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PMID: 3405209 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Putative genes of a variant-specific antigen gene transcription unit in Trypanosoma brucei.

Molecular and cellular biology ·Vol. 8 ·No. 6 ·1988-06-00 ·Pages 2367-78

Alexandre S, Guyaux M, Murphy NB, Coquelet H, Pays A, Steinert M, Pays E

Abstract

In a 7-kilobase (kb) sequence upstream from the 5' barren region, the Trypanosoma brucei AnTat 1.3A expression site carries two putative genes, named ESAG 2 and ESAG 3 for expression site-associated genes, as well as a copy of ESAG 1 (D.F. Cully, H.S. Ip, and G.A.M. Cross, Cell 42:173-182, 1985). At least 3 kb of this expression site exhibits a high degree of homology with the silent telomere carrying the AnTat 1.3A basic copy, whose ESAG 1 is interrupted by stop codons. Like the antigen gene, the region containing the ESAGs is transcribed only in the bloodstream forms, although transcription of 5' barren- and ESAG 2-related sequences also occurs in cultured procyclics. Analysis of steady-state and nascent transcripts suggests a continuous transcription of the whole expression site by an RNA polymerase resistant to alpha-amanitin, possibly initiating at a polymerase I-like promoter located about 17 kb upstream from the antigen gene. This polymerase seems prone to becoming inactivated upon incubation of the trypanosomes at low temperature. The putative protein encoded by ESAG 3 may carry a hydrophobic signal peptide, suggesting interaction with a membrane.

MeSH Terms
Animals Antigens, Protozoan/genetics,immunology Base Sequence Cloning, Molecular Molecular Sequence Data Promoter Regions, Genetic RNA Splicing Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid Transcription, Genetic Trypanosoma brucei brucei/genetics,immunology
Chemicals
Antigens, Protozoan
Authors & Affiliations
7 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Alexandre S
Department of Molecular Biology, University of Brussels, Belgium.
Guyaux M
Murphy N B
Coquelet H
Pays A
Steinert M
Pays E
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31 references, click to expand
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Article Info
Journal
Molecular and cellular biology
Abbr.
Mol Cell Biol
ISSN
0270-7306
DOI
10.1128/mcb.8.6.2367-2378.1988
Published
1988-06-00
Pages
2367-78
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
8109087
PMCID
PMC363435
Subset
IM
Databases
GENBANK
M20871, M20872, M20873
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1128/mcb.8.6.2367-2378.1988 PMC Full Text View journal details
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