Project Details
Description
Leishmania parasites are the causative agents of leishmaniasis, a
disease that affects large numbers of people over vast regions of
the globe. There are two principal stages in the life cycle of
these parasitic protozoa: promastigotes are slender, flagellated,
extracellular organisms that live in the gut of the sandfly vector,
while amastigotes are oval, non-flagellated, sessile, intracellular
parasites that are specifically adapted for growth and survival
within the mammalian host macrophages. Each of these two
stages of the life cycle expresses a subset of stage-specific genes
that confer a distinct phenotype upon that stage. The purpose of this proposal is to study the genes that encode
three previously identified stage-specific proteins. The RNAs
encoding two of these proteins are very abundant in the
promstigote stage but are absent in amastigotes; the RNA
encoding the third protein is abundant in amastigotes but absent
in promastigotes. We will clone the genes encoding these three
stage-specific proteins and use these cloned genes to: i)
understand the molecular mechanisms responsible for repressing
their expression in one life-cycle stage and inducing their
expression in the other stage, and ii) probe the function of each
stage-specific protein in the parasite life cycle. These studies on stage-specific gene expression will contribute to
two long-term objectives: i) to understand basic features of gene
expression and regulation in these parasites, phenomena which are
poorly understood at present; ii) to understand how these parasites
adapt to and survive within two different and potentially hostile
environments, the insect gut and the host macrophage.
disease that affects large numbers of people over vast regions of
the globe. There are two principal stages in the life cycle of
these parasitic protozoa: promastigotes are slender, flagellated,
extracellular organisms that live in the gut of the sandfly vector,
while amastigotes are oval, non-flagellated, sessile, intracellular
parasites that are specifically adapted for growth and survival
within the mammalian host macrophages. Each of these two
stages of the life cycle expresses a subset of stage-specific genes
that confer a distinct phenotype upon that stage. The purpose of this proposal is to study the genes that encode
three previously identified stage-specific proteins. The RNAs
encoding two of these proteins are very abundant in the
promstigote stage but are absent in amastigotes; the RNA
encoding the third protein is abundant in amastigotes but absent
in promastigotes. We will clone the genes encoding these three
stage-specific proteins and use these cloned genes to: i)
understand the molecular mechanisms responsible for repressing
their expression in one life-cycle stage and inducing their
expression in the other stage, and ii) probe the function of each
stage-specific protein in the parasite life cycle. These studies on stage-specific gene expression will contribute to
two long-term objectives: i) to understand basic features of gene
expression and regulation in these parasites, phenomena which are
poorly understood at present; ii) to understand how these parasites
adapt to and survive within two different and potentially hostile
environments, the insect gut and the host macrophage.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 9/1/88 → 5/31/12 |
Funding
- National Institutes of Health: $339,750.00
- National Institutes of Health: $137,689.00
- National Institutes of Health: $275,514.00
- National Institutes of Health: $305,775.00
- National Institutes of Health: $366,733.00
- National Institutes of Health: $193,046.00
- National Institutes of Health: $339,750.00
- National Institutes of Health: $366,733.00
- National Institutes of Health: $286,534.00
- National Institutes of Health: $383,541.00
- National Institutes of Health: $166,560.00
- National Institutes of Health: $136,797.00
- National Institutes of Health: $363,066.00
- National Institutes of Health: $339,750.00
- National Institutes of Health: $339,750.00
- National Institutes of Health: $373,734.00
ASJC
- Medicine(all)
- Immunology and Microbiology(all)
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