ABC transporters are ubiquitous membrane-bound proteins, present in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The major function of eukaryotic ABC transporters is to mediate the efflux of a variety of substrates (including xenobiotics) out of cells. ABC transporters have been widely investigated in humans, particularly for their involvement in multidrug resistance (MDR). Considerably less is known about...

Taxon-based research in evolution permits the development of a multidimensional approach, illustrated here with lessons learned from research on salamanders. The clade is widespread and diverse, yet sufficiently small that one can keep all of the species in mind. This facilitates research from diverse perspectives: systematics and phylogenetics, morphology, development, ecology, neurobiology, b...

We genetically characterized Tamarixia radiata (Waterston) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) populations from Texas, Florida, and Mexico and the sister taxon Tamarixia triozae (Burks) by two molecular methods. T. radiata is an ectoparasitoid of Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), nymphs. Thepopulationswere submitted to intersimple sequence repeat-polymerase chain rea...

Clostridium difficile consists of six clades but studies on Clade 3 are limited. Here, we report genome sequences of three Clade 3 C. difficile strains carrying genes encoding toxin A and B and the binary toxin. Isolates 103 and 133 (both of ST5) and isolate 106 (ST285) were recovered from three ICU patients. Whole genome sequencing using HiSeq 2500 revealed 4.1-Mb genomes with 28-29% GC conten...

UNLABELLED Strains of emm89 Streptococcus pyogenes have become one of the major causes of invasive infections worldwide in the last 10 years. We recently sequenced the genome of 1,125 emm89 strains and identified three major phylogenetic groups, designated clade 1, clade 2, and the epidemic clade 3. Epidemic clade 3 strains, which now cause the great majority of infections, have two distinct ge...

HIV subtypes or clades differentially induce HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) and substance abuse is known to accelerate HIV disease progression. The HIV-1 envelope protein gp120 plays a major role in binding and budding in the central nervous system (CNS) and impacts dopaminergic functions. However, the mechanisms utilized by HIV-1 clades to exert differential effects and the met...

Background.  Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 is the most prevalent worldwide. Subtype 1a, compared with 1b, shows lower response rates and higher propensity to select for drug resistance to NS3 and selected NS5A and nonnucleoside NS5B inhibitors. Two distinct clades of subtype 1a have been described. Methods.  Using Bayesian methodology, we performed a time-scaled phylogeny reconstruction of...

Human head and body lice have been classified into three phylogenetic clades (Clades A, B, and C) based on mitochondrial DNA. Based on nuclear markers (the 18S rRNA gene and the PM2 spacer), two genotypes of Clade A head and body lice, including one that is specifically African (Clade A2), have been described. In this study, we sequenced the PM2 spacer of Clade C head lice from Ethiopia and com...

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 isolates of clade E, known to be largely responsible for the fulminating epidemic in Southeast Asia, have been derived exclusively from Asia and Africa. Here we provide full or partial sequences of the envelope glycoprotein gene from 13 additional clade E isolates from Asia representing patients in both early and late stages of disease. More extensive compari...

Poa, the largest genus of grasses (Poaceae) with over 500 species, occurs throughout temperate and boreal regions in both hemispheres. A phylogenetic study of Poa based on trnT–trnF chloroplast DNA sequence data is presented focusing on basal relationships, major clades, generic boundaries, and placement of putatively closely related genera. Results support the monophyly of the main lineage of ...