PfSETvs methylation of histone H3K36 represses virulence genes in Plasmodium falciparum
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Standard
PfSETvs methylation of histone H3K36 represses virulence genes in Plasmodium falciparum. / Jiang, Lubin; Mu, Jianbing; Zhang, Qingfeng; Ni, Ting; Srinivasan, Prakash; Rayavara, Kempaiah; Yang, Wenjing; Turner, Louise; Lavstsen, Thomas; Theander, Thor G; Peng, Weiqun; Wei, Guiying; Jing, Qingqing; Wakabayashi, Yoshiyuki; Bansal, Abhisheka; Luo, Yan; Ribeiro, José M C; Scherf, Artur; Aravind, L; Zhu, Jun; Zhao, Keji; Miller, Louis H.
In: Nature, Vol. 499, No. 7457, 11.07.2013, p. 223-7.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Harvard
APA
Vancouver
Author
Bibtex
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - PfSETvs methylation of histone H3K36 represses virulence genes in Plasmodium falciparum
AU - Jiang, Lubin
AU - Mu, Jianbing
AU - Zhang, Qingfeng
AU - Ni, Ting
AU - Srinivasan, Prakash
AU - Rayavara, Kempaiah
AU - Yang, Wenjing
AU - Turner, Louise
AU - Lavstsen, Thomas
AU - Theander, Thor G
AU - Peng, Weiqun
AU - Wei, Guiying
AU - Jing, Qingqing
AU - Wakabayashi, Yoshiyuki
AU - Bansal, Abhisheka
AU - Luo, Yan
AU - Ribeiro, José M C
AU - Scherf, Artur
AU - Aravind, L
AU - Zhu, Jun
AU - Zhao, Keji
AU - Miller, Louis H
PY - 2013/7/11
Y1 - 2013/7/11
N2 - The variant antigen Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1), which is expressed on the surface of P. falciparum-infected red blood cells, is a critical virulence factor for malaria. Each parasite has 60 antigenically distinct var genes that each code for a different PfEMP1 protein. During infection the clonal parasite population expresses only one gene at a time before switching to the expression of a new variant antigen as an immune-evasion mechanism to avoid the host antibody response. The mechanism by which 59 of the 60 var genes are silenced remains largely unknown. Here we show that knocking out the P. falciparum variant-silencing SET gene (here termed PfSETvs), which encodes an orthologue of Drosophila melanogaster ASH1 and controls histone H3 lysine 36 trimethylation (H3K36me3) on var genes, results in the transcription of virtually all var genes in the single parasite nuclei and their expression as proteins on the surface of individual infected red blood cells. PfSETvs-dependent H3K36me3 is present along the entire gene body, including the transcription start site, to silence var genes. With low occupancy of PfSETvs at both the transcription start site of var genes and the intronic promoter, expression of var genes coincides with transcription of their corresponding antisense long noncoding RNA. These results uncover a previously unknown role of PfSETvs-dependent H3K36me3 in silencing var genes in P. falciparum that might provide a general mechanism by which orthologues of PfSETvs repress gene expression in other eukaryotes. PfSETvs knockout parasites expressing all PfEMP1 proteins may also be applied to the development of a malaria vaccine.
AB - The variant antigen Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1), which is expressed on the surface of P. falciparum-infected red blood cells, is a critical virulence factor for malaria. Each parasite has 60 antigenically distinct var genes that each code for a different PfEMP1 protein. During infection the clonal parasite population expresses only one gene at a time before switching to the expression of a new variant antigen as an immune-evasion mechanism to avoid the host antibody response. The mechanism by which 59 of the 60 var genes are silenced remains largely unknown. Here we show that knocking out the P. falciparum variant-silencing SET gene (here termed PfSETvs), which encodes an orthologue of Drosophila melanogaster ASH1 and controls histone H3 lysine 36 trimethylation (H3K36me3) on var genes, results in the transcription of virtually all var genes in the single parasite nuclei and their expression as proteins on the surface of individual infected red blood cells. PfSETvs-dependent H3K36me3 is present along the entire gene body, including the transcription start site, to silence var genes. With low occupancy of PfSETvs at both the transcription start site of var genes and the intronic promoter, expression of var genes coincides with transcription of their corresponding antisense long noncoding RNA. These results uncover a previously unknown role of PfSETvs-dependent H3K36me3 in silencing var genes in P. falciparum that might provide a general mechanism by which orthologues of PfSETvs repress gene expression in other eukaryotes. PfSETvs knockout parasites expressing all PfEMP1 proteins may also be applied to the development of a malaria vaccine.
U2 - 10.1038/nature12361
DO - 10.1038/nature12361
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 23823717
VL - 499
SP - 223
EP - 227
JO - Nature
JF - Nature
SN - 0028-0836
IS - 7457
ER -
ID: 47448957