       Document 0811
 DOCN  M9590811
 TI    Antigenic variation by positional control of major surface glycoprotein
       gene expression in Pneumocystis carinii.
 DT    9509
 AU    Wada M; Sunkin SM; Stringer JR; Nakamura Y; Department of Tumor Biology,
       University of Tokyo, Japan.
 SO    J Infect Dis. 1995 Jun;171(6):1563-8. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/95287050
 AB    Major cell surface glycoproteins (MSGs) of Pneumocystis carinii play a
       crucial role in host-parasite interactions during P. carinii
       pneumocystosis in AIDS patients. Genes encoding MSGs are repeated and
       dispersed throughout the genome and are highly polymorphic. MSG gene
       expression was found to be mediated by a DNA element that was termed the
       upstream conserved sequence (UCS). The UCS element maps to a single
       chromosome, is attached to expressed MSG genes, and encodes the sequence
       found at the 5' ends of most MSG mRNAs. The UCS is not highly repeated,
       but P. carinii populations contain many different MSG genes attached to
       the UCS, suggesting that different organisms in the population have
       different MSG genes attached to the UCS. Such genetic heterogeneity may
       be generated by recombination between MSG genes at the UCS locus and one
       or more of the dozens of MSG genes located elsewhere in the genome.
 DE    Animal  *Antigenic Variation  Antigens, Fungal/*GENETICS  Base Sequence
       Comparative Study  DNA Primers/CHEMISTRY  DNA, Complementary/GENETICS
       Fungal Proteins/*IMMUNOLOGY  Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal  Genes,
       Structural  Membrane Glycoproteins/*IMMUNOLOGY  Molecular Sequence Data
       Pneumocystis carinii/*GENETICS/IMMUNOLOGY  Rats  Rats, Nude  RNA,
       Messenger/GENETICS  Sequence Alignment  Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
       Support, Non-U.S. Gov't  Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

