Identification of hookworm DAF-16/FOXO response elements and direct gene targets.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The infective stage of the parasitic nematode hookworm is developmentally arrested in the environment and needs to infect a specific host to complete its life cycle. The canine hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum) is an excellent model for investigating human hookworm infections. The transcription factor of A. caninum, Ac-DAF-16, which has a characteristic fork head or "winged helix" DNA binding domain (DBD), has been implicated in the resumption of hookworm development in the host. However, the precise roles of Ac-DAF-16 in hookworm parasitism and its downstream targets are unknown. In the present study, we combined molecular techniques and bioinformatics to identify a group of Ac-DAF-16 binding sites and target genes.

Methodology/principal findings

The DNA binding dom

SUBMITTER: Gao X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2924398 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature