Recombinant Trichomonas vaginalis eIF-5A protein expressed from a eukaryotic system binds specifically to mammalian and putative trichomonal eIF-5A response elements (EREs).

Trichomonas vaginalis eIF-5A-like protein (TveIF-5A) belongs to the highly conserved eIF-5A family of proteins that contains a unique polyamine-derived amino acid, hypusine. Recently, we determined that the polyamine putrescine is required for tveif-5a mRNA stability, and it is necessary for stability and maturation of the TveIF-5A protein. Eukaryotic eIF-5A is known to be involved in mRNA turnover and is capable of sequence-specific RNA binding to eIF-5A response elements (EREs). These ERE sequences are present in diverse mammalian mRNAs, including human cyclooxygenase-2 (cox-2). Here, we cloned the complete coding sequence of TveIF-5A and overexpressed it in a eukaryotic system. The recombinant protein (rTveIF-5A) was purified in soluble form using size-exclusion chromatography. Because of the polyamine-dependent regulation of TvCP39 (a protease of T. vaginalis) at the protein and RNA messenger (mRNA) levels, we looked for an ERE-like structure in the 3' region of tvcp39 mRNA. In RNA gel-shift assays, rTveIF-5A bound to transcripts at the EREs of cox-2 or tvcp39 mRNAs. This work shows the eIF-5A/ERE-like interaction in T. vaginalis.