A Plasmodium falciparum transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinase-related kinase with a crucial role in parasite proliferation associates with histone deacetylase activity.

ABSTRACT: Cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDKs) are key regulators of the eukaryotic cell cycle and of the eukaryotic transcription machinery. Here we report the characterization of Pfcrk-3 (Plasmodium falciparum CDK-related kinase 3; PlasmoDB identifier PFD0740w), an unusually large CDK-related protein whose kinase domain displays maximal homology to those CDKs which, in other eukaryotes, are involved in the control of transcription. The closest enzyme in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is BUR1 (bypass upstream activating sequence requirement 1), known to control gene expression through interaction with chromatin modification enzymes. Consistent with this, immunofluorescence data show that Pfcrk-3 colocalizes with histones. We show that recombinant Pfcrk-3 associates with histone H1 kinase activity in p

SUBMITTER: Halbert J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2901647 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature