Biomaterial Database

Double-stranded RNA specific to adenosine kinase and hypoxanthine-xanthine-guanine-phosphoribosyltransferase retards growth of Toxoplasma gondii. 2009

Li Yu, and Yu-Feng Gao, and Xia Li, and Zeng-Pei Qiao, and Ji-Long Shen

Department of Pathogen biology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, People's Republic of China.

Adenosine kinase (AK) and hypoxanthine-xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HXGPRT) are the two key enzymes involved in the purine salvage pathway in Toxoplasma gondii. In this study, we targeted the genes encoding AK and HXGPRT in T. gondii for inhibition by exposing the parasites to the corresponding double stranded RNAs (dsRNAs). We report here that dsRNAs targeting both AK and HXGPRT were effective at eliciting suppression of the corresponding gene in cultured tachyzoites. When both of these genes were targeted by dsRNA simultaneously, the average doubling for the dsRNA-treated parasites at 24 h, 30 h, and 42 h was 1.85, 2.62, and 4.27, respectively, significantly lower than that of mock-treated parasites. The data show that transfection of dsRNAs into cells can efficiently regulate gene expression in T. gondii. Application of dsRNA to disrupt gene expression in T. gondii would be useful for elucidating gene function as a step towards the development of therapeutic reagents.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010430	Pentosyltransferases	Enzymes of the transferase class that catalyze the transfer of a pentose group from one compound to another.
D000248	Adenosine Kinase	An enzyme that catalyzes the formation of ADP plus AMP from adenosine plus ATP. It can serve as a salvage mechanism for returning adenosine to nucleic acids. EC 2.7.1.20.	Kinase, Adenosine
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000981	Antiprotozoal Agents	Substances that are destructive to protozoans.	Schizonticides,Agents, Antiprotozoal
D012330	RNA, Double-Stranded	RNA consisting of two strands as opposed to the more prevalent single-stranded RNA. Most of the double-stranded segments are formed from transcription of DNA by intramolecular base-pairing of inverted complementary sequences separated by a single-stranded loop. Some double-stranded segments of RNA are normal in all organisms.	Double-Stranded RNA,Double Stranded RNA,RNA, Double Stranded
D014122	Toxoplasma	A genus of protozoa parasitic to birds and mammals. T. gondii is one of the most common infectious pathogenic animal parasites of man.	Toxoplasma gondii,Toxoplasma gondius,Toxoplasmas,gondius, Toxoplasma
D015800	Protozoan Proteins	Proteins found in any species of protozoan.	Proteins, Protozoan
D034741	RNA, Small Interfering	Small double-stranded, non-protein coding RNAs (21-31 nucleotides) involved in GENE SILENCING functions, especially RNA INTERFERENCE (RNAi). Endogenously, siRNAs are generated from dsRNAs (RNA, DOUBLE-STRANDED) by the same ribonuclease, Dicer, that generates miRNAs (MICRORNAS). The perfect match of the siRNAs' antisense strand to their target RNAs mediates RNAi by siRNA-guided RNA cleavage. siRNAs fall into different classes including trans-acting siRNA (tasiRNA), repeat-associated RNA (rasiRNA), small-scan RNA (scnRNA), and Piwi protein-interacting RNA (piRNA) and have different specific gene silencing functions.	RNA, Scan,Repeat-Associated siRNA,Scan RNA,Small Scan RNA,Trans-Acting siRNA,siRNA,siRNA, Repeat-Associated,siRNA, Trans-Acting,Short Hairpin RNA,Short Interfering RNA,Small Hairpin RNA,Small Interfering RNA,scnRNA,shRNA,tasiRNA,Hairpin RNA, Short,Hairpin RNA, Small,Interfering RNA, Short,Interfering RNA, Small,RNA, Short Hairpin,RNA, Short Interfering,RNA, Small Hairpin,RNA, Small Scan,Repeat Associated siRNA,Scan RNA, Small,Trans Acting siRNA,siRNA, Repeat Associated,siRNA, Trans Acting