{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,7]],"date-time":"2025-10-07T08:47:52Z","timestamp":1759826872486,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,7]],"date-time":"2025-10-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759795200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Secretar\u00eda de Salud, Mexico, Hospital General \u201cDr. Manuel Gea Gonzalez\u201d","award":["E022"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["E022"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.mdpi.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Here, 18S-rDNA sequences of Blastocystis sp., previously documented from symptomatic (cases) and asymptomatic (controls) carriers, were analyzed to determine their population structure, predict their secondary structure, and examine their interactions with ribosomal proteins (Bud23, RPS5, and RPS18). Phylogenetic and population differentiation analyses were performed using STRUCTURE software V2.3.4. Moreover, an analysis of the rRNA secondary structure and folding of each sequence was performed, and their probability of interaction with ribosomal proteins was determined. Phylogenetic and haplotype analyses sorted the sequences into genetic subtypes ST1, ST2, and ST3, while the population structure showed each cluster as a differentiated subpopulation, suggesting incipient speciation or cryptic species differentiation. Furthermore, the analysis of the secondary structure of rRNA exhibited specific arrangements for each subtype. In addition, the probability of interaction between 18S-rRNA sequences of Blastocystis from cases and controls with RPS5 and RPS18 was significant, matching the biological plausibility of the previously documented finding that control isolates had a lower generation time than isolates obtained from cases. These findings reinforce the hypothesis that ribosomal subtypes ST1\u2013ST3 of Blastocystis represent evolutionarily distinct lineages with the potential to be recognized as future species. Furthermore, they underscore the functional relevance of 18S-rRNA sequences from clinical isolates of Blastocystis.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens14101009","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,7]],"date-time":"2025-10-07T08:05:36Z","timestamp":1759824336000},"page":"1009","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["From Bioinformatic Modeling to Clinical Observation: Potential Implications of Ribosomal RNA Folding in Blastocystis sp. Isolates from Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Carriers"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6140-8398","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fernando","family":"Mart\u00ednez-Hern\u00e1ndez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital General \u201cDr. Manuel Gea Gonz\u00e1lez\u201d, Calzada de Tlalpan No. 4800, Mexico City 14080, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9240-8905","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Arony","family":"Mart\u00ednez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital General \u201cDr. Manuel Gea Gonz\u00e1lez\u201d, Calzada de Tlalpan No. 4800, Mexico City 14080, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4434-605X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cecilia","family":"Zampedri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Bioengineer, Escuela de Ingenier\u00eda y Ciencias, Instituto Tecnol\u00f3gico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Mexico City 14370, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0522-8357","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mirza","family":"Romero-Valdovinos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital General \u201cDr. Manuel Gea Gonz\u00e1lez\u201d, Calzada de Tlalpan No. 4800, Mexico City 14080, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1108-2139","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlos","family":"Jim\u00e9nez-Guti\u00e9rrez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital General \u201cDr. Manuel Gea Gonz\u00e1lez\u201d, Calzada de Tlalpan No. 4800, Mexico City 14080, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Karina","family":"Flores-Mart\u00ednez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Patolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Nuevo Le\u00f3n, Ciudad General Escobedo 66054, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2725-5823","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Armando","family":"Trejo-Ch\u00e1vez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Patolog\u00eda, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Nuevo Le\u00f3n, Ciudad General Escobedo 66054, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2733-1654","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Guiehdani","family":"Villalobos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Producci\u00f3n Agr\u00edcola y Animal, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma Metropolitana, Unidad Xochimilco, Mexico City 04960, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2534-9447","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pablo","family":"Maravilla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hospital General \u201cDr. Manuel Gea Gonz\u00e1lez\u201d, Calzada de Tlalpan No. 4800, Mexico City 14080, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"639","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.00022-08","article-title":"New insights on classification, identification, and clinical relevance of Blastocystis spp.","volume":"21","author":"Tan","year":"2008","journal-title":"Clin. 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