title: Genes encoding the major surface glycoprotein in Leishmania are tandemly linked at a single chromosomal locus and are constitutively transcribed.
abstract: The major surface glycoprotein of Leishmania, gp63, is encoded by a small multi-gene family of tandemly linked genes which map to a single chromosome. For Leishmania major, there are five 3.1 kilobasepair (kb) direct repeat units which include a 1.8-kb open reading frame and a 1.3-kb intergenic or spacer region. In addition, there is a single gene copy linked as a direct repeat but separated from the tandem array of gp63 genes by about 8 kb. The restriction enzyme map of the repeat unit is highly conserved among the gene copies. The regions which flank the tandemly repeated genes diverge outside of the 3.1-kb repeat unit. Transcription of the gp63 gene locus is constitutive as the 3-kb transcript was present in promastigotes as well as in amastigotes. A minor 6-kb gp63 gene transcript was also detected in Northern blot analysis which could signify the transcription of the genes as a polycistronic or multigene precursor RNA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Button
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Medina-Acosta
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Karess
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: McMaster
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D015342:DNA Probes; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D007891:Leishmania / Q000235:genetics*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005810:Multigene Family; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins