Changing the end: antigenic variation orchestrated at the telomeres of African trypanosomes.
African trypanosomes express the gene encoding their variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) surface coat from one of many telomeric expression sites. This genomic location at chromosome ends not only allows easy exchange of VSG gene cassettes using various mechanisms of DNA recombination but also appears to play a role in VSG gene expression site control.
Rudenko
G
G
Dept of Molecular Biology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. gloriar@nki.nl
Cross
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M
Borst
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D000818:Animals; D000940:Antigenic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D017125:Genes, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics*; D016615:Telomere / Q000276:immunology*; D014346:Trypanosoma brucei brucei / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D014643:Variant Surface Glycoproteins, Trypanosoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
D014643:Variant Surface Glycoproteins, Trypanosoma