Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/10356/61728
Title: | Characterization of transcription factors in plasmodium falciparum | Authors: | Luah, Yen Hoon | Keywords: | DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences | Issue Date: | 2014 | Source: | Luah, Y. H. (2014). Characterization of transcription factors in plasmodium falciparum. Doctoral thesis, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. | Abstract: | Malaria is an important human infectious disease affecting millions of people every year. Despite years of research, transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in Plasmodium are still poorly understood. The presence of a large number of zinc finger proteins amongst the potential specific transcription factors suggests the importance of these proteins. In this thesis, we characterized PF10_0083, a putative transcription factor that belongs to the CCCH type zinc finger family. Using over-expression and knock-out cell lines, we carried out molecular characterization of this protein. PF10_0083 protein level was found to peak during the schizont stage, and the peak protein levels coincided with its nuclear localization. PF10_0083 was found to be expressed in only a sub-population of schizonts. We demonstrated that the over-expression of PF10_0083 resulted in enhanced gametocyte production, while the knock-out of PF10_0083 caused decreased gametocyte production. In addition, we showed that PF10_0083 is capable of associating with DNA. We demonstrated that PF10_0083 preferentially binds to the IGRs on the genome, and that this binding positively correlated with the transcriptional up-regulation of the gametocyte genes. As such, we conclude that PF10_0083 promotes the differentiation of asexual parasites to sexual forms under stress conditions. | URI: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/61728 | DOI: | 10.32657/10356/61728 | Schools: | School of Biological Sciences | Fulltext Permission: | open | Fulltext Availability: | With Fulltext |
Appears in Collections: | SBS Theses |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Characterization of transcription factors in Plasmodium falciparum.pdf | 8.36 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
Page view(s) 20
684
Updated on Mar 18, 2024
Download(s) 20
318
Updated on Mar 18, 2024
Google ScholarTM
Check
Altmetric
Items in DR-NTU are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.