Skip to main content
Molecular and Cellular Biology logoLink to Molecular and Cellular Biology
. 1985 Nov;5(11):3041–3047. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.11.3041

Diverse patterns of expression of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene and unassigned reading frames 4 and 5 during the life cycle of Trypanosoma brucei.

D P Jasmer, J E Feagin, K Stuart
PMCID: PMC369117  PMID: 2427925

Abstract

Transcription of a maxicircle segment from Trypanosoma brucei 164 that contains nucleotide (nt) sequences corresponding to cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and unassigned reading frames (URFs) 4 and 5 of other mitochondrial systems was investigated. Two major transcripts that differ in size by ca. 200 nt map to each of the COI and URF4 genes, while a single major transcript maps to URF5. In total RNA, the larger COI transcript is more abundant in procyclic forms (PFs) than in bloodstream forms (BFs), the smaller COI and both URF4 transcripts have similar abundances in both forms, and the single URF5 transcript is more abundant in BF than PF. These patterns of expression differ in poly(A)+ RNA as a result of a higher proportion of poly(A)+ mitochondrial transcripts in PFs than in BFs. In addition, small (300- to 500-nt) RNAs that are transcribed from C-rich sequences located between putative protein-coding genes also exhibit diverse patterns of expression between life cycle stages and differences in polyadenylation in PFs compared with BFs. These observations suggest that multiple processes regulate the differential expression of mitochondrial genes in T. brucei.

Full text

PDF
3042

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alt F. W., Bothwell A. L., Knapp M., Siden E., Mather E., Koshland M., Baltimore D. Synthesis of secreted and membrane-bound immunoglobulin mu heavy chains is directed by mRNAs that differ at their 3' ends. Cell. 1980 Jun;20(2):293–301. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(80)90615-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Benne R., De Vries B. F., Van den Burg J., Klaver B. The nucleotide sequence of a segment of Trypanosoma brucei mitochondrial maxi-circle DNA that contains the gene for apocytochrome b and some unusual unassigned reading frames. Nucleic Acids Res. 1983 Oct 25;11(20):6925–6941. doi: 10.1093/nar/11.20.6925. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Borst P., Hoeijmakers J. H. Kinetoplast DNA. Plasmid. 1979 Jan;2(1):20–40. doi: 10.1016/0147-619x(79)90003-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Carlson M., Botstein D. Two differentially regulated mRNAs with different 5' ends encode secreted with intracellular forms of yeast invertase. Cell. 1982 Jan;28(1):145–154. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90384-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chomyn A., Mariottini P., Cleeter M. W., Ragan C. I., Matsuno-Yagi A., Hatefi Y., Doolittle R. F., Attardi G. Six unidentified reading frames of human mitochondrial DNA encode components of the respiratory-chain NADH dehydrogenase. Nature. 1985 Apr 18;314(6012):592–597. doi: 10.1038/314592a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Clayton D. A. Transcription of the mammalian mitochondrial genome. Annu Rev Biochem. 1984;53:573–594. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.53.070184.003041. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Crossland L. D., Rodermel S. R., Bogorad L. Single gene for the large subunit of ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase in maize yields two differentially regulated mRNAs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Jul;81(13):4060–4064. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.13.4060. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. De Lange T., Michels P. A., Veerman H. J., Cornelissen A. W., Borst P. Many trypanosome messenger RNAs share a common 5' terminal sequence. Nucleic Acids Res. 1984 May 11;12(9):3777–3790. doi: 10.1093/nar/12.9.3777. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Early P., Rogers J., Davis M., Calame K., Bond M., Wall R., Hood L. Two mRNAs can be produced from a single immunoglobulin mu gene by alternative RNA processing pathways. Cell. 1980 Jun;20(2):313–319. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(80)90617-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Englund P. T., Hajduk S. L., Marini J. C. The molecular biology of trypanosomes. Annu Rev Biochem. 1982;51:695–726. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.51.070182.003403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Eperon I. C., Janssen J. W., Hoeijmakers J. H., Borst P. The major transcripts of the kinetoplast DNA of Trypanosoma brucei are very small ribosomal RNAs. Nucleic Acids Res. 1983 Jan 11;11(1):105–125. doi: 10.1093/nar/11.1.105. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Feagin J. E., Jasmer D. P., Stuart K. Apocytochrome b and other mitochondrial DNA sequences are differentially expressed during the life cycle of Trypanosoma brucei. Nucleic Acids Res. 1985 Jun 25;13(12):4577–4596. doi: 10.1093/nar/13.12.4577. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Feagin J. E., Stuart K. Differential expression of mitochondrial genes between life cycle stages of Trypanosoma brucei. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 May;82(10):3380–3384. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.10.3380. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hensgens L. A., Brakenhoff J., De Vries B. F., Sloof P., Tromp M. C., Van Boom J. H., Benne R. The sequence of the gene for cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, a frameshift containing gene for cytochrome c oxidase subunit II and seven unassigned reading frames in Trypanosoma brucei mitochondrial maxi-circle DNA. Nucleic Acids Res. 1984 Oct 11;12(19):7327–7344. doi: 10.1093/nar/12.19.7327. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Hoeijmakers J. H., Snijders A., Janssen J. W., Borst P. Transcription of kinetoplast DNA in Trypanosoma brucei bloodstream and culture forms. Plasmid. 1981 May;5(3):329–350. doi: 10.1016/0147-619x(81)90009-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Howe C. C., Lugg D. K., Overton G. C. Post-transcriptional regulation of the abundance of mRNAs encoding alpha-tubulin and a 94,000-dalton protein in teratocarcinoma-derived stem cells versus differentiated cells. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Nov;4(11):2428–2436. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.11.2428. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Jefferson D. M., Clayton D. F., Darnell J. E., Jr, Reid L. M. Posttranscriptional modulation of gene expression in cultured rat hepatocytes. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Sep;4(9):1929–1934. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.9.1929. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Johnson B. J., Hill G. C., Donelson J. E. The maxicircle of Trypanosoma brucei kinetoplast DNA encodes apocytochrome b. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 1984 Oct;13(2):135–146. doi: 10.1016/0166-6851(84)90108-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Kelly R., Kelly L. J., Ennis H. L. Dictyostelium discoideum mRNAs developmentally regulated during spore germination have short half-lives. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Jan;5(1):133–139. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.1.133. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Lehrach H., Diamond D., Wozney J. M., Boedtker H. RNA molecular weight determinations by gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions, a critical reexamination. Biochemistry. 1977 Oct 18;16(21):4743–4751. doi: 10.1021/bi00640a033. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Messing J. New M13 vectors for cloning. Methods Enzymol. 1983;101:20–78. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(83)01005-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Montoya J., Christianson T., Levens D., Rabinowitz M., Attardi G. Identification of initiation sites for heavy-strand and light-strand transcription in human mitochondrial DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Dec;79(23):7195–7199. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.23.7195. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Ojala D., Montoya J., Attardi G. tRNA punctuation model of RNA processing in human mitochondria. Nature. 1981 Apr 9;290(5806):470–474. doi: 10.1038/290470a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Parsons M., Nelson R. G., Watkins K. P., Agabian N. Trypanosome mRNAs share a common 5' spliced leader sequence. Cell. 1984 Aug;38(1):309–316. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90552-X. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Payne M., Rothwell V., Jasmer D. P., Feagin J. E., Stuart K. Identification of mitochondrial genes in Trypanosoma brucei and homology to cytochrome c oxidase II in two different reading frames. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 1985 May;15(2):159–170. doi: 10.1016/0166-6851(85)90117-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Rigby P. W., Dieckmann M., Rhodes C., Berg P. Labeling deoxyribonucleic acid to high specific activity in vitro by nick translation with DNA polymerase I. J Mol Biol. 1977 Jun 15;113(1):237–251. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(77)90052-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Ross J. A precursor of globin messenger RNA. J Mol Biol. 1976 Sep 15;106(2):403–420. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(76)90093-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Sanger F., Nicklen S., Coulson A. R. DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Dec;74(12):5463–5467. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.12.5463. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Stuart K. D., Gelvin S. B. Localization of kinetoplast DNA maxicircle transcripts in bloodstream and procyclic form Trypanosoma brucei. Mol Cell Biol. 1982 Jul;2(7):845–852. doi: 10.1128/mcb.2.7.845. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Stuart K. Kinetoplast DNA, mitochondrial DNA with a difference. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 1983 Oct;9(2):93–104. doi: 10.1016/0166-6851(83)90103-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Stuart K. Mitochondrial DNA of an African trypanosome. J Cell Biochem. 1983;23(1-4):13–26. doi: 10.1002/jcb.240230103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Thomas P. S. Hybridization of denatured RNA and small DNA fragments transferred to nitrocellulose. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Sep;77(9):5201–5205. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.9.5201. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Young R. A., Hagenbüchle O., Schibler U. A single mouse alpha-amylase gene specifies two different tissue-specific mRNAs. Cell. 1981 Feb;23(2):451–458. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90140-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. de la Cruz V. F., Neckelmann N., Simpson L. Sequences of six genes and several open reading frames in the kinetoplast maxicircle DNA of Leishmania tarentolae. J Biol Chem. 1984 Dec 25;259(24):15136–15147. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Molecular and Cellular Biology are provided here courtesy of Taylor & Francis

RESOURCES