Journal article
Plasmodium falciparum heterochromatin protein 1 marks genomic loci linked to phenotypic variation of exported virulence factors
C Flueck, R Bartfai, J Volz, I Niederwieser, AM Salcedo-Amaya, BTF Alako, F Ehlgen, SA Ralph, AF Cowman, Z Bozdech, HG Stunnenberg, TS Voss
Plos Pathogens | PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE | Published : 2009
Abstract
Epigenetic processes are the main conductors of phenotypic variation in eukaryotes. The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum employs antigenic variation of the major surface antigen PfEMP1, encoded by 60 var genes, to evade acquired immune responses. Antigenic variation of PfEMP1 occurs through in situ switches in mono-allelic var gene transcription, which is PfSIR2-dependent and associated with the presence of repressive H3K9me3 marks at silenced loci. Here, we show that P. falciparum heterochromatin protein 1 (PfHP1) binds specifically to H3K9me3 but not to other repressive histone methyl marks. Based on nuclear fractionation and detailed immuno-localization assays, PfHP1 constitutes a m..
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Awarded by Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research
Awarded by European Commission
Awarded by Swiss National Science Foundation
Funding Acknowledgements
JV received support from the Human Frontiers Science Program (www.hsfp.org). Work in the Stunnenberg lab was supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO-CW-TOP700.53.311 and NWO-Genomics 050-10-053; www.nwo.nl) and the European Commission (BioMalPar LSHP-CT2004-503578; www.biomalpar.org). Parts of this work was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (www.nhmrc.gov.au). TSV is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (PP00A-110835;www.snf.ch). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.