Kramer Susanne
Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK.
Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2012 Feb;181(2):61-72. doi: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2011.10.002. Epub 2011 Oct 13.
Kinetoplastids, including the human pathogens Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania, are the only known organisms that do not regulate the transcription of protein coding genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II. Yet, profound changes in gene expression are induced by many different external stimuli and stresses, the extreme example are cascades of changes in gene expression initiated by differentiation triggers that ultimately and irreversibly result in the massive morphological and metabolic changes observed during life-cycle progression. This review explores how kinetoplastids change gene expression by looking at life-cycle stage specific changes in chromatin, mRNA processing, mRNA stability, mRNA translation, protein stability and protein modifications.
动质体，包括人类病原体布氏锥虫、克氏锥虫和利什曼原虫，是目前已知的唯一一类不调控由RNA聚合酶II转录的蛋白质编码基因转录的生物体。然而，许多不同的外部刺激和压力会诱导基因表达发生深刻变化，最极端的例子是由分化触发因素引发的基因表达变化级联反应，最终不可逆转地导致在生命周期进程中观察到的大规模形态和代谢变化。本综述通过研究染色质、mRNA加工、mRNA稳定性、mRNA翻译、蛋白质稳定性和蛋白质修饰在生命周期阶段的特异性变化，探讨动质体如何改变基因表达。
