Slight temperature changes cause rapid transcriptomic responses in Trypanosoma cruzi metacyclic trypomastigotes

Area of Science:

• Parasitology
• Molecular Biology
• Genomics

Background:

• Temperature fluctuations impact infectious agent behavior and ecology.
• Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, exhibits high genetic variability and a complex life cycle.
• Studies indicate temperature affects Trypanosoma cruzi metacyclic trypomastigote (MT) viability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of minor temperature variations on the transcriptional profiles of Trypanosoma cruzi discrete typing units (DTUs) I and II (TcI and TcII) MT.
• To identify differentially expressed genes and associated metabolic pathways in response to thermal stress.

Main Methods:

• Trypanosoma cruzi parasites (TcI and TcII) were exposed to 27°C and 28°C, with 26°C as control.
• RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed to analyze gene expression.
• Differentially expressed genes were quantified and mapped to metabolic pathways.

Main Results:

• A significant difference in MT numbers was observed at elevated temperatures.
• TcII DTU showed less impact from higher temperatures compared to TcI.
• Gene ontology analysis revealed decreased expression of genes involved in lipid/carbohydrate metabolism, oxidative stress evasion, proteolysis, phosphorylation, and ribosomal proteins, with increased GP63 expression in TcII.

Conclusions:

• Minor temperature shifts induce cell death in TcI and TcII metacyclic trypomastigotes.
• This cell death results from the deregulation of critical gene expression pathways.
• Findings highlight the sensitivity of Trypanosoma cruzi DTUs to thermal stress.