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Updated: May 19, 2026

Examination of the Telomere G-overhang Structure in Trypanosoma brucei
Published on: January 26, 2011
Gene duplication in trypanosomatids - two DED1 paralogs are functionally redundant and differentially expressed
Alexandra Zinoviev1, Yael Akum, Tal Yahav
1Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Abstract:
DED1/VAS belong to the DEAD-box family of RNA helicases that are associated with translation initiation in higher eukaryotes. Here we report on two DED1/VAS homologs that were identified in the genome of Leishmania. The two paralogs include all the domains that are typical of DEAD-box proteins and a phylogenetic analysis suggests that their duplication predates the branching of DED1 and VAS, which took place along with the appearance of early metazoans. The two Leishmania DED1 paralogs complement a yeast strain that fails to express the endogenous DED1, suggesting that they are responsible for a similar function. This is also supported by RNAi-mediated silencing experiments performed in Trypanosoma brucei. The two proteins are functionally redundant, since defects in protein synthesis and cell growth arrest were observed only when both paralogs were eliminated. A partial stage-specific specialization is observed, as LeishDED1-2 is more abundant in promastigotes, whereas expression of LeishDED1-1 increases in amastigotes. Duplication of an essential gene usually offers a safety net against mutations but in this case it also generated two proteins with stage specific expression.
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