Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Akopyants NS
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2729066 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Akopyants Natalia S NS Kimblin Nicola N Secundino Nagila N Patrick Rachel R Peters Nathan N Lawyer Phillip P Dobson Deborah E DE Beverley Stephen M SM Sacks David L DL
Science (New York, N.Y.) 20090401 5924
Genetic exchange has not been shown to be a mechanism underlying the extensive diversity of Leishmania parasites. We report here evidence that the invertebrate stages of Leishmania are capable of having a sexual cycle consistent with a meiotic process like that described for African trypanosomes. Hybrid progeny were generated that bore full genomic complements from both parents, but kinetoplast DNA maxicircles from one parent. Mating occurred only in the sand fly vector, and hybrids were transmi ...[more]