title: Functional analysis of the 5' untranslated region of the phosphoglutamase 2 transcript in Plasmodium falciparum.
abstract: Plasmodium falciparum transcripts contain long untranslated regions (UTR), with some of the longest in any eukaryote that uses monocistronic transcription. Owing to the extreme AT nucleotide bias within the intergenic regions that encode these UTR, attempts to characterise how they are apportioned over genes and to describe their contribution to the absolute and temporal control of gene expression have been limited. Here we describe a study using a typical house-keeping gene that encodes phosphoglutamase 2 (PFD0660w), whose expression is subject to developmentally linked control during intraerythrocytic development. We show that deletion of a significant proportion (80%) of the predicted 5' UTR has no apparent effect on the developmentally linked expression of a luciferase reporter cassette. Further, serial deletions reveal that whilst the absolute level of transcription is unaffected when up to 50% of the predicted 5' UTR is removed, the subsequent efficiency of translation is affected. These data provide key insights into the interplay of transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms in the control of gene expression in this important human pathogen.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hasenkamp
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Imran
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ullah
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Horrocks
mesh_terms: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000502:physiology; D010736:Phosphoglycerate Mutase / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016053:RNA, Protozoan; D010736:Phosphoglycerate Mutase