The Trypanosoma cruzi ribosomal RNA-encoding gene: analysis of promoter and upstream intergenic spacer sequences.

The transcription start point (tsp) of the ribosomal RNA(rRNA)-encoding gene of Trypanosoma cruzi was mapped at 1550 bp upstream from the 18S rRNA coding sequence. The + 1 nucleotide (tsp) was determined to be a guanosine. As described for other eukaryotes, no consensus sequence was found when the putative promoter sequence (-200 to + 50) was compared with that described for Trypanosoma brucei and Crithidia fasciculata. However, a repeated element was found in the upstream intergenic spacer sequence (IGS) of T. cruzi. Motifs, present in this element, exhibit significant homology to the T. cruzi promoter sequence. Furthermore, the same motifs could be found, in a similar sequence organization, within the T. brucei promoter region. Therefore, the data described in this paper strongly indicate that the IGS rDNA (DNA coding for rRNA) organization in trypanosomatids appears similar to that found in higher eukaryotes.