Trypanosomatid shuttle vectors: new tools for the functional dissection of parasite genomes

In the past five years, gene-transfer systems have been established for each of the medically important trypanosomatids: Leishmania sp, Trypanosoma brucei and T. cruzi. Transformation can be mediated by integration, which occurs exclusively by homologous recombination, or by episomal shuttle vectors. In this article, John Kelly will focus on recent progress in the development and applications of trypanosomatid shuttle vectors, ie. vectors which are maintained extrachromosomally and which are capable of autonomous replication in both trypanosomatid and bacterial hosts.