The PARP promoter of Trypanosoma brucei is developmentally regulated in a chromosomal context
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
African trypanosomes are extracellular protozoan parasites that are transmitted from one mammalian host to the next by tsetse flies. Bloodstream forms express variant surface glycoprotein (VSG); the tsetse fly (procyclic) forms express instead the procyclic acidic repetitive protein (PARP). PARP mRNA is abundant in procyclic forms and almost undetectable in blood-stream forms. Post-transcriptional mechanisms are mainly responsible for PARP mRNA regulation but results of nuclear run-on experiments suggested that transcription might also be regulated. We measured the activity of genomically-integrated PARP, VSG and rRNA promoters in permanently-transformed blood-stream and procyclic form trypanosomes, using reporter gene constructs that showed no post-transcriptional regulation. When the constructs were integrated in the rRNA non-transcribed spacer, the ribosomal RNA and VSG promoters were not developmentally regulated, but integration at the PARP locus reduced rRNA promoter activity in bloodstream forms. PARP promoter activity was 5-fold down-regulated in bloodstream forms when integrated at either site. Regulation was probably at the level of transcriptional initiation, but elongation through plasmid vector sequences was also reduced.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Journal | Nucleic Acids Research |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 7 |
Pages (from-to) | 1202-11 |
Number of pages | 10 |
ISSN | 0305-1048 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 1996 |
- Animals, Base Sequence, DNA Primers, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Membrane Glycoproteins, Molecular Sequence Data, Promoter Regions, Genetic, Protozoan Proteins, RNA, Ribosomal, Transcription, Genetic, Trypanosoma brucei brucei, Tubulin
Research areas
ID: 138821807