Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38802937›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2024

Size-dependent enhancement of gene expression by Plasmodium 5'UTR introns.

Lirong Lin, Yanjing Liu, Rui Liang, Yue Guo, Ruixue Xu, Ruoxi Fan, Zhiwei Jiao, Wenting Zhao, Lixia Yue, Mingke Lu and 3 more

Abstract readLetter
In one paragraph

Article in Parasites & vectors, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Lirong Lin *State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.
Yanjing Liu *State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.
Rui Liang *State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.
Yue GuoSchool of Medicine, Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, Zhejiang, China.
Ruixue XuState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.
Ruoxi FanState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.
Zhiwei JiaoState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.
Wenting ZhaoState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.
Lixia YueState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.
Mingke LuState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.
Shengfa LiuState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.
Xin-Zhuan SuLaboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA. xsu@niaid.nih.gov.
Jian LiState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China. jianli_204@xmu.edu.cn.

Funding

Malaria Parasite Sexual Development, Drug Resistance, and EvolutionZIAAI000892 · NIAID · NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES · PI SU, XINZHUAN · 2009 to 2025
$23.3M
National Natural Science Foundation of China 82072302Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China 2022J01028the National Parasitic Resources Center/the Ministry of Science and Technology Fund NPRC-2019-194-30
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEukaryotic genes contain introns that are removed by the spliceosomal machinery during mRNA maturation. Introns impose a huge energetic burden on a cell; therefore, they must play an essential role in maintaining genome stability and/or regulating gene expression. Many genes (> 50%) in Plasmodium parasites contain predicted introns, including introns in 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTR). However, the roles of UTR introns in the gene expression of malaria parasites remain unknown.

methodsIn this study, an episomal dual-luciferase assay was developed to evaluate gene expression driven by promoters with or without a 5'UTR intron from four Plasmodium yoelii genes. To investigate the effect of the 5'UTR intron on endogenous gene expression, the pytctp gene was tagged with 3xHA at the N-terminal of the coding region, and parasites with or without the 5'UTR intron were generated using the CRISPR/Cas9 system.

resultsWe showed that promoters with 5'UTR introns had higher activities in driving gene expression than those without 5'UTR introns. The results were confirmed in recombinant parasites expressing an HA-tagged gene (pytctp) driven by promoter with or without 5'UTR intron. The enhancement of gene expression was intron size dependent, but not the DNA sequence, e.g. the longer the intron, the higher levels of expression. Similar results were observed when a promoter from one strain of P. yoelii was introduced into different parasite strains. Finally, the 5'UTR introns were alternatively spliced in different parasite development stages, suggesting an active mechanism employed by the parasites to regulate gene expression in various developmental stages.

conclusionsPlasmodium 5'UTR introns enhance gene expression in a size-dependent manner; the presence of alternatively spliced mRNAs in different parasite developmental stages suggests that alternative slicing of 5'UTR introns is one of the key mechanisms in regulating parasite gene expression and differentiation.

Indexed as

5' Untranslated RegionsIntronsPlasmodium yoeliiPromoter Regions, GeneticAnimalsCRISPR-Cas SystemsGene ExpressionGene Expression RegulationMice5' Untranslated RegionsCRISPR/Cas9Gene expression regulationLuciferase activityPlasmodium yoeliiUntranslated region

Identifiers

PMID38802937
PMCPMC11131223

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.