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Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Detection of Trypanosoma brucei Variant Surface Glycoprotein Switching by Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting and Flow Cytometry
Published on: October 19, 2016
How do trypanosomes change gene expression in response to the environment?
Angela Schwede1, Susanne Kramer, Mark Carrington
1Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK.
Abstract:
All organisms are able to modulate gene expression in response to internal and external stimuli. Trypanosomes represent a group that diverged early during the radiation of eukaryotes and do not utilise regulated initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase II. Here, the mechanisms present in trypanosomes to alter gene expression in response to stress and change of host environment are discussed and contrasted with those operating in yeast and cultured mammalian cells.
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Transcription
Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence. Additionally, many other proteins and regulatory sequences are involved in the proper synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA). Regulation of transcription is responsible for the differentiation of all the different types of cells and often for the proper cellular response to environmental signals.
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