Identification of Chromera velia by fluorescence in situ hybridization

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters Vol. 328; no. 2; pp. 144 - 149
• Main Authors: Morin-Adeline, Victoria, Foster, Christie, Šlapeta, Jan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2012; Wiley-Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Animals; Anthozoa - parasitology; apicomplexa; Apicomplexa - chemistry; Apicomplexa - genetics; Apicomplexa - growth & development; Apicomplexa - isolation & purification; autofluorescence; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Chromera velia; coral endosymbiont; Culture Media - chemistry; DNA - chemistry; DNA - isolation & purification; Fluorescence; Fluorescence in situ hybridization; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence - methods; Malaria; Microbiology; Microenvironments; Microhabitats; Oligonucleotide Probes - chemistry; Oligonucleotides; Parasitic diseases; Photosynthesis; RNA, Ribosomal - genetics; rRNA; Sequence Alignment; SSU rRNA; Toxoplasmosis; Vector-borne diseases; coral endosymbiont; autofluorescence; apicomplexa; SSU rRNA; hybridization; fluorescence; Protozoa; Apicomplexa; Chromera velia; Ribosomal RNA; Fluorescence in situ hybridization; Identification
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2011.02489.x

Abstract Chromera velia is evolutionarily the closest free-living and photosynthetic organism to the medically important obligatory parasitic apicomplexans that cause diseases including malaria and toxoplasmosis. In this study, a novel oligonucleotide probe targeting C. velia's small subunit ribosomal RNA was designed. To enable usage of this probe as a detection tool, a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) protocol was optimized. The results obtained showed that when used in combination, the C. velia CV1 probe and optimized FISH protocol enabled efficient detection of C. velia in culture. This new technique will allow a better understanding of the ecological role of C. velia within the coral microhabitat.