RESUMO
The understanding of the mechanisms that regulate gene expression to establish differentiation programs and determine cell lineages, is one of the major challenges in Developmental Biology. Besides the participation of tissue-specific transcription factors and epigenetic processes, the role of general transcription factors has been ignored. Only in recent years, there have been scarce studies that address this issue. Here, we review the studies on the biological activity of some TATA-box binding protein (TBP)-associated factors (TAFs) during the proliferation of stem/progenitor cells and their involvement in cell differentiation. Particularly, the accumulated evidence suggests that TAF4, TAF4b, TAF7L, TAF8, TAF9, and TAF10, among others, participate in nervous system development, adipogenesis, myogenesis, and epidermal differentiation; while TAF1, TAF7, TAF15 may be involved in the regulation of stem cell proliferative abilities and cell cycle progression. On the other hand, evidence suggests that TBP variants such as TBPL1 and TBPL2 might be regulating some developmental processes such as germ cell maturation and differentiation, myogenesis, or ventral specification during development. Our analysis shows that it is necessary to study in greater depth the biological function of these factors and its participation in the assembly of specific transcription complexes that contribute to the differential gene expression that gives rise to the great diversity of cell types existing in an organism. The understanding of TAFs' regulation might lead to the development of new therapies for patients which suffer from mutations, alterations, and dysregulation of these essential elements of the transcriptional machinery.
Assuntos
Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box , Humanos , Diferenciação Celular/genética , Mutação , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , Proteínas Semelhantes à Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/química , Proteínas Semelhantes à Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/genética , Fatores Associados à Proteína de Ligação a TATA/genética , Fatores Associados à Proteína de Ligação a TATA/metabolismo , Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/genética , AnimaisRESUMO
Abstract Candida albicans is a commensal of the mammalian microbiome and the primarypathogenic fungus of humans. It becomes a severe health problem in immunocompromisedpatients and can cause a wide variety of mucosal and systemic infections. The interactionbetween C. albicans and host cells is characterized by the expression of virulence factors suchas adhesins and invasins, the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes, a transition from yeast to fil-amentous hyphae form, and the ability to form biofilms; these features collectively result in cell adhesion, invasion, and damage. This review describes complex commensal interactions of C. albicans with host cells and the cellular events that it triggers in a pathogenic environment. We also review the host immune response induced by C. albicans antigens and the mechanisms developed by this fungus to avoid the action of antifungal agents.
Resumen Candida albicans es un comensal del microbioma de mamíferos y el principal hongopatógeno de humanos. En pacientes inmunocomprometidos se convierte en un grave problemade salud por causar una amplia variedad de infecciones en mucosas y sistémicas. La interacciónentre C. albicans y las células del huésped lleva a la expresión de factores de virulencia, comoadhesinas e invasinas, a la secreción de enzimas hidrolíticas y a la transición de levadura a hifa filamentosa, capaz de para formar biopelículas, lo que genera adherencia, invasión y dano celular. En esta revisión describimos la compleja interacción comensal de C. albicans con la célula huésped y los eventos celulares que ejecuta en un ambiente patogénico. También se revisa la respuesta inmunitaria del huésped inducida por antígenos de C. albicans y los mecanismos desarrollados por este hongo para evitar la acción de agentes antifúngicos.
RESUMO
We conducted a retrospective study using a population of patients who were hospitalized at Dr. Juan Graham Casasus Hospital in Villahermosa (Tabasco, Mexico) and had a positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 between June 2020 and January 2022. We analyzed all medical records, including demographic data, SARS-CoV-2 exposure history, underlying comorbidities, symptoms, signs at admission, laboratory findings during the hospital stay, outcome, and whole-genome sequencing data. Finally, the data were analyzed in different sub-groups according to distribution during waves of the COVID-19 pandemic regarding Mexican reports from June 2020 to January 2022. Of the 200 patients who tested positive via PCR for SARS-CoV-2, only 197 had samples that could be sequenced. Of the samples, 58.9% (n = 116) were males and 41.1% (n = 81) females, with a median age of 61.7 ± 17.0 years. Comparisons between the waves of the pandemic revealed there were significant differences in the fourth wave: the age of patients was higher (p = 0.002); comorbidities such as obesity were lower (p = 0.000), while CKD was higher (p = 0.011); and hospital stays were shorter (p = 0.003). The SARS-CoV-2 sequences revealed the presence of 11 clades in the study population. Overall, we found that adult patients admitted to a third-level Mexican hospital had a wide range of clinical presentations. The current study provides evidence for the simultaneous circulation of SARS-CoV-2 variants during the four pandemic waves.
RESUMO
Candida albicans is a commensal of the mammalian microbiome and the primary pathogenic fungus of humans. It becomes a severe health problem in immunocompromised patients and can cause a wide variety of mucosal and systemic infections. The interaction between C. albicans and host cells is characterized by the expression of virulence factors such as adhesins and invasins, the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes, a transition from yeast to filamentous hyphae form, and the ability to form biofilms; these features collectively result in cell adhesion, invasion, and damage. This review describes complex commensal interactions of C. albicans with host cells and the cellular events that it triggers in a pathogenic environment. We also review the host immune response induced by C. albicans antigens and the mechanisms developed by this fungus to avoid the action of antifungal agents.
Assuntos
Candida albicans , Candidíase , Animais , Humanos , Candidíase/microbiologia , Fatores de Virulência , Hifas , Antifúngicos/uso terapêutico , MamíferosRESUMO
The current pandemic generated by SARS-CoV-2 has led to mass vaccination with different biologics that have shown wide variations among human populations according to the origin and formulation of the vaccine. Studies evaluating the response in individuals with a natural infection before vaccination have been limited to antibody titer analysis and evaluating a few humoral and cellular response markers, showing a more rapid and intense humoral response than individuals without prior infection. However, the basis of these differences has not been explored in depth. In the present work, we analyzed a group of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines, antibody titers, and cell populations in peripheral blood of individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection using BNT162b2 biologic. Our results suggest that higher antibody concentration in individuals with an earlier disease could be generated by higher production of plasma cells to the detriment of the presence of memory B cells in the bloodstream, which could be related to the high baseline expression of cytokines (IL-6 and IL-10) before vaccination.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Vacinas Virais , Vacina BNT162 , COVID-19/prevenção & controle , Humanos , Interleucina-10 , Interleucina-6 , Receptores CCR7 , SARS-CoV-2 , VacinaçãoRESUMO
The assembly of transcription complexes on eukaryotic promoters involves a series of steps, including chromatin remodeling, recruitment of TATA-binding protein (TBP)-containing complexes, the RNA polymerase II holoenzyme, and additional basal transcription factors. This review describes the transcriptional regulation by TBP and its corresponding homologs that constitute the TBP family and their interactions with promoter DNA. The C-terminal core domain of TBP is highly conserved and contains two structural repeats that fold into a saddle-like structure, essential for the interaction with the TATA-box on DNA. Based on the TBP C-terminal core domain similarity, three TBP-related factors (TRFs) or TBP-like factors (TBPLs) have been discovered in metazoans, TRF1, TBPL1, and TBPL2. TBP is autoregulated, and once bound to DNA, repressors such as Mot1 induce TBP to dissociate, while other factors such as NC2 and the NOT complex convert the active TBP/DNA complex into inactive, negatively regulating TBP. TFIIA antagonizes the TBP repressors but may be effective only in conjunction with the RNA polymerase II holoenzyme recruitment to the promoter by promoter-bound activators. TRF1 has been discovered inDrosophila melanogasterandAnophelesbut found absent in vertebrates and yeast. TBPL1 cannot bind to the TATA-box; instead, TBPL1 prefers binding to TATA-less promoters. However, TBPL1 shows a stronger association with TFIIA than TBP. The TCT core promoter element is present in most ribosomal protein genes inDrosophilaand humans, and TBPL1 is required for the transcription of these genes. TBP directly participates in the DNA repair mechanism, and TBPL1 mediates cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. TBPL2 is closely related to its TBP paralog, showing 95% sequence similarity with the TBP core domain. Like TBP, TBPL2 also binds to the TATA-box and shows interactions with TFIIA, TFIIB, and other basal transcription factors. Despite these advances, much remains to be explored in this family of transcription factors.
Assuntos
RNA Polimerase II , Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box , Fatores de Transcrição , Transcrição Gênica , Adenosina Trifosfatases/genética , Animais , DNA/genética , Drosophila , Holoenzimas/genética , Holoenzimas/metabolismo , Humanos , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , RNA Polimerase II/genética , RNA Polimerase II/metabolismo , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae , TATA Box/genética , Proteínas Semelhantes à Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/química , Proteínas Semelhantes à Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/genética , Proteínas Semelhantes à Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/metabolismo , Fatores Associados à Proteína de Ligação a TATA , Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/química , Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/genética , Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/metabolismo , Fator de Transcrição TFIIA/genética , Fator de Transcrição TFIIA/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição/genéticaRESUMO
(-)-Epicatechin is a phenolic compound with antioxidant activity that is present in natural food and drinks, such as cocoa and red wine. Evidence suggests that (-)-epicatechin exhibits anticancer activity; however, its mechanism of action is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the anticancer effects of (-)-epicatechin and its mechanism of action in breast cancer cells. We assessed the anticancer activity by cell proliferation assays, apoptosis by DNA fragmentation and flow cytometry. The expression of proteins associated with apoptosis was analyzed by the human apoptosis array. MitoSOXTM Red and biomarkers of oxidative damage were used to measure the effect of (-)-epicatechin on mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cellular damage, respectively. (-)-Epicatechin treatment caused a decreasing in the viability of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells. This cell death was associated with DNA fragmentation and an apoptotic proteomic profile. Further, (-)-epicatechin in MDA-MB-231 cells upregulated death receptor (DR4/DR5), increased the ROS production, and modulated pro-apoptotic proteins. In MCF-7 cells, (-)-epicatechin did not involve death receptor; however, an increase in ROS and the upregulation of pro-apoptotic proteins (Bad and Bax) were observed. These changes were associated with the apoptosis activation through the intrinsic pathway. In conclusion, this study shows that (-)-epicatechin has anticancer activity in breast cancer cells and provides novel insight into the molecular mechanism of (-)-epicatechin to induce apoptosis.
Assuntos
Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Neoplasias da Mama/tratamento farmacológico , Catequina/farmacologia , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Neoplasias da Mama/genética , Neoplasias da Mama/patologia , Fragmentação do DNA/efeitos dos fármacos , Feminino , Citometria de Fluxo , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Humanos , Células MCF-7 , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio/metabolismo , Receptores do Ligante Indutor de Apoptose Relacionado a TNF/genéticaRESUMO
Transcription factor IID (TFIID) is a cornerstone in the transcription initiation in eukaryotes. It is composed of TBP and approximately 14 different subunits named TBP-associated factors (TAFs). TFIID has a key role in transcription of many genes involved in cell proliferation, cell growth, cell cycle, cell cycle checkpoint, and various other processes as well. Entamoeba histolytica, the protozoan parasite responsible for human amoebiasis, represents a major global health concern. Our research group has previously reported the genes coding the TATA box-binding protein (EhTBP) and TBP-related factor 1 (EhTRF1), which displayed different mRNA levels in trophozoites under different stress conditions. In this work, we identified the TBP-associated factor 1 (Ehtaf1) gene in the E. histolytica genome, which possess a well-conserved DUF domain and a Bromo domain located in the middle and C-terminus of the protein, respectively. The EhTAF1-DUF domain tertiary structure is similar to the corresponding HsTAF1 DUF domain. RT-qPCR experiments with RNA isolated from trophozoites harvested at different time points of the growth curve and under different stress conditions revealed that the Ehtaf1 gene was found slightly upregulated in the death phase of growth curve, but under heat shock stress, it was found upregulated 10 times, suggesting that Ehtaf1 might have an important role in the heat shock stress response. We also found that EhTAF1 is expressed in the nucleus and cytoplasm at 37 °C, but under heat shock stress, it is overexpressed in both the nucleus and cytoplasm, and partially colocalized with EhHSP70 in cytoplasm.
Assuntos
Entamoeba histolytica/fisiologia , Resposta ao Choque Térmico/genética , Histona Acetiltransferases/genética , Histona Acetiltransferases/metabolismo , Fatores Associados à Proteína de Ligação a TATA/genética , Fatores Associados à Proteína de Ligação a TATA/metabolismo , Fator de Transcrição TFIID/genética , Fator de Transcrição TFIID/metabolismo , Animais , Núcleo Celular/metabolismo , Citoplasma/metabolismo , Entamoeba histolytica/genética , Humanos , Transporte Proteico , RNA Mensageiro/metabolismo , Trofozoítos/metabolismo , Regulação para CimaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Entamoeba histolytica is the protozoan parasite responsible for human amebiasis. It causes up to 100,000 deaths worldwide each year. This parasite has two closely related basal transcription factors, the TATA-box binding protein (EhTBP) and the TBP-related factor 1 (EhTRF1). TBP binds to the canonical TATTTAAA-box, as well as to different TATA variants. TRF1 also binds to the TATTTAAA-box. However, their binding capacity to diverse core promoter elements, including the GAAC-element, and their role in gene regulation in this parasite remains unknown. METHODS: EMSA experiments were performed to determine the binding capacity of recombinant TBP and TRF1 to TATA variants, GAAC and GAAC-like boxes. For the functional analysis under different stress stimuli (e.g. growth curve, serum depletion, heat-shock, and UV-irradiation) and during the interaction with mammalian cells (erythrocytes, MDCK cell monolayers, and hepatocytes of hamsters), RT-qPCR, and gene knockdown were performed. RESULTS: Both transcription factors bound to the different TATA variants tested, as well as to the GAAC-boxes, suggesting that they are GAAC-box-binding proteins. The K D values determined for TBP and TRF1 for the different TATA variants and GAAC-box were in the range of 10-12 M to 10-11 M. During the death phase of growth or in serum depletion, Ehtbp mRNA levels significantly increased, whereas the mRNA level of Ehtrf1 did not change under these conditions. Ehtrf1 gene expression was negatively regulated by UV-irradiation and heat-shock stress, with no changes in Ehtbp gene expression. Moreover, Ehtrf1 gene also showed a negative regulation during erythrophagocytosis, liver abscess formation, and a transient expression level increase at the initial phase of MDCK cell destruction. Finally, the Ehtbp gene knockdown displayed a drastic decrease in the efficiency of erythrophagocytosis in G3 trophozoites. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this study reveals that these basal transcription factors are able to bind multiple core promoter elements. However, their immediate change in gene expression level in response to different stimuli, as well as during the interaction with mammalian cells, and the diminishing of erythrophagocytosis by silencing the Ehtbp gene indicate the different physiological roles of these transcription factors in E. histolytica.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Transporte/genética , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/genética , Proteína 1 de Ligação a Repetições Teloméricas/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Animais , Proteínas de Transporte/metabolismo , Clonagem Molecular , Cricetinae , Cães , Entamoeba histolytica/genética , Técnicas de Silenciamento de Genes , Hepatócitos/parasitologia , Interações Hospedeiro-Parasita/genética , Células Madin Darby de Rim Canino , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase em Tempo Real , Estresse Fisiológico/genética , Proteína 1 de Ligação a Repetições Teloméricas/metabolismo , Transcrição GênicaRESUMO
Biological systems function via intricate cellular processes and networks in which RNAs, metabolites, proteins and other cellular compounds have a precise role and are exquisitely regulated (Kumar and Mann, FEBS Lett 583(11):1703-1712, 2009). The development of high-throughput technologies, such as the Next Generation DNA Sequencing (NGS) and DNA microarrays for sequencing genomes or metagenomes, have triggered a dramatic increase in the last few years in the amount of information stored in the GenBank and UniProt Knowledgebase (UniProtKB). GenBank release 210, reported in October 2015, contains 202,237,081,559 nucleotides corresponding to 188,372,017 sequences, whilst there are only 1,222,635,267,498 nucleotides corresponding to 309,198,943 sequences from Whole Genome Shotgun (WGS) projects. In the case of UniProKB/Swiss-Prot, release 2015_12 (December 9, 2015) contains 196,219,159 amino acids that correspond to 550,116 entries. Meanwhile, UniProtKB/TrEMBL (release 2015_12 of December 9 2015) contains 1,838,851,8871 amino acids corresponding to 555,270,679 entries. Proteomics has also improved our knowledge of proteins that are being expressed in cells at a certain time of the cell cycle. It has also allowed the identification of molecules forming part of multiprotein complexes and an increasing number of posttranslational modifications (PTMs) that are present in proteins, as well as the variants of proteins expressed.
Assuntos
Biologia Computacional/métodos , Mineração de Dados/métodos , Bases de Dados de Proteínas , Espectrometria de Massas/métodos , Proteínas/análise , Proteoma , Proteômica/métodos , Algoritmos , Animais , Biomarcadores/análise , Ensaios de Triagem em Larga Escala , Humanos , Complexos Multiproteicos , Mapeamento de Interação de Proteínas , Mapas de Interação de Proteínas , Processamento de Proteína Pós-Traducional , Proteínas/genética , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Ferramenta de Busca , Software , NavegadorRESUMO
Breast cancer is the most common and the leading cause of mortality in women worldwide. There is a dire necessity of the identification of novel molecules useful in diagnosis and prognosis. In this work we determined the differentially expression profiles of four breast cancer cell lines compared to a control cell line. We identified 1020 polypeptides labelled with iTRAQ with more than 95% in confidence. We analysed the common proteins in all breast cancer cell lines through IPA software (IPA core and Biomarkers). In addition, we selected the specific overexpressed and subexpressed proteins of the different molecular classes of breast cancer cell lines, and classified them according to protein class and biological process. Data in this article is related to the research article "Determination of the protein expression profiles of breast cancer cell lines by Quantitative Proteomics using iTRAQ Labelling and Tandem Mass Spectrometry" (Calderón-González et al. [1] in press).
RESUMO
We report the identification of a family of four active genes (Ehodp1, Ehodp2, Ehodp3, and Ehodp4) encoding putative DNA polymerases in Entamoeba histolytica, the protozoan parasite responsible of human amoebiasis. The four Ehodp genes show similarity to DNA polymerases encoded in fungi and plant mitochondrial plasmids. EhODP polypeptides conserve the 3'-5' exonuclease II and 5'-3' polymerization domains, and they have the I, II, and III conserved boxes that characterize them as DNA polymerases of family B. Furthermore, we found in EhODP polymerases two novel A and B boxes, present also in DNA polymerases encoded in fungi mitochondrial plasmids. By in situ PCR, Ehodp1 gene was located in nuclei and in DNA-containing cytoplasmic structures. Additionally, using polyclonal antibodies against a recombinant rEhODP1-168 polypeptide, and confocal microscopy, EhODP1 was located in cytoplasmic DNA-containing structures.
Assuntos
Mapeamento Cromossômico , DNA Polimerase Dirigida por DNA/genética , Entamoeba histolytica/enzimologia , Frações Subcelulares/metabolismo , Sequência de Bases , Entamoeba histolytica/classificação , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Especificidade da EspécieRESUMO
Entamoeba histolytica is the protozoan parasite which causes human amoebiasis. In this parasite, few encoding genes for transcription factors have been cloned and characterized. The E. histolytica TATA-box binding protein (EhTBP) is the first basal transcription factor that has been studied. To continue with the identification of other members of the basal transcription machinery, we performed an in silico analysis of the E. histolytica genome and found three loci encoding for polypeptides with similarity to EhTBP. One locus has a 100% identity to the previously Ehtbp gene reported by our group. The second locus encodes for a 212 aa polypeptide that is 100% identical to residues 23-234 from EhTBP. The third one encodes for a 216 aa polypeptide of 24kDa that showed 42.6% identity and 73.7% similarity to EhTBP. This protein was named E. histolytica TBP-related factor 1 (EhTRF1). Ehtrf1 gene was expressed in bacteria and the purified 28kDa recombinant polypeptide showed the capacity to bind to TATTTAAA-box by electrophoretic mobility shift assays. K(D) values for rEhTBP and rEhTRF1 were (1.71+/-2.90)x10(-12)M and (1.12+/-0.160)x10(-11)M, respectively. Homology modeling of EhTRF1 and EhTBP revealed that, although they were very similar, they showed some differences on their surfaces. Thus, E. histolytica is a unicellular organism having two members of the TBP family.
Assuntos
Entamoeba histolytica/genética , Proteínas de Protozoários/química , Proteínas de Protozoários/genética , Proteínas Semelhantes à Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/química , Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/química , Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/genética , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Clonagem Molecular , Ensaio de Desvio de Mobilidade Eletroforética , Entamoeba histolytica/metabolismo , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Filogenia , Proteínas de Protozoários/metabolismo , Proteínas Semelhantes à Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/genética , Proteínas Semelhantes à Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/metabolismo , Proteína de Ligação a TATA-Box/metabolismoAssuntos
Cálcio/fisiologia , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/fisiologia , Colágeno Tipo I/fisiologia , Entamoeba histolytica/fisiologia , Regulação para Cima/fisiologia , Adenosina Trifosfatases , Animais , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/química , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/genética , Clonagem Molecular/métodos , Entamoeba histolytica/citologia , Entamoeba histolytica/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Expressão Gênica/fisiologia , Biblioteca Gênica , Humanos , Estágios do Ciclo de Vida/fisiologia , Camundongos , Microscopia Confocal , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Filogenia , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/métodos , Estrutura Terciária de Proteína/genética , Ratos , Fatores de Tempo , Proteína com ValosinaRESUMO
EhRabB is an Entamoeba histolytica protein involved in phagocytosis. However, proteins that regulate the EhRabB activity are unknown. Here, we report the identification of a putative G protein-coupled receptor of E. histolytica (EhGPCR-1) that binds to EhRabB. By two-hybrid screening, we found a 372-bp cDNA fragment that encodes the C-terminus of EhGPCR-1. The cloning and sequence of the full-length cDNA revealed that it predicts a polypeptide with two tyrosine-based sorting signals for endocytosis and seven transmembranal domains. These results suggest that EhGPCR-1 could be a GPCR involved in phagocytosis. EhGPCR-1 could be a member of the Rhodopsin family, characterized by a short N-terminus without cysteine residues.
Assuntos
Entamoeba histolytica/metabolismo , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/metabolismo , Proteínas rab de Ligação ao GTP/metabolismo , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Sequência de Bases , DNA Complementar/química , DNA Complementar/isolamento & purificação , Entamoeba histolytica/genética , Entamoeba histolytica/imunologia , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Fagocitose/fisiologia , Filogenia , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/química , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/genética , Alinhamento de SequênciaRESUMO
The ability of Entamoeba histolytica TATA binding protein (EhTBP) to interact with different TATA boxes in gene promoters may be one of the key factors to perform an efficient transcription in this human parasite. In this paper we used several TATA variants to study the in vitro EhTBP DNA-binding activity and to determine the TATA-EhTBP dissociation constants. The presence of EhTBP in complexes formed by nuclear extracts (NE) and the TATTTAAA oligonucleotide, which corresponds to the canonical TATA box for E. histolytica, was demonstrated by gel-shift assays. In these experiments a single NE-TATTTAAA oligonucleotide complex was detected. Complex was retarded by anti-EhTBP Igs in supershift experiments and antibodies also recognized the cross-linked complex in Western blot assays. Recombinant EhTBP formed specific complexes with TATA variants found in E. histolytica gene promoters and other TATA variants generated by mutation of TATTTAAA sequence. The dissociation constants of recombinant EhTBP for TATA variants ranged between 1.04 (+/-0.39) x 10(-11) and 1.60 (+/-0.37) x 10(-10) m. TATTTAAA and TAT_ _AAA motifs presented the lowest KD values. Intriguingly, the recombinant EhTBP affinity for TATA variants is stronger than other TBPs reported. In addition, EhTBP is more promiscuous than human and yeast TBPs, probably due to modifications in amino acids involved in TBP-DNA binding.