title: Leishmania major: organization and conservation of genes encoding repetitive peptides and subcellular localization of the corresponding proteins.
abstract: Proteins containing tandemly repeating peptide sequences are characteristic of several parasite antigens. Previously it was reported that Leishmania major contain two genes, Lm20 and Lm39, consisting of two unrelated repeat sequences of 42 and 30 base pairs (bp), respectively. In present study L. major was shown to contain two genes that contained the Lm20 42-BP repeat sequence and that the 42-BP repeat sequence was highly conserved among both Old and New World Leishmania species. The two L. major genes varied in the number of 42-BP tandem repeat sequences with Lm20.1 containing over 100 repeat units while Lm20.2 contained only 8 repeat units. Furthermore, these two L. major genes were distinct with respect to the nonrepetitive sequence. The unrelated Lm39 30 BP tandem repeat was also shown to be highly conserved among Leishmania species. The subcellular localization of the proteins encoded by Lm20 42-BP repeat and the Lm39 30-BP repeat were determined by immunoelectron microscopy. Antibodies raised against synthetic peptides corresponding to the Lm39 30-BP repeat sequence reacted with proteins that localized to the endoplasmic reticulum and membraneous structures within the promastigote cytoplasm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Wallis
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: McMaster
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry*; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D016053:RNA, Protozoan