Project name: Entamoeba histolytica

Description: Natural antisense transcripts (NAT) have been widely studied in prokaryotes as well as in eukaryotes. Even if the role of most of these RNAs remains unknown, several possibilities for their potential action have been highlighted, in particular their capacities for regulation of transcription. Entamoeba histolytica has a dense protein-coding genome, the intergenic regions are short and the mechanisms regulating gene expression are under-described. In this study, we show that numerous genes of E. histolytica have at least one NAT fairly localized with respect to the sense transcripts. Certain features as NAT transcription start sites (TSS) or polyadenylation sites (Poly(A)) are directly reverse encoded in gene coding sequences, thereby providing a compact regulatory system for gene transcription. Moreover, we demonstrated that NATs are globally up-regulated during various environmental conditions including temperature stress and pathogenicity. The data support the notion that these RNAs should participate in the regulation of gene expression in E. histolytica.

Data type: transcriptome

Sample scope: Monoisolate

Last updated: 2020-03-25