Publication details
Unusual diversity in a-amanitin sensitivity of RNA polymerases in trichomonads.
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2001 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Microbiology, virology |
| Keywords | Trichomonads; RNA-dependent RNA polymerase; RNAP; amanitin |
| Description | Previous studies in the parasitic protist Trichomonas vaginalis have revealed that protein coding genes are transcribed by an alpha-amanitin-resistant RNA polymerase (RNAP) II. To investigate whether this unusual property is a general characteristic of trichomonads, we addressed the physiology of RNA synthesis in lysolecithin-permeabilized cells. Unlike in T. vaginalis, RNAP II in Tritrichomonas foetus was highly sensitive to the inhibitor alpha-amanitin. On the other hand, RNAP III, identified by its sensitivity to the specific inhibitor tagetitoxin, was found to be resistant to alpha-amanitin in Tritrichomonas foetus, but showed a typical intermediate sensitivity in T. vaginalis. Extension of this study to an additional seven trichomonad species confirmed this genera specific pattern of alpha-amanitin sensitivity and highlighted an unusual diversity in RNAPs among trichomonads, a closely related group of unicellular eukaryotes. |