Stimuli of differentiation regulate RNA elongation in the transcription units for the major stage-specific antigens ofTrypanosoma brucei
- 1 January 1995
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Nucleic Acids Research
- Vol. 23 (11), 1862-1869
- https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/23.11.1862
Abstract
In Trypanosoma brucei, the mutually exclusive expression of the major surface antigens, the variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) of the bloodstream form and procyclin of the procyclic form, is due to a stage-specific accumulation of the respective mRNAs. Through the targeting of a reporter construct in the procyclin promoter region, we show that independently of any selection pressure, a relatively high level of transcription (approximately 10%) occurs from the procyclin promoter in the bloodstream form. This transcription leads to the production of detectable amounts of polyadenylated mRNAs. However, RNA elongation in the procyclin transcription unit is down-regulated at this stage. Transcription elongation in the procyclin and VSG units is inversely controlled by the combination of factors which cause the differentiation of bloodstream into procyclic forms in vitro. These factors include temperature, citrate/cis-aconitate and the incubation medium. Our results suggest that inverse regulations of primary transcription in the VSG and procyclin units are early events that underly the differentiation of the parasite.Keywords
This publication has 25 references indexed in Scilit:
- Identification of a new expression site-associated gene in the complete 30.5 kb sequence from the AnTat 1.3A variant surface protein gene expression site of Trypanosoma bruceiMolecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 1993
- Abrupt RNA changes precede the first cell division during the differentiation of Trypanosoma brucei bloodstream forms into procyclic forms in vitroMolecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 1993
- RNA polymerase I-mediated protein-coding gene expression in Trypanosoma bruceiParasitology Today, 1992
- Ultraviolet irradiation inhibits RNA decay and modifies ribosomal RNA processing in Trypanosoma bruceiMolecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 1991
- Targeted insertion of the neomycin phosphotransferase gene into the tubulin gene cluster of Trypanosoma bruceiNature, 1990
- Synchronous differentiation of Trypanosoma brucei from bloodstream to procyclic forms in vitroEuropean Journal of Biochemistry, 1990
- Expression of a Bacterial Gene in a Trypanosomatid ProtozoanScience, 1989
- The genes and transcripts of an antigen gene expression site from T. bruceiCell, 1989
- The anatomy and transcription of a telomeric expression site for variant-specific surface antigens in T. bruceiCell, 1987
- Trypanosoma brucei repeated element with unusual structural and transcriptional propertiesJournal of Molecular Biology, 1987