Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
08:26
Nucleofection and In Vivo Propagation of Chicken Eimeria Parasites
Published on: February 14, 2020
Eimeria tenella: cloning and characterization of telomerase reverse transcriptase gene
Guilian Yang1, Jianhua Li, Xichen Zhang
1College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, 5333 Xi'an Road, Changchun 130062, China.
Experimental Parasitology
|December 26, 2009
Summary
Researchers cloned and characterized the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) from Eimeria tenella. This TERT is expressed in active parasite stages, correlating with telomerase activity crucial for chromosome stability.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Parasitology
- Genetics
Background:
- Telomerase maintains telomere length and chromosome stability in eukaryotes.
- The telomerase complex comprises telomerase RNA and the catalytic telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) protein.
Purpose of the Study:
- To clone, sequence, and characterize the TERT catalytic subunit from Eimeria tenella.
- To investigate the expression patterns and activity of E. tenella TERT.
Main Methods:
- Cloning and sequencing of E. tenella TERT cDNA.
- Bioinformatic analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence for conserved motifs.
- RT-PCR to analyze TERT mRNA expression.
- TRAP assay to detect telomerase activity.
Main Results:
- The E. tenella TERT gene encodes a 1497-amino acid protein with conserved TERT motifs.
- TERT mRNA is expressed in sporozoites and merozoites but not in unsporulated oocysts.
- Telomerase activity is detected in sporozoites and merozoites, correlating with TERT expression.
Conclusions:
- The E. tenella TERT subunit possesses conserved structural features of TERT proteins.
- E. tenella TERT expression and activity are stage-specific, occurring during invasive parasite phases.
