RP-Department of Community Health

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Browsing RP-Department of Community Health by Author "Bishop, R. P."

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    Differential transcription of two highly divergent gut-expressed Bm86 antigen gene homologues in the tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (Acari: Ixodida)
    (Insect Molecular Biology, 2011) Kamau, L. M.; Skilton, R. A.; Odongo, D.O.; Mwaura, S.; Githaka, N.; Kanduma, E.; Obura, M.; Orago, A. S.; Kabiru, Ephantus W.; Musoke, A.; Bishop, R. P.
    The transcriptional control of gene expression is not well documented in the Arthropoda. We describe tran-scriptional analysis of two exceptionally divergent homologues (Ra86) of the Bm86 gut antigen from Rhi-picephalus appendiculatus. Bm86 forms the basis of a commercial vaccine for the control of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. The R. appendiculatus Ra86 proteins contain 654 and 693 amino acids, with only 80% amino acid sequence identity. Reverse-transcription PCR of gut cDNA showed transcription of only one genotype in individual female ticks. PCR amplification of 3 untranslated sequences from genomic DNA indicated that both variants could be encoded within a single genome. When both variants were present, one of the two Ra86 genotypes was transcriptionally dominant.