African trypanosomes have plastic genomes with extensive variability at the chromosome ends. The genes encoding the expressed major surface protein of the infective bloodstream form stages of Trypanosoma brucei and are located at telomeres. These telomeric expression-site transcription units are turning out to be surprisingly polymorphic in structure and sequence.

Keywords:
antigenic variation, gene conversion, genome plasticity, VSG, variant surface glycoprotein, ESAG, expression-site-associated gene, SRA, serum-resistance-associated
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© 2000 Biochemical Society
2000
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