Publication Type Journal Article
Title DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF EXPRESSION OF BETA-TUBULIN GENES IN TETRAHYMENA-PYRIFORMIS DURING RECILIATION
Authors M. H. A. Soares L Cyrne I BARAHONA C RodriguesPousada
Groups
Journal EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY
Year 1991
Month April
Volume 197
Number 2
Pages 291-299
Abstract The ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis contains one alpha-tubulin (alpha-TT) and two beta-tubulin (beta-TT1 and beta-TT2) genes. The specific expression of these genes was investigated by Northern blot hybridization using oligonucleotide probes complementary to beta-TT1 and beta-TT2 genes and the coding region of the alpha-tubulin gene. The three genes are expressed producing 1.8-kb mRNAs but the level of beta-TT1 mRNA is much higher than that of beta-TT2 mRNA. During cilia regeneration, we found that the expression patterns of the alpha-TT and beta-TT1 genes are similar whereas that of the beta-TT2 gene is different. The alpha-TT and beta-TT1 transcripts reached higher values between 60-120 min after the onset of reciliation than in exponentially growing cells, while beta-TT2 transcripts were maintained at low levels during the whole period. The differences in the amounts of steady-state populations of the both beta-tubulin mRNAs do not correspond to the copy number per haploid genome. These differences could result from the fact that the promoter region of beta-TT2 may contain highly structured sequences which would affect the binding of the respective trans-acting factor(s). The apparent transcription rate revealed a significant increase at 15 min of reciliation which could be responsible for the high levels of alpha-TT and beta-TT1 transcripts in the cytoplasm between 60-120 min of reciliation. This coordinated response to cilia regeneration of the alpha-TT and beta-TT1 tubulin genes is also a relevant aspect of our findings. Several conserved motifs found in their promoter regions led us to think that some of them may function as cis-elements in the specific binding of nuclear protein factor(s).
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1432-1033.1991.tb15910.x
ISBN
Publisher
Book Title
ISSN 0014-2956
EISSN
Conference Name
Bibtex ID ISI:A1991FJ39300002
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