Functional redundancy of two Pax-like proteins in transcriptional activation of cyst wall protein genes in Giardia lamblia.

ABSTRACT: The protozoan Giardia lamblia differentiates from a pathogenic trophozoite into an infectious cyst to survive outside of the host. During encystation, genes encoding cyst wall proteins (CWPs) are coordinately induced. Pax family transcription factors are involved in a variety of developmental processes in animals. Nine Pax proteins have been found to play an important role in tissue and organ development in humans. To understand the progression from primitive to more complex eukaryotic cells, we tried to identify putative pax genes in the G. lamblia genome and found two genes, pax1 and pax2, with limited similarity. We found that Pax1 may transactivate the encystation-induced cwp genes and interact with AT-rich initiatior elements that are essential for promoter activity and transcription

SUBMITTER: Chuang SF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3280250 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature