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Science 4 August 2006:
Vol. 313. no. 5787, pp. 667 - 669
DOI: 10.1126/science.1125129
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Reports

Regulation of Sexual Development of Plasmodium by Translational Repression

Gunnar R. Mair,1 Joanna A. M. Braks,1 Lindsey S. Garver,2 Joop C. A. G. Wiegant,3 Neil Hall,4 Roeland W. Dirks,3 Shahid M. Khan,1 George Dimopoulos,2 Chris J. Janse,1 Andrew P. Waters1*

Translational repression of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) plays an important role in sexual differentiation and gametogenesis in multicellular eukaryotes. Translational repression and mRNA turnover were shown to influence stage-specific gene expression in the protozoan Plasmodium. The DDX6-class RNA helicase, DOZI (development of zygote inhibited), is found in a complex with mRNA species in cytoplasmic bodies of female, blood-stage gametocytes. These translationally repressed complexes are normally stored for translation after fertilization. Genetic disruption of pbdozi inhibits the formation of the ribonucleoprotein complexes, and instead, at least 370 transcripts are diverted to a degradation pathway.

1 Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Centre, 2333 ZA Leiden, Netherlands.
2 Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
3 Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Leiden University Medical Centre, 2333 ZA Leiden, Netherlands.
4 The Institute for Genomic Research, 9712 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: waters{at}lumc.nl

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)