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Post-transcriptional control of tubulin biosynthesis during leishmanial differentiation

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Abstract

Controls of gene expression can occur at different levels during cell differentiation. Using an in vitro culture system1, we have studied protein biosynthesis during the differentiation of a parasitic protozoan, Leishmania mexicana. There are two developmental stages in the life cycle of this and similar parasites: motile extracellular promastigotes in the sandfly gut and non-motile intracellular amastigotes in the mammalian macrophages. Intracellular parasitism by the latter results in human leishmaniases, diseases still widespread in many parts of the world2. During leishmanial differentiation from one stage to the other, we observed changes in tubulin biosynthesis, concomitant with the morphological changes of these parasites in the length of their flagella and subpellicular microtubules3. With few exceptions4,5 tubulin biosynthesis is known to be under transcriptional control in other eukaryotic systems6–12. Here we have examined the protein synthesis during leishmanial differentiation in in vitro translation systems using total cellular poly(A)+ RNA from amastigotes and promastigotes. Contrary to our expectations, the results indicate a post-transcriptional control for the tubulin biosynthesis during leishmanial differentiation in our host–parasite culture system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, 10021, USA

    Michael Wallach, Dunne Fong & Kwang-Poo Chang

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  1. Michael Wallach
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  2. Dunne Fong
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  3. Kwang-Poo Chang
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Wallach, M., Fong, D. & Chang, KP. Post-transcriptional control of tubulin biosynthesis during leishmanial differentiation. Nature 299, 650–652 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/299650a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/299650a0

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