title: The trypanosome leucine repeat gene in the variant surface glycoprotein expression site encodes a putative metal-binding domain and a region resembling protein-binding domains of yeast, Drosophila, and mammalian proteins.
abstract: We have identified a new variant surface glycoprotein expression site-associated gene (ESAG) in Trypanosoma brucei, the trypanosome leucine repeat (T-LR) gene. Like most other ESAGs, it is expressed in a life cycle stage-specific manner. The N-terminal 20% of the predicted T-LR protein resembles the metal-binding domains of nucleic acid-binding proteins. The remainder is composed of leucine-rich repeats that are characteristic of protein-binding domains found in a variety of other eucaryote proteins. This is the first report of leucine-rich repeats and potential nucleic acid-binding domains on the same protein. The T-LR gene is adjacent to ESAG 4, which has homology to the catalytic domain of adenylate cyclase. This is intriguing, since yeast adenylate cyclase has a leucine-rich repeat regulatory domain. The leucine-rich repeat and putative metal-binding domains suggest a possible regulatory role that may involve adenylate cyclase activity or nucleic acid binding.
authors: Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, Washington 98109-1651.
authors: B L
authors: BL
authors: Smiley
authors: A W
authors: AW
authors: Stadnyk
authors: P J
authors: PJ
authors: Myler
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Stuart
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D005796:Genes; D007930:Leucine; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014346:Trypanosoma brucei brucei / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D014643:Variant Surface Glycoproteins, Trypanosoma / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D014643:Variant Surface Glycoproteins, Trypanosoma; D007930:Leucine