Fig. 4

Ehrlichia canis strain analysis based on trp36 sequences. a TRP36 amino acid sequences of the three different strains of E. canis identified in Pakistan (Kasur, Rawalpindi and Muzaffargarh) were aligned with TRP36 sequences of E. canis strains previously reported with low (USA Louisiana) and high (TWN17) genetic diversity. For sequence analysis, TRP36 is separated in three regions: pre-repeat (red), tandem repeat (yellow) and post-repeat (blue). Molecular signatures (presence of G at position 117 and the sequence of the putative N-glycosylation sequon at N125, NPS/NSS) in the pre-tandem region are highlighted in black boxes. The numbers of tandem repeats per strain are shown in square brackets. The sequence identical and similar amino acid positions are indicated with asterisks and dots, respectively. For figure simplification purpose, large stretches of regions with 100% identity were removed from the figure and the amino acid length of these regions is shown in parentheses. b trp36 nucleotide sequences showing the insertion of thymine (t, black box) in Muzaffargarh strain. Stop codons are highlighted in red boxes