title: Gene amplification in Leishmania tarentolae selected for resistance to sodium stibogluconate.
abstract: Leishmania tarentolae promastigotes were selected step by step for resistance to sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam). Mutants resistant to antimony-containing drugs and cross-resistant to arsenite were therefore obtained. Amplification of one common locus was observed in several independent sodium stibogluconate-resistant mutants, and the locus amplified was novel. The copy number of the amplified locus was related to the level of resistance to pentavalent antimony. The gene responsible for antimony resistance was isolated by transfection and was shown to correspond to an open reading frame coding for 770 amino acids. The putative gene product did not exhibit significant homology with sequences present in data banks, and the putative role of this protein in antimony resistance is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie du CHUL, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haimeur
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ouellette
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000967:Antimony Sodium Gluconate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004351:Drug Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D005784:Gene Amplification; D007891:Leishmania / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; C114618:OrfSbV protein, Leishmania tarentolae; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D000967:Antimony Sodium Gluconate