoeba include the description of several complete mitochondrial genomes. In contrast, two complete genomes with draft quality are available in GenBank, but none of these have a functional annotation. In the present study, the complete genome of B. mandrillaris isolated from a freshwater artificial lagoon was sequenced and assembled, obtaining an assembled genome with better assembly quality parameter values than the currently available genomes. Afterward, the genome mentioned earlier, along with strains V039 and 2046, were subjected to functional annotation. Finally, comparative genomics analysis was performed, and it was found that homologous genes in the core genome potentially involved in the virulence of Acanthamoeba spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi. Moreover, eleven of fifteen genes were identified in the three strains described as potential target genes to develop new treatment approaches for B. mandrillaris infections. These results describe proteins in this protozoan's complete genome and help prioritize which target genes could be used to develop new treatments.
曼氏巴贝斯虫是一种致病性原生动物，可引起中枢神经系统罕见但几乎总是致命的感染，在某些情况下还会引起皮肤损伤。目前，这种自由生活的阿米巴虫的基因组数据包括几个完整的线粒体基因组的描述。相比之下，GenBank 中有两个具有草案质量的完整基因组，但没有一个具有功能注释。在本研究中，从淡水人工泻湖中分离的曼氏巴贝斯虫的完整基因组进行了测序和组装，获得了一个组装质量参数值优于现有基因组的组装基因组。随后，对前面提到的基因组以及菌株 V039 和 2046 进行了功能注释。最后，进行了比较基因组学分析，发现核心基因组中同源基因可能与棘阿米巴和克氏锥虫的毒力有关。此外，在描述的三个菌株中，有 11 个基因被鉴定为潜在的治疗曼氏巴贝斯虫感染的靶基因。这些结果描述了这种原生动物完整基因组中的蛋白质，并有助于确定哪些靶基因可用于开发新的治疗方法。
