A greedy promoter controls malarial var-iations

Article Abstract:

Immune evasion by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is mediated by the mutually exclusive expression of a single member of the var family of genes, which encode variant surface antigens. A construct carrying a transcriptionally active var promoter is sufficient to promote allelic exclusion of the parasite's endogenous var gene.

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Methylglyoxal comes of age

Article Abstract:

The posttranslational modification of proteins by methylglyoxal, a highly reactive compound derived from glycolysis may contribute to aging, diabetes and other disorders. A specific mechanism is demonstrated by which methylglyoxal modifies a transcriptional corepressor to enhance gene expression.

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Salmonella's sensor for host defense molecules

Article Abstract:

The bacterial defense mechanism in the pathogen, Salmonella typhimurium, is discussed. The host cationic antimicrobial peptides switch on the PhoQ sensor kinase of Salmonella leading to changes in the gene expression that enables Salmonella to combat the host immune response.

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