Molecular characterization of the histone H2A gene from the parasite Trypanosoma rangeli

The sequence, genomic organization, and transcription of the gene encoding the H2A histone protein of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma rangeli is de scribed in this paper. The locus encoding the T. rangeli H2A protein is for med by at least 11 gene units measuring 790 nucleotides in length, organize d in tandem, and located in a single chromosome of approximately 1.9 Mb. Th e gene units actively transcribe only one size class of mRNA measuring 0.7 kb in length. The T. rangeli H2A protein contains in the amino-terminal the AGLXFPV motif, which is conserved in a broad range of H2A proteins, and th e RSAK motif, which is implicated in repression of the histone's basal tran scription in yeast. The carboxyl-terminal of the protein contains a two-lys ine residue described as the ubiquitin binding site and the histidine resid ue implicated in DNA binding.