The polymorphic telomeres of the African Trypanosome trypanosoma brucei - PubMed (original) (raw)

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The polymorphic telomeres of the African Trypanosome trypanosoma brucei

G Rudenko. Biochem Soc Trans. 2000 Oct.

Abstract

African trypanosomes have plastic genomes with extensive variability at the chromosome ends. The genes encoding the expressed major surface protein of the infective bloodstream form stages of Trypanosoma brucei and are located at telomeres. These telomeric expression-site transcription units are turning out to be surprisingly polymorphic in structure and sequence.

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Figure 1

Figure 1

The two T. brucei bloodstream form VSG expression sites are drawn according to Xong et al., 1998, and the schematic of the two metacyclic VSG expression sites is redrawn approximately according to Barry et al, 1998. The expression site promoters are indicated with white flags, and transcription with a dotted line. Expression site associated genes (_ESAG_s) are indicated with boxes: _ESAG_s 6 and 7 (encoding the transferrin receptor subunits) are grey, The SRA (human serum resistance) gene is indicated with dark stipples, and the other _ESAG_s are white. The ψ symbol indicates a pseudogene, and the black arrowhead under the ESAG 1 pseudogene indicates that it is present in an inverted orientation. The telomeric VSG gene is indicated with a black box. Characteristic 70 bp repeat arrays are shown as vertically striped boxes. In the metacyclic VSG expression sites the 70 bp repeats are present as either one or two copies (1X or 2X). The telomere repeats are indicated with white triangles.

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References

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