Abstract
We identified a gametocyte-specific protein of Plasmodium falciparum called Pf11-1 and provide experimental evidence that this molecule is involved in the emergence of gametes of the infected erythrocyte (gametogenesis). A mutant parasite clone, which has deleted over 90% of the PF11-1 gene locus, was an important control to establish the gametocyte-specific expression of the Pf11-1. Molecular analysis of the Pf11-1 deletion indicates that it is presumably due a chromosome breakage with subsequent "healing" by the addition of telomeric heptanucleotides. Moreover, similar DNA rearrangements are observed in most of the laboratory isolates during asexual propagation in vitro.
chromosome breakage and healing; gametocyte specific antigen; telomere; HRPI; HRP II; deletions
Characterization of a Plasmodium falciparum mutant that has deleted the majority of the gametocyte-specific Pf11-1 locus
Artur Scherf1
Carolyn Petersen1
Richard Carter2
Pietro Alano3
Rick Nelson1
Masamichi Aikawa4
Denise Mattei5
Luiz Pereira da Silva5
James Leech1
University of California, Department of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, San Francisco General Hospital. Parasitology Laboratory, San Francisco, USA
University of Edinburgh, Department of Genetics, Edinburgh, Scotland
Instituto Superiore di Sanita, Laboratory of Cell Biology, Rome, Italy
Case Western Reserve University, Institute of Pathology, Cleveland, USA
Institut Pasteur, CNRS URA 361, Unité de Parasitologie Expérimentale, Paris, France
We identified a gametocyte-specific protein of Plasmodium falciparum called Pf11-1 and provide experimental evidence that this molecule is involved in the emergence of gametes of the infected erythrocyte (gametogenesis). A mutant parasite clone, which has deleted over 90% of the PF11-1 gene locus, was an important control to establish the gametocyte-specific expression of the Pf11-1. Molecular analysis of the Pf11-1 deletion indicates that it is presumably due a chromosome breakage with subsequent "healing" by the addition of telomeric heptanucleotides. Moreover, similar DNA rearrangements are observed in most of the laboratory isolates during asexual propagation in vitro.
Full text available only in PDF format.
Texto completo disponível apenas em PDF.
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
04 June 2009 -
Date of issue
1992
