Characterization of the Secreted Acid Phosphatase SapS Reveals a Novel Virulence Factor of Staphylococcus aureus That Contributes to Survival and Virulence in Mice.

Staphylococcus aureus possesses a large arsenal of immune-modulating factors, enabling it to bypass the immune system's response. Here, we demonstrate that the acid phosphatase SapS is secreted during macrophage infection and promotes its intracellular survival in this type of immune cell. In animal models, the SA564 sapS mutant demonstrated a significantly lower bacterial burden in liver and renal tissues of mice at four days post infection in comparison to the wild type, along with lower pathogenicity in a zebrafish infection model. The SA564 sapS mutant elicits a lower inflammatory response in mice than the wild-type strain, while S. aureus cells harbouring a functional sapS induce a chemokine response that favours the recruitment of neutrophils to the infection site. Our in vitro and quantitative transcript analysis show that SapS has an effect on S. aureus capacity to adapt to oxidative stress during growth. SapS is also involved in S. aureus biofilm formation. Thus, this study shows for the first time that SapS plays a significant role during infection, most likely through inhibiting a variety of the host's defence mechanisms.

The secreted protein kinase CstK from Coxiella burnetii influences vacuole development and interacts with the GTPase-activating host protein TBC1D5.

The intracellular bacterial pathogen Coxiella burnetii is the etiological agent of the emerging zoonosis Q fever. Crucial to its pathogenesis is type 4b secretion system-mediated secretion of bacterial effectors into host cells that subvert host cell membrane trafficking, leading to the biogenesis of a parasitophorous vacuole for intracellular replication. The characterization of prokaryotic serine/threonine protein kinases in bacterial pathogens is emerging as an important strategy to better understand host-pathogen interactions. In this study, we investigated CstK (for Coxiella Ser/Thr kinase), a protein kinase identified in C. burnetii by in silico analysis. We demonstrate that this putative protein kinase undergoes autophosphorylation on Thr and Tyr residues and phosphorylates a classical eukaryotic protein kinase substrate in vitro This dual Thr-Tyr kinase activity is also observed for a eukaryotic dual-specificity Tyr phosphorylation-regulated kinase class. We found that CstK is translocated during infections and localizes to Coxiella-containing vacuoles (CCVs). Moreover, a CstK-overexpressing C. burnetii strain displayed a severe CCV development phenotype, suggesting that CstK fine-tunes CCV biogenesis during the infection. Protein-protein interaction experiments identified the Rab7 GTPase-activating protein TBC1D5 as a candidate CstK-specific target, suggesting a role for this host GTPase-activating protein in Coxiella infections. Indeed, CstK co-localized with TBC1D5 in noninfected cells, and TBC1D5 was recruited to CCVs in infected cells. Accordingly, TBC1D5 depletion from infected cells significantly affected CCV development. Our results indicate that CstK functions as a bacterial effector protein that interacts with the host protein TBC1D5 during vacuole biogenesis and intracellular replication.

Staphylococcus aureus Decreases SUMOylation Host Response to Promote Intramacrophage Survival.

Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal bacterium that causes severe infections in soft tissue and the bloodstream. During infection, S. aureus manipulates host cell response to facilitate its own replication and dissemination. Here, we show that S. aureus significantly decreases the level of SUMOylation, an essential post-translational modification, in infected macrophages 24 h post-phagocytosis. The reduced level of SUMOylation correlates with a decrease in the SUMO-conjugating enzyme Ubc9. The over-expression of SUMO proteins in macrophages impaired bacterial intracellular proliferation and the inhibition of SUMOylation with ML-792 increased it. Together, these findings demonstrated for the first time the role of host SUMOylation response toward S. aureus infection.

PtpA, a secreted tyrosine phosphatase from Staphylococcus aureus, contributes to virulence and interacts with coronin-1A during infection.

Secretion of bacterial signaling proteins and adaptation to the host, especially during infection, are processes that are often linked in pathogenic bacteria. The human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is equipped with a large arsenal of immune-modulating factors, allowing it to either subvert the host immune response or to create permissive niches for its survival. Recently, we showed that one of the low-molecular-weight protein tyrosine phosphatases produced by S. aureus, PtpA, is secreted during growth. Here, we report that deletion of ptpA in S. aureus affects intramacrophage survival and infectivity. We also observed that PtpA is secreted during macrophage infection. Immunoprecipitation assays identified several host proteins as putative intracellular binding partners for PtpA, including coronin-1A, a cytoskeleton-associated protein that is implicated in a variety of cellular processes. Of note, we demonstrated that coronin-1A is phosphorylated on tyrosine residues upon S. aureus infection and that its phosphorylation profile is linked to PtpA expression. Our results confirm that PtpA has a critical role during infection as a bacterial effector protein that counteracts host defenses.

Increased phagocytosis of Mycobacterium marinum mutants defective in lipooligosaccharide production: a structure-activity relationship study.

Mycobacterium marinum is a waterborne pathogen responsible for tuberculosis-like infections in ectotherms and is an occasional opportunistic human pathogen. In the environment, M. marinum also interacts with amoebae, which may serve as a natural reservoir for this microorganism. However, the description of mycobacterial determinants in the early interaction with macrophages or amoebae remains elusive. Lipooligosaccharides (LOSs) are cell surface-exposed glycolipids capable of modulating the host immune system, suggesting that they may be involved in the early interactions of M. marinum with macrophages. Herein, we addressed whether LOS composition affects the uptake of M. marinum by professional phagocytes. Mutants with various truncated LOS variants were generated, leading to the identification of several previously uncharacterized biosynthetic genes (wbbL2, MMAR_2321, and MMAR_2331). Biochemical and structural approaches allowed resolving the structures of LOS precursors accumulating in this set of mutants. These strains with structurally defined LOS profiles were then used to infect both macrophages and Acanthamoebae. An inverse correlation between LOS completeness and uptake of mycobacteria by phagocytes was found, allowing the proposal of three mutant classes: class I (papA4), devoid of LOS and highly efficiently phagocytosed; class II, accumulating only early LOS intermediates (wbbL2 and MMAR_2331) and efficiently phagocytosed but less than class I mutants; class III, lacking LOS-IV (losA, MMAR_2319, and MMAR_2321) and phagocytosed similarly to the control strain. These results indicate that phagocytosis is conditioned by the LOS pattern and that the LOS pathway used by M. marinum in macrophages is conserved during infection of amoebae.

Point mutations within the fatty acid synthase type II dehydratase components HadA or HadC contribute to isoxyl resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The mechanism by which the antitubercular drug isoxyl (ISO) inhibits mycolic acid biosynthesis has not yet been reported. We found that point mutations in either the HadA or HadC component of the type II fatty acid synthase (FAS-II) are associated with increased levels of resistance to ISO in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Overexpression of the HadAB, HadBC, or HadABC heterocomplex also produced high-level resistance. These results show that the FAS-II dehydratases are involved in ISO resistance.

The secreted tyrosine phosphatase PtpA promotes Staphylococcus aureus survival in RAW 264.7 macrophages through decrease of the SUMOylation host response.

IMPORTANCE: Staphylococcus aureus uses numerous strategies to survive and persist in the intracellular environment of professional phagocytes, including modulation of the SUMOylation process. This study aims to understand how S. aureus alters host SUMOylation to enhance its intracellular survival in professional phagocytes. Our results indicate that S. aureus strain Newman utilizes PtpA-driven phosphorylation to decrease the amount of SUMOylated proteins in murine macrophages to facilitate its survival in this immune cell type.

The Phosphoarginine Phosphatase PtpB from Staphylococcus aureus Is Involved in Bacterial Stress Adaptation during Infection.

Staphylococcus aureus continues to be a public health threat, especially in hospital settings. Studies aimed at deciphering the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie pathogenesis, host adaptation, and virulence are required to develop effective treatment strategies. Numerous host-pathogen interactions were found to be dependent on phosphatases-mediated regulation. This study focused on the analysis of the role of the low-molecular weight phosphatase PtpB, in particular, during infection. Deletion of ptpB in S. aureus strain SA564 significantly reduced the capacity of the mutant to withstand intracellular killing by THP-1 macrophages. When injected into normoglycemic C57BL/6 mice, the SA564 ΔptpB mutant displayed markedly reduced bacterial loads in liver and kidney tissues in a murine S. aureus abscess model when compared to the wild type. We also observed that PtpB phosphatase-activity was sensitive to oxidative stress. Our quantitative transcript analyses revealed that PtpB affects the transcription of various genes involved in oxidative stress adaptation and infectivity. Thus, this study disclosed first insights into the physiological role of PtpB during host interaction allowing us to link phosphatase-dependent regulation to oxidative bacterial stress adaptation during infection.

Rodent and nonrodent malaria parasites differ in their phospholipid metabolic pathways.

Malaria, a disease affecting humans and other animals, is caused by a protist of the genus Plasmodium. At the intraerythrocytic stage, the parasite synthesizes a high amount of phospholipids through a bewildering number of pathways. In the human Plasmodium falciparum species, a plant-like pathway that relies on serine decarboxylase and phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferase activities diverts host serine to provide additional phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine to the parasite. This feature of parasitic dependence toward its host was investigated in other Plasmodium species. In silico analyses led to the identification of phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferase gene orthologs in primate and bird parasite genomes. However, the gene was not detected in the rodent P. berghei, P. yoelii, and P. chabaudi species. Biochemical experiments with labeled choline, ethanolamine, and serine showed marked differences in biosynthetic pathways when comparing rodent P. berghei and P. vinckei, and human P. falciparum species. Notably, in both rodent parasites, ethanolamine and serine were not significantly incorporated into phosphatidylcholine, indicating the absence of phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferase activity. To our knowledge, this is the first study to highlight a crucial difference in phospholipid metabolism between Plasmodium species. The findings should facilitate efforts to develop more rational approaches to identify and evaluate new targets for antimalarial therapy.

Synthetic hydrophobic peptides derived from MgtR weaken Salmonella pathogenicity and work with a different mode of action than endogenously produced peptides.

Due to the antibiotic resistance crisis, novel therapeutic strategies need to be developed against bacterial pathogens. Hydrophobic bacterial peptides (small proteins under 50 amino acids) have emerged as regulatory molecules that can interact with bacterial membrane proteins to modulate their activity and/or stability. Among them, the Salmonella MgtR peptide promotes the degradation of MgtC, a virulence factor involved in Salmonella intramacrophage replication, thus providing the basis for an antivirulence strategy. We demonstrate here that endogenous overproduction of MgtR reduced Salmonella replication inside macrophages and lowered MgtC protein level, whereas a peptide variant of MgtR (MgtR-S17I), which does not interact with MgtC, had no effect. We then used synthetic peptides to evaluate their action upon exogenous addition. Unexpectedly, upon addition of synthetic peptides, both MgtR and its variant MgtR-S17I reduced Salmonella intramacrophage replication and lowered MgtC and MgtB protein levels, suggesting a different mechanism of action of exogenously added peptides versus endogenously produced peptides. The synthetic peptides did not act by reducing bacterial viability. We next tested their effect on various recombinant proteins produced in Escherichia coli and showed that the level of several inner membrane proteins was strongly reduced upon addition of both peptides, whereas cytoplasmic or outer membrane proteins remained unaffected. Moreover, the α-helical structure of synthetic MgtR is important for its biological activity, whereas helix-helix interacting motif is dispensable. Cumulatively, these results provide perspectives for new antivirulence strategies with the use of peptides that act by reducing the level of inner membrane proteins, including virulence factors.

Endogenous and Exogenous KdpF Peptide Increases Susceptibility of Mycobacterium bovis BCG to Nitrosative Stress and Reduces Intramacrophage Replication.

Emerging antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria like Mycobacterium sp., poses a threat to human health and therefore calls for the development of novel antibacterial strategies. We have recently discovered that bacterial membrane peptides, such as KdpF, possess anti-virulence properties when overproduced in pathogenic bacterial species. Overproduction of the KdpF peptide in Mycobacterium bovis BCG decreased bacterial replication within macrophages, without presenting antibacterial activity. We propose that KdpF functions as a regulatory molecule and interferes with bacterial virulence, potentially through interaction with the PDIM transporter MmpL7. We demonstrate here that KdpF overproduction in M. bovis BCG, increased bacterial susceptibility to nitrosative stress and thereby was responsible for lower replication rate within macrophages. Moreover, in a bacterial two-hybrid system, KdpF was able to interact not only with MmpL7 but also with two membrane proteins involved in nitrosative stress detoxification (NarI and NarK2), and a membrane protein of unknown function that is highly induced upon nitrosative stress (Rv2617c). Interestingly, we showed that the exogenous addition of KdpF synthetic peptide could affect the stability of proteins that interact with this peptide. Finally, the exogenous KdpF peptide presented similar biological effects as the endogenously expressed peptide including nitrosative stress susceptibility and reduced intramacrophage replication rate for M. bovis BCG. Taken together, our results establish a link between high levels of KdpF and nitrosative stress susceptibility to further highlight KdpF as a potent molecule with anti-virulence properties.

Use of the Salmonella MgtR peptide as an antagonist of the Mycobacterium MgtC virulence factor.

BACKGROUND: The MgtC virulence factor has been proposed as an attractive target for antivirulence strategies because it is shared by several important bacterial pathogens, including Salmonella enterica and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). AIM: A natural antagonistic peptide, MgtR, which interacts with MgtC and modulates its stability, has been identified in Salmonella, and we investigated its efficiency to target MgtC in another pathogen. MATERIALS & METHODS: We evaluated the interaction between Salmonella MgtR peptide and the Mtb MgtC protein using an in vivo bacterial two-hybrid system and we addressed the effect of exogenously added synthetic MgtR and endogenously expressed peptide. RESULTS: MgtR peptide strongly interacted with Mtb MgtC protein and exogenously added synthetic MgtR peptide-reduced Mtb MgtC level and interfered with the dimerization of Mtb MgtC. Importantly, heterologous expression of MgtR in Mycobacterium bovis BCG resulted in increased phagocytosis and reduced intramacrophage survival. CONCLUSION: MgtR peptide can target Mtb MgtC protein and reduce mycobacterial macrophage resistance, thus providing a promising new scaffold for the development of antivirulence compounds.

Mycobacterium marinum MgtC plays a role in phagocytosis but is dispensable for intracellular multiplication.

MgtC is a virulence factor involved in intramacrophage growth that has been reported in several intracellular pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. MgtC participates also in adaptation to Mg2+ deprivation. Herein, we have constructed a mgtC mutant in Mycobacterium marinum to further investigate the role of MgtC in mycobacteria. We show that the M. marinum mgtC gene (Mma mgtC) is strongly induced upon Mg2+ deprivation and is required for optimal growth in Mg2+-deprived medium. The behaviour of the Mma mgtC mutant has been investigated in the Danio rerio infection model using a transgenic reporter zebrafish line that specifically labels neutrophils. Although the mgtC mutant is not attenuated in the zebrafish embryo model based on survival curves, our results indicate that phagocytosis by neutrophils is enhanced with the mgtC mutant compared to the wild-type strain following subcutaneous injection. Increased phagocytosis of the mutant strain is also observed ex vivo with the murine J774 macrophage cell line. On the other hand, no difference was found between the mgtC mutant and the wild-type strain in bacterial adhesion to macrophages and in the internalization into epithelial cells. Unlike the role reported for MgtC in other intracellular pathogens, Mma MgtC does not contribute significantly to intramacrophage replication. Taken together, these results indicate an unanticipated function of Mma MgtC at early step of infection within phagocytic cells. Hence, our results indicate that although the MgtC function is conserved among pathogens regarding adaptation to Mg2+ deprivation, its role towards phagocytic cells can differ, possibly in relation with the specific pathogen's lifestyles.

Overexpression of the Salmonella KdpF membrane peptide modulates expression of kdp genes and intramacrophage growth.

Membrane peptides appear as an emerging class of regulatory molecules in bacteria, which can interact with membrane proteins, including transporters and sensor kinases. The KdpF peptide, which is cotranscribed with kdpABC genes and regulated by the KdpDE two-component system, is supposed to stabilize the KdpABC potassium transporter complex but may also exhibit unsuspected regulatory function(s). The mycobacterial KdpF can interact with the KdpD histidine kinase, and kdpF overexpression has been shown to reduce intramacrophage replication of Mycobacterium bovis BCG. In this study, we investigated whether KdpF displays similar behavior in another intracellular pathogen, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. We show that Salmonella KdpF can interact with KdpD in a bacterial two-hybrid assay. We have constructed a Salmonella strain overexpressing kdpF, and we have investigated expression of the kdp regulon, as well as intramacrophage survival. We show that kdpF overexpression reduces expression of kdpA and kdpD genes under potassium limitation. Moreover, kdpF overexpression increases intramacrophage multiplication of S. Typhimurium. Hence, our results indicate that KdpF can play a regulatory role in S. Typhimurium, modulating kdp gene expression and intramacrophage survival, but in a way that differs from the one reported for M. bovis BCG.

Overexpression of the KdpF membrane peptide in Mycobacterium bovis BCG results in reduced intramacrophage growth and altered cording morphology.

Membrane peptides appear as an emerging class of regulatory molecules in bacteria, which can interact with membrane proteins, such as sensor kinases. To date, regulatory membrane peptides have been completely overlooked in mycobacteria. The 30 amino-acid-long KdpF peptide, which is co-transcribed with kdpABC genes and regulated by the KdpDE two-component system, is supposed to stabilize the KdpABC potassium transporter complex but may also exhibit unsuspected regulatory function(s) towards the KdpD sensor kinase. Herein, we showed by quantitative RT-PCR that the Mycobacterium bovis BCG kdpAB and kdpDE genes clusters are differentially induced in potassium-deprived broth medium or within infected macrophages. We have overexpressed the kdpF gene in M. bovis BCG to investigate its possible regulatory role and effect on mycobacterial virulence. Our results indicate that KdpF does not play a critical regulatory role on kdp genes expression despite the fact that KdpF interacts with the KdpD sensor kinase in a bacterial two-hybrid assay. However, overexpression of kdpF results in a significant reduction of M. bovis BCG growth in both murine and human primary macrophages, and is associated with a strong alteration of colonial morphology and impaired cording formation. To identify novel KdpF interactants, a mycobacterial library was screened using KdpF as bait in the bacterial two-hybrid system. This allowed us to identify members of the MmpL family of membrane proteins, known to participate in the biosynthesis/transport of various cell wall lipids, thus highlighting a possible link between KdpF and cell wall lipid metabolism. Taken together, these data suggest that KdpF overexpression reduces intramacrophage growth which may result from alteration of the mycobacterial cell wall.

Synthesis, antitubercular activity and mechanism of resistance of highly effective thiacetazone analogues.

Defining the pharmacological target(s) of currently used drugs and developing new analogues with greater potency are both important aspects of the search for agents that are effective against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Thiacetazone (TAC) is an anti-tubercular drug that was formerly used in conjunction with isoniazid, but removed from the antitubercular chemotherapeutic arsenal due to toxic side effects. However, several recent studies have linked the mechanisms of action of TAC to mycolic acid metabolism and TAC-derived analogues have shown increased potency against M. tuberculosis. To obtain new insights into the molecular mechanisms of TAC resistance, we isolated and analyzed 10 mutants of M. tuberculosis that were highly resistant to TAC. One strain was found to be mutated in the methyltransferase MmaA4 at Gly101, consistent with its lack of oxygenated mycolic acids. All remaining strains harbored missense mutations in either HadA (at Cys61) or HadC (at Val85, Lys157 or Thr123), which are components of the ß-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase complex that participates in the mycolic acid elongation step. Separately, a library of 31 new TAC analogues was synthesized and evaluated against M. tuberculosis. Two of these compounds, 15 and 16, exhibited minimal inhibitory concentrations 10-fold lower than the parental molecule, and inhibited mycolic acid biosynthesis in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, overexpression of HadAB HadBC or HadABC in M. tuberculosis led to high level resistance to these compounds, demonstrating that their mode of action is similar to that of TAC. In summary, this study uncovered new mutations associated with TAC resistance and also demonstrated that simple structural optimization of the TAC scaffold was possible and may lead to a new generation of TAC-derived drug candidates for the potential treatment of tuberculosis as mycolic acid inhibitors.

The Kennedy phospholipid biosynthesis pathways are refractory to genetic disruption in Plasmodium berghei and therefore appear essential in blood stages.

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) are the main membrane phospholipids (PLs) of Plasmodium parasites and can be generated by the de novo (Kennedy) CDP-choline and CDP-ethanolamine pathways and by the CDP-diacylglycerol dependent pathway. The Kennedy pathways initiate from exogenous choline and ethanolamine involving choline kinase (CK) and ethanolamine kinase (EK), followed by the choline-phosphate cytidylyltransferase (CCT) and ethanolamine-phosphate cytidylyltransferase (ECT) that catalyse the formation of CDP-choline and CDP-ethanolamine. Finally, in Plasmodium, PC and PE are apparently synthesized by a common choline/ethanolamine-phosphotransferase (CEPT). Here, we have studied the essential nature of the Kennedy pathways in Plasmodium berghei, a rodent malaria parasite. Sequence analysis of the P. berghei CEPT, CCT, ECT and CK enzymes revealed the presence of all catalytic domains and essential residues and motifs necessary for enzymatic activities. Constructs were designed for the generation of gene knockout and GFP-fusions of the cept, cct, ect and ck genes in P. berghei. We found that all four genes were consistently refractory to knockout attempts. At the same time, successful tagging of these proteins with GFP demonstrated that the loci were targetable and indicated that these genes are essential in P. berghei blood stage parasites. GFP-fusions of CCT, ECT and CK were found in the cytosol whereas the GFP-CEPT mainly localised in the endoplasmic reticulum. These results indicate that both CDP-choline and CDP-ethanolamine de novo pathways are essential for asexual P. berghei development and are non-redundant with other possible sources of PC and PE.

Plasmodium CDP-DAG synthase: an atypical gene with an essential N-terminal extension.

Cytidine diphosphate diacylglycerol synthase (CDS) diverts phosphatidic acid towards the biosynthesis of CDP-DAG, an obligatory liponucleotide intermediate in anionic phospholipid biosynthesis. The 78kDa predicted Plasmodium falciparum CDS (PfCDS) is recovered as a 50 kDa conserved C-terminal cytidylyltransferase domain (C-PfCDS) and a 28kDa fragment that corresponds to the unusually long hydrophilic asparagine-rich N-terminal extension (N-PfCDS). Here, we show that the two fragments of PfCDS are the processed forms of the 78 kDa pro-form that is encoded from a single transcript with no alternate translation start site for C-PfCDS. PfCDS, which shares 54% sequence identity with Plasmodium knowlesi CDS (PkCDS), could substitute for PkCDS in P. knowlesi. Experiments to disrupt either the full-length or the N-terminal extension of PkCDS indicate that not only the C-terminal cytidylyltransferase domain but also the N-terminal extension is essential to Plasmodium spp. PkCDS and PfCDS introduced in P. knowlesi were processed in the parasite, suggesting a conserved parasite-dependent mechanism. The N-PfCDS appears to be a peripheral membrane protein and is trafficked outside the parasite to the parasitophorous vacuole. Although the function of this unusual N-PfCDS remains enigmatic, the study here highlights features of this essential gene and its biological importance during the intra-erythrocytic cycle of the parasite.

A silenced Plasmodium falciparum var promoter can be activated in vivo through spontaneous deletion of a silencing element in the intron.

Introns of Plasmodium falciparum var genes act as transcriptional silencing elements that help control antigenic variations. In transfected episomes, intron silencing of a drug-selectable marker under var promoter control is reversed by the spontaneous deletion of key intron regions. The resulting promoter activation does not affect the transcription of chromosomal var genes.

Plasmodium falciparum var genes are regulated by two regions with separate promoters, one upstream of the coding region and a second within the intron.

Antigenic variation in Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites results from switches in expression among members of the multicopy var gene family. This family is subject to allelic exclusion by which particular genes are expressed while the rest of the family remains transcriptionally silent. Evidence from reporter constructs indicates that var gene silencing involves a cooperative interaction between the var intron and an upstream element and requires transition of the parasites through S-phase of the cell cycle. These findings implicate chromatin assembly in the process of regulating var gene expression and antigenic variation. Here we characterize the var intron and the elements within it that are necessary for var transcriptional silencing. Alignments of var introns show a highly conserved structure that consists of three discreet regions with distinct base pair compositions. The middle region is highly AT-rich and is sufficient to silence an associated var promoter. Constructs that include a typical var intron upstream of a reporter gene or drug-selectable marker reveal that the intron also possesses promoter activity, presumably providing an explanation for the origin of the previously described var "sterile" transcripts. Deletions that disable the promoter activity of the intron also eliminate its ability to function as a silencer. These findings suggest that interactions between the regions of these two promoters and the generation of the sterile transcripts play a significant role in regulating var gene expression.