Korean J Parasitol.  2009 Sep;47(3):287-291. 10.3347/kjp.2009.47.3.287.

Evaluation of alpha-Tubulin as an Antigenic and Molecular Probe to Detect Giardia lamblia

• Kim J
• Shin MH
• Song KJ
• Park SJ

• KMID: 1729462
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2009.47.3.287

Abstract

The alpha/beta-tubulin heterodimer is the basic subunit of microtubules in eukaryotes. Polyclonal antibodies specific to recombinant alpha-tubulin of Giardia lamblia were made, and found effective as a probe to specifically detect G. lamblia by immunofluorescence assays. Nucleotide sequences of alpha-tubulin genes were compared between G. lamblia WB and GS strains, prototypes of assemblage A and assemblage B, respectively. A set of primers was designed and used to amplify a portion of the alpha-tubulin gene from G. lamblia. PCR-RFLP analysis of this alpha-tubulin PCR product successfully differentiated G. lamblia into 2 distinct groups, assemblages A and B. The results indicate that alpha-tubulin can be used as a molecular probe to detect G. lamblia.

Keyword

Giardia lamblia; alpha-tubulin; immunofluorescence assay; PCR-RFLP

MeSH Terms

Animals
Antigens, Protozoan/*genetics/immunology
Base Sequence
Giardia lamblia/genetics/immunology/*isolation & purification
Giardiasis/*diagnosis/immunology/parasitology
Humans
Molecular Probes/genetics/immunology
Molecular Sequence Data
Polymerase Chain Reaction/*methods
Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
Protozoan Proteins/*genetics/immunology
Sequence Alignment
Tubulin/*genetics/immunology