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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 4316

Sudha Bhattacharya, Alok Bhattacharya, Louis S. Diamond, and Anthony T. Soldo; Circular DNA of Entamoeba histolytica Encodes Ribosomal RNA. J.Protozool. 36(5):455-458, 1989

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The presence of repeated DNA sequences encoding RNA in Entamoeba histolytica has been reported. In the present study we demonstrate by agarose gel electrophoresis, DNase digestion and electron microscopic analysis that these genes are located on extrachromosomal circular DNA molecules with an approximate size of 26 kD. Detection of replication intermediates suggests the episomal nature of these molecules. Amplified, extrachromosomal rRNA genes appear to be a common feature among the lower eukaryotes, occurring more commonly as linear molecules and less commonly as circles. Entamoeba histolytica is 1 of the few organisms studied in which rRNA genes are located predominantly on extrachromosomal circles.