Spatial integration of transcription and splicing in a dedicated compartment sustains monogenic antigen expression in African trypanosomes.

ABSTRACT: Highly selective gene expression is a key requirement for antigenic variation in several pathogens, allowing evasion of host immune responses and maintenance of persistent infections¹. African trypanosomes-parasites that cause lethal diseases in humans and livestock-employ an antigenic variation mechanism that involves monogenic antigen expression from a pool of >2,600 antigen-coding genes². In other eukaryotes, the expression of individual genes can be enhanced by mechanisms involving the juxtaposition of otherwise distal chromosomal loci in the three-dimensional nuclear space^3-5. However, trypanosomes lack classical enhancer sequences or regulated transcription initiation^6,7. In this context, it has remained unclear how genome architecture cont

SUBMITTER: Faria J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7610597 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature