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Nucleic Acids Research, 2001, Vol. 29, No. 22 e115
© 2001 Oxford University Press

Modulation of myosin A expression by a newly established tetracycline repressor-based inducible system in Toxoplasma gondii

Markus Meissner, Susan Brecht, Hermann Bujard and Dominique Soldati*

Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, 69102 Heidelberg, Germany

We have developed a control system for regulating gene activation in Toxoplasma gondii. The elements of this system are derived from the Escherichia coli tetracycline resistance operon, which has been widely used to tightly control gene expression in eukaryotes. The tetracycline repressor (tetR) interferes with transcription initiation while the chimeric transactivator, composed of the tetR fused to the activating domain of VP16 transcriptional factor, allows tet-dependent transcription. Accordingly, tetracycline derivatives such as anhydrotetracycline, which we found to be well tolerated by T.gondii, can serve as effector molecules, allowing control of gene expression in a reversible manner. As a prerequisite to functionally express the tetR in T.gondii, we used a synthetic gene with change of codon frequency. Whereas no activation of transcription was achieved using the synthetic tetracycline-controlled transactivator, tTA2s, the TetRs modulates parasite transcription over a range of ~15-fold as measured for several reporter genes. We show here that the tetR-dependent induction of the T.gondii myosin A transgene expression drastically down-regulates the level of endogenous MyoA. This myosin is under the control of a tight feedback mechanism, which occurs at the protein level.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed at present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Imperial College Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK. Tel: +44 20 7594 5342; Fax: +44 20 7584 2056; Email: d.soldati{at}ic.ac.uk


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