African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 6 (17), pp. 2028-2032, 5 September 2007   

ISSN 1684–5315 © 2007 Academic Journals        

Full Length Research Paper

Comparing mannose binding lectin genetic diversity in intracellular and extracellular pathogens

Mohammad Asgharzadeh¹* and Hossein Samadi Kafil²

¹Biotechnology Research Center and Hematology oncology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical sciences, Tabriz, Iran.

²Department of Microbiology, School of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, P. O. Box: 14115-33. Tehran, Iran.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: asgharzadehmo@yahoo.com. Tel.: +98 411 3357126, Fax: +98 411 3364666.

Accepted 12 June, 2007

One of the important immunological factors in diseases is mannose binding lectin (MBL). The aim of present study is to determine the distribution of the alleles of mannose-binding lectin gene codon 52, 54, 57 and promoter variants H/L, X/Y, P and Q in confirmed VL patients as an intracellular pathogen while compares with extracellular pathogens (in renal infection) and seek correlation between these variants and intracellular and extracellular infections. Fifty eight confirmed VL patients’ blood samples were compared with fifty eight blood samples of patients received renal in results of renal infections. MBL genotypes were investigated by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Frequency of defective allele B in extracellular pathogens was more than intracellular pathogens (P = 0.0001), and in contrary prevalence of wild type allele A in intracellular pathogens was more than extracellular pathogens (P = 0.0001), and in other alleles and variants there was not any significant difference. In conclusion, there was more prevalence of alleles with low mannose binding lectin serum level in extrallelular pathogens which can be consider as a risk factor for these infections. In other hand prevalence of high concentration alleles in intracellular pathogens indicate the role of mannose binding lectin level for susceptibility to intracellular pathogens. 

Key words: Extracellular, genotype, infection, intracellular, mannose binding lectin, pathogen.