Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Preparation of the Mgm101 Recombination Protein by MBP-based Tagging Strategy
11:40

Preparation of the Mgm101 Recombination Protein by MBP-based Tagging Strategy

Published on: June 25, 2013

Characterization of the meiosis-specific recombinase Dmc1 of pneumocystis

Geetha Kutty1, Guillaume Achaz, Frank Maldarelli

  • 1Critical Care Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA.

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|November 6, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Researchers identified a gene involved in sexual reproduction in Pneumocystis, a fungus causing pneumonia in immunocompromised individuals. This finding suggests Pneumocystis undergoes a sexual phase, clarifying its life cycle.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Medical Microbiology

Background:

  • Pneumocystis causes severe pneumonia in immunocompromised patients.
  • The life cycle of Pneumocystis is not well understood.
  • Sexual reproduction in Pneumocystis has been debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential for a sexual phase in the Pneumocystis life cycle.
  • To identify and characterize genes involved in meiotic recombination.
  • To explore the function of the dmc1 gene in Pneumocystis.

Main Methods:

  • Gene identification and characterization of a dmc1 orthologue in three Pneumocystis species.
  • Analysis of dmc1 gene transcription and protein sequence.
  • Confocal microscopy to determine Dmc1 expression patterns.
  • Genomic sequence analysis to infer recombination events.

Main Results:

  • A dmc1 gene orthologue was identified in three Pneumocystis species.
  • The Pneumocystis Dmc1 protein showed significant identity to yeast Dmc1.
  • Dmc1 expression was localized to the cyst stage of Pneumocystis.
  • Genomic analysis suggested multiple recombination events.

Conclusions:

  • The identified dmc1 gene supports the occurrence of meiotic recombination in Pneumocystis.
  • These findings provide evidence for a sexual phase in the Pneumocystis life cycle.
  • Understanding the Pneumocystis life cycle can inform treatment strategies for Pneumocystis pneumonia.

More Related Videos

Preparation of Meiotic Chromosome Spreads from Mouse Oocytes for Assessment of Synapsis and Recombination09:24

Preparation of Meiotic Chromosome Spreads from Mouse Oocytes for Assessment of Synapsis and Recombination

Published on: July 18, 2025

Hybrid Ensemble and Single-molecule Assay to Image the Motion of Fully Reconstituted CMG10:11

Hybrid Ensemble and Single-molecule Assay to Image the Motion of Fully Reconstituted CMG

Published on: July 26, 2024

Related Concept Videos

Exon Recombination02:32

Exon Recombination

The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes. 
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon has three reading...
Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation02:53

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis02:15

M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis

Checkpoints throughout the cell cycle serve as safeguards and gatekeepers, allowing the cell cycle to progress in favorable conditions and slow or halt it in problematic ones. This regulation is known as the cell cycle control system.
Cyclin-dependent kinases, or Cdks, work in concert with cyclins to control cell cycle transitions. M-Cdk, a complex of Cdk1 bound to M cyclin, is a well-known example of this coordinated control that drives the transition from the G2 to the M phase.
M cyclin...