PROTEIN INTERACTIONS WITH A GENDER-SPECIFIC GENE OF SCHISTOSOMA-MANSONI - CHARACTERIZATION BY DNASE-I FOOTPRINTING, BAND SHIFT AND UV CROSS-LINKING

A schistosome gender specific gene (F-10), was used as a probe to char acterize DNA binding proteins from adult male and female Schistoma man soni. Using the band-shift and DNase I footprinting methods, it was fo und that proteins from male and female worms bound to the intact F-10 gene and to restriction fragments corresponding to different domains o f the gene, generating relatively long protected sites. Clear differen ces between male and female proteins were only observed when nuclear p roteins were tested. Thus, gender-specific binding was detected in fra gments corresponding to the 5' and 3' ends. UV-induced cross-linking b etween schistosome proteins and a synthetic oligonucleotide bearing a steroid response element present in the 3' untranslated end of the F-1 0 gene, revealed a major DNA binding protein with a molecular mass of 30 kDa, in both male and female worms. These results suggested that th e activation of transcription of the F-10 gene may depend essentially on nuclear proteins.