Trypanosoma cruzi expresses diverse repetitive protein antigens. Infect Immun 1989 Jul;57(7):1959-67
Date
07/01/1989Pubmed ID
2659529Pubmed Central ID
PMC313827DOI
10.1128/iai.57.7.1959-1967.1989Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0024371519 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 79 CitationsAbstract
We screened a Trypanosoma cruzi cDNA expression library with human and rabbit anti-T. cruzi sera and identified cDNA clones that encode polypeptides containing tandemly arranged repeats which are 6 to 34 amino acids in length. The peptide repeats encoded by these cDNAs varied markedly in sequence, copy number, and location relative to the polyadenylation site of the mRNAs from which they were derived. The repeats were specific for T. cruzi, but in each case the sizes of the corresponding mRNAs and the total number of repeat copies encoded varied considerably among different isolates of the parasite. Expression of the peptide repeats was not stage specific. One of the peptide repeats occurred in a protein with an Mr of greater than 200,000 and one was in a protein of Mr 75,000 to 105,000. The frequent occurrence and diversity of these peptide repeats suggested that they may play a role in the ability of the parasite to evade immune destruction in its invertebrate and mammalian hosts, but the primary roles of these macromolecules may be unrelated to the host-parasite relationship.
Author List
Hoft DF, Kim KS, Otsu K, Moser DR, Yost WJ, Blumin JH, Donelson JE, Kirchhoff LVAuthor
Joel H. Blumin MD Chief, Professor in the Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Amino Acid SequenceAnimals
Antigens, Protozoan
Base Sequence
DNA
Molecular Sequence Data
Peptide Fragments
Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid
Transcription, Genetic
Trypanosoma cruzi
