The length of the combined 3' untranslated region and poly(A) tail does not control rates of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA translation in three species of parasitic protists.

Experimental observations suggested that the length of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) mRNA 3' end has a role in regulating rates of translation in the parasitic protists Trypanosoma brucei, Leishmania donovani, and Trichomonas vaginalis. Using a PCR assay for poly(A) tail length, we measured the size of the RNA 3' end under different growth conditions in all three species. Our results showed that the combined 3' untranslated region and poly(A) tail of GAPDH mRNA do not vary with different rates of translation.