一个VSG表达位点相关基因赋予罗得西亚锥虫对人血清的抗性。

A VSG expression site-associated gene confers resistance to human serum in Trypanosoma rhodesiense.

作者信息

Xong H V, Vanhamme L, Chamekh M, Chimfwembe C E, Van Den Abbeele J, Pays A, Van Meirvenne N, Hamers R, De Baetselier P, Pays E

机构信息

Laboratory of Cellular Immunology, Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.

出版信息

Cell. 1998 Dec 11;95(6):839-46. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81706-7.

DOI:10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81706-7

PMID:9865701

Abstract

Infectivity of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense to humans is due to its resistance to a lytic factor present in human serum. In the ETat 1 strain this character was associated with antigenic variation, since expression of the ETat 1.10 variant surface glycoprotein was required to generate resistant (R) clones. In addition, in this strain transcription of a gene termed SRA was detected in R clones only. We show that the ETat 1.10 expression site is the one selectively transcribed in R variants. This expression site contains SRA as an expression site-associated gene (ESAG) and is characterized by the deletion of several ESAGs. Transfection of SRA into T.b. brucei was sufficient to confer resistance to human serum, identifying this gene as one of those responsible for T.b. rhodesiense adaptation to humans.

摘要

罗德西亚布氏锥虫对人类的感染性归因于其对人血清中一种裂解因子的抗性。在ETat 1菌株中，这一特性与抗原变异相关，因为产生抗性（R）克隆需要表达ETat 1.10变异表面糖蛋白。此外，在该菌株中，仅在R克隆中检测到一个名为SRA的基因的转录。我们表明，ETat 1.10表达位点是在R变异体中选择性转录的位点。该表达位点包含SRA作为一个表达位点相关基因（ESAG），其特征是几个ESAG的缺失。将SRA转染到布氏锥虫中足以赋予对人血清的抗性，确定该基因为负责罗德西亚布氏锥虫适应人类的基因之一。