Antigenic variation in Trypanosoma brucei: facts, challenges and mysteries.
Antigenic variation allows African trypanosomes to develop chronic infections in mammalian hosts. This process results from the alternative occurrence of transcriptional switching and DNA recombination targeted to a telomeric locus that contains the gene of the variant antigen and is subjected to mono-allelic expression control. So far, the identification of mechanisms and factors involved still resists technological developments and genome sequencing.
Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, IBMM, Free University of Brussels, 12, rue des Professeurs Jeener et Brachet, B6041 Gosselies, Belgium. epays@ulb.ac.be
Etienne
E
Pays
Luc
L
Vanhamme
David
D
Pérez-Morga
D000818:Animals; D000940:Antigenic Variation; D014346:Trypanosoma brucei brucei / Q000235:genetics*; D014643:Variant Surface Glycoproteins, Trypanosoma / Q000235:genetics*
D014643:Variant Surface Glycoproteins, Trypanosoma