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Prohibitin, a putative negative control element present in Pneumocystis carinii
S Narasimhan1, M Armstrong, J K McClung
1Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.
Infection and Immunity
|December 11, 1997
Summary
Researchers identified the Pneumocystis carinii prohibitin gene, which regulates cell proliferation in mammals. This gene
Area of Science:
- Molecular biology
- Mycology
- Cell biology
Background:
- The regulation of Pneumocystis carinii replication and development is poorly understood.
- Prohibitin proteins in mammals are known to negatively regulate cell proliferation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify molecules involved in Pneumocystis carinii proliferation and development.
- To characterize the Pneumocystis carinii prohibitin gene and its function.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of a P. carinii cDNA clone encoding the prohibitin gene.
- Sequence homology analysis to identify the gene.
- Southern and Western blot analyses to confirm origin and expression.
- In vivo expression in human fibroblasts to assess cell cycle effects.
Main Results:
- A P. carinii gene encoding the prohibitin protein was identified.
- The gene was confirmed to be of P. carinii origin and expressed in vivo.
- Expression of P. carinii prohibitin in human fibroblasts arrested the cell cycle in the G1 phase.
Conclusions:
- Pneumocystis carinii prohibitin plays a potential role in regulating the organism's proliferation and development.
- This finding provides a molecular target for understanding P. carinii biology.