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[摘要]：The mitochondrial genome of trypanosomes is composed of thousands of topologically interlocked circular DNA molecules that form the kinetoplast DNA (kDNA). Most genes encoded by the kDNA require a posttranscriptional modification process called RNA editing to form functional mRNAs. Here, we show that alternative editing of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase III (COXIII) mRNA in Trypanosoma brucei produces a novel DNA binding protein, alternatively edited protein 1 (AEP-1). AEP-1 localizes to the region of the cell between the kDNA and the flagellum and purifies with the tripartite attachment complex, a structure believed to physically link the kDNA and flagellar basal bodies. Expression of the DNA binding domain of AEP-1 results in aberrant kDNA structure and reduced cell growth, indicating that AEP-1 is involved in the maintenance of the kDNA. Perhaps most important, our studies show a gain of function through an alternatively edited mRNA and, for the first time, provide a link between the unusual structure of the kDNA and RNA editing in trypanosome mitochondria. |
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