ABSTRACT
Objective To clone and sequence variant-specific surface antigen gene from Giardia lamblia isolate SUCH/89/BTMRI/2(C2) derived from human in China. Methods Total genomic DNA of G.lamblia was extracted and a full-length variant-specific surface antigen gene fragment was amplified by pelymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR product was cloned into pMD19-T simple-vector, transformed into an Escherichia coli JM109 strain and then sequenced. The sequence analysis for cloned fragment was finished by Vector NTI 9.0 software for the homology of Giardia variantspecific surface antigen gene to that of sequences publishend in GenBank. Results The full-length variant-specific surface antigen gone fragment from G. lamblia was found to be 2 142 bp, encoding a 713 amino acid polypeptide and contained a single open reading frame (ORF). The deduced polypeptide sequence was rich in cysteine (11.8 mol%), most of which occurred with in 29 copies of the 4-amino acid CXXC motif, one GGCY-tetrapeptide motifs and three NXS consensus N-linked glycosylation sites. This polypeptide was also rich in threonine (10.2 mol%), glycine (12.1 mol%) and alanine (10.1 mol%). Like other previously identified VSPs, it contained a highly conserved hydropbebic Cterminal region. The homology of G. lamblia SUCH/89/BTMRI/2(C2) variant-specific surface antigen gene to that of sequence (TSA417) published in GenBank was 99% both at the nueleotide and the amino acid levels. Conclusion The full length variant-specific surface antigen gene from the isolate of G. lamblia has the common characteristics with other previously identified VSPs.