Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 7, 2025

Simple and Robust in vivo and in vitro Approach for Studying Virus Assembly
Published on: March 1, 2012
An assembly of nuclear bodies associates with the active VSG expression site in African trypanosomes
James Budzak1, Robert Jones1, Christian Tschudi2
1Department of Life Sciences, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
Abstract:
A Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG) coat protects bloodstream form Trypanosoma brucei. Prodigious amounts of VSG mRNA (~7-10% total) are generated from a single RNA polymerase I (Pol I) transcribed VSG expression site (ES), necessitating extremely high levels of localised splicing. We show that splicing is required for processive ES transcription, and describe novel ES-associated T. brucei nuclear bodies. In bloodstream form trypanosomes, the expression site body (ESB), spliced leader array body (SLAB), NUFIP body and Cajal bodies all frequently associate with the active ES. This assembly of nuclear bodies appears to facilitate the extraordinarily high levels of transcription and splicing at the active ES. In procyclic form trypanosomes, the NUFIP body and SLAB do not appear to interact with the Pol I transcribed procyclin locus. The congregation of a restricted number of nuclear bodies at a single active ES, provides an attractive mechanism for how monoallelic ES transcription is mediated.
Related Concept Videos
Coat Assembly and GTPases
Coat assembly depends on the local availability of phosphatidylinositol phosphates or PIPs and GTP-binding proteins. Adaptor proteins, which link the coat proteins to the membrane, bind to these PIPs and play a crucial role in controlling...
Intralumenal Vesicles and Multivesicular Bodies
Additional Subnuclear Structures
The nucleus contains many membrane-less subnuclear organelles or nuclear bodies, such as nucleoli, Cajal bodies, speckles,...
Protein Complex Assembly
Many viruses self-assemble into a fully functional unit using the infected host cell to...
Cytoskeletal Accessory Proteins
Assembly of Complex Microtubule Structures

