title: Sequences involved in mRNA processing in Trypanosoma cruzi.
abstract: Gene expression in Trypanosomatids requires processing of polycistronic transcripts to generate monocistronic mRNAs by cleavage events that are coupled to the addition of a Spliced Leader sequence (SL) at the 5'-end and a poly(A) tail at the 3'-end of each mRNA. Here we investigate the sequence requirements involved in Trypanosoma cruzi mRNA processing by mapping all available expressed sequence tags and cDNAs containing poly(A) tail and/or SL to genomic intergenic regions. Amongst other parameters, we determined that the median lengths of 5' untranslated region (UTR) and 3'UTR sequences are 35 and 264 nucleotides, respectively; and that the median distance between SL addition sites and a polypyrimidine motif is 18 nucleotides, whereas the median distance between poly(A) addition sites and the closest polypyrimidine-rich sequence is 40 nucleotides.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, ICB, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Priscila C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Daniella C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Bartholomeu
authors.forename: Wanderson D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: DaRocha
authors.forename: Gustavo C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Cerqueira
authors.forename: Santuza M R
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Teixeira
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D011061:Poly A / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D020038:RNA, Spliced Leader / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020040:Trans-Splicing; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D020038:RNA, Spliced Leader; D011061:Poly A