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High-throughput Gene Tagging in Trypanosoma brucei
Published on: August 12, 2016
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Transcriptome Profiling of Trypanosoma brucei Development in the Tsetse Fly Vector Glossina morsitans
Amy F Savage1, Nikolay G Kolev1, Joseph B Franklin2
1Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
Plos One
|December 22, 2016
Summary
African trypanosomes undergo complex development in tsetse flies. High-throughput RNA-Sequencing reveals key gene expression changes in the midgut, proventriculus, and salivary glands, offering insights into disease transmission.
Area of Science:
- Parasitology
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- African trypanosomes cause sleeping sickness and nagana.
- Their complex life cycle involves mammalian hosts and tsetse flies.
- Molecular studies of trypanosome development in tsetse flies are challenging due to material limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To profile Trypanosoma brucei transcript levels in three tsetse fly tissues.
- To identify molecular mechanisms of trypanosome development and adaptation within the insect vector.
- To provide a molecular basis for understanding disease transmission.
Main Methods:
- High-throughput RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) was employed.
- Transcriptome analysis was performed on three distinct tsetse fly tissues: midgut, proventriculus, and salivary glands.
- Gene ontology analysis was used to interpret functional changes.
Main Results:
- Midgut transcriptome showed high expression of procyclin isoforms and cytochrome oxidase components.
- Salivary gland transcriptome revealed extreme up-regulation of metacyclic VSGs (mVSGs) and BARP.
- Proventriculus transcriptome indicated up-regulation of DNA metabolism and replication; salivary glands showed changes in signal transduction and cyclic nucleotide metabolism.
Conclusions:
- A limited set of expressed mVSGs are highlighted.
- Potential signaling pathways involving adenylate cyclases and PADs (Proteins Associated with Differentiation) were identified for environmental adaptation.
- RNA-binding proteins are suggested as potential global gene expression regulators.
