| abstract |
The invention relates to a control system for regulating gene activation in T. gondii. Two transacting factors isolated from T. gondii by transactivator trapping are disclosed. A tetracycline-inducible transactivator is produced by fusing the tetracycline repressor (TetR) to a T. gondii activating domain. Tetracycline derivatives such as anhydrotetracycline can control gene expression in Apicomplexan parasites carrying such transactivators. This control can be used to produce attenuated strains of parasites such as T. gondii, Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. berghei, P. yoelii, P. knowlesi, Trypanosoma brucei, Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lambia that can act as vaccines. |