Mechanism of genetic exchange in American trypanosomes

Michael W. Gaunt; Matthew Yeo; Jain A. Frame; Russell Stothard; Hernan J. Carrasco; Martin C. Taylor; Susana Solis Mena; Paul Veazey; Graham A.J. Miles; Nidia Acosta; Antonieta Rojas De Arias; Michael A. Miles

doi:10.1038/nature01438

Mechanism of genetic exchange in American trypanosomes

Michael W. Gaunt, Matthew Yeo, Jain A. Frame, Russell Stothard, Hernan J. Carrasco, Martin C. Taylor, Susana Solis Mena, Paul Veazey, Graham A.J. Miles, Nidia Acosta, Antonieta Rojas De Arias, Michael A. Miles

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

316 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The kinetoplastid Protozoa are responsible for devastating diseases. In the Americas, Trypanosoma cruzi is the agent of Chagas' disease - a widespread disease transmissible from animals to humans (zoonosis) - which is transmitted by exposure to infected faeces of blood-sucking triatomine bugs2. The presence of genetic exchange in T. cruzi and in Leishmania is much debated3,4. Here, by producing hybrid clones, we show that T. cruzi has an extant capacity for genetic exchange. The mechanism is unusual and distinct from that proposed for the African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei5. Two biological clones6 of T. cruzi were transfected to carry different drug-resistance markers7,8, and were passaged together through the entire life cycle. Six double-drug-resistant progeny clones, recovered from the mammalian stage of the life cycle, show fusion of parental genotypes, loss of alleles, homologous recombination, and uniparental inheritance of kinetoplast maxicircle DNA. There are strong genetic parallels between these experimental hybrids and the genotypes among natural isolates of T. cruzi. In this instance, aneuploidy through nuclear hybridization results in recombination across far greater genetic distances than mendelian genetic exchange. This mechanism also parallels genome duplication.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	936-939
Number of pages	4
Journal	Nature
Volume	421
Issue number	6926
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01438
Publication status	Published - 27 Feb 2003
Externally published	Yes

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@article{f9b684608420410f8efb0d5ef8b3679f,

title = "Mechanism of genetic exchange in American trypanosomes",

abstract = "The kinetoplastid Protozoa are responsible for devastating diseases. In the Americas, Trypanosoma cruzi is the agent of Chagas' disease - a widespread disease transmissible from animals to humans (zoonosis) - which is transmitted by exposure to infected faeces of blood-sucking triatomine bugs2. The presence of genetic exchange in T. cruzi and in Leishmania is much debated3,4. Here, by producing hybrid clones, we show that T. cruzi has an extant capacity for genetic exchange. The mechanism is unusual and distinct from that proposed for the African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei5. Two biological clones6 of T. cruzi were transfected to carry different drug-resistance markers7,8, and were passaged together through the entire life cycle. Six double-drug-resistant progeny clones, recovered from the mammalian stage of the life cycle, show fusion of parental genotypes, loss of alleles, homologous recombination, and uniparental inheritance of kinetoplast maxicircle DNA. There are strong genetic parallels between these experimental hybrids and the genotypes among natural isolates of T. cruzi. In this instance, aneuploidy through nuclear hybridization results in recombination across far greater genetic distances than mendelian genetic exchange. This mechanism also parallels genome duplication.",

author = "Gaunt, \{Michael W.\} and Matthew Yeo and Frame, \{Jain A.\} and Russell Stothard and Carrasco, \{Hernan J.\} and Taylor, \{Martin C.\} and Mena, \{Susana Solis\} and Paul Veazey and Miles, \{Graham A.J.\} and Nidia Acosta and \{De Arias\}, \{Antonieta Rojas\} and Miles, \{Michael A.\}",

year = "2003",

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day = "27",

doi = "10.1038/nature01438",

language = "English",

volume = "421",

pages = "936--939",

journal = "Nature",

issn = "0028-0836",

publisher = "Nature Research",

number = "6926",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Mechanism of genetic exchange in American trypanosomes

AU - Gaunt, Michael W.

AU - Yeo, Matthew

AU - Frame, Jain A.

AU - Stothard, Russell

AU - Carrasco, Hernan J.

AU - Taylor, Martin C.

AU - Mena, Susana Solis

AU - Veazey, Paul

AU - Miles, Graham A.J.

AU - Acosta, Nidia

AU - De Arias, Antonieta Rojas

AU - Miles, Michael A.

PY - 2003/2/27

Y1 - 2003/2/27

N2 - The kinetoplastid Protozoa are responsible for devastating diseases. In the Americas, Trypanosoma cruzi is the agent of Chagas' disease - a widespread disease transmissible from animals to humans (zoonosis) - which is transmitted by exposure to infected faeces of blood-sucking triatomine bugs2. The presence of genetic exchange in T. cruzi and in Leishmania is much debated3,4. Here, by producing hybrid clones, we show that T. cruzi has an extant capacity for genetic exchange. The mechanism is unusual and distinct from that proposed for the African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei5. Two biological clones6 of T. cruzi were transfected to carry different drug-resistance markers7,8, and were passaged together through the entire life cycle. Six double-drug-resistant progeny clones, recovered from the mammalian stage of the life cycle, show fusion of parental genotypes, loss of alleles, homologous recombination, and uniparental inheritance of kinetoplast maxicircle DNA. There are strong genetic parallels between these experimental hybrids and the genotypes among natural isolates of T. cruzi. In this instance, aneuploidy through nuclear hybridization results in recombination across far greater genetic distances than mendelian genetic exchange. This mechanism also parallels genome duplication.

AB - The kinetoplastid Protozoa are responsible for devastating diseases. In the Americas, Trypanosoma cruzi is the agent of Chagas' disease - a widespread disease transmissible from animals to humans (zoonosis) - which is transmitted by exposure to infected faeces of blood-sucking triatomine bugs2. The presence of genetic exchange in T. cruzi and in Leishmania is much debated3,4. Here, by producing hybrid clones, we show that T. cruzi has an extant capacity for genetic exchange. The mechanism is unusual and distinct from that proposed for the African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei5. Two biological clones6 of T. cruzi were transfected to carry different drug-resistance markers7,8, and were passaged together through the entire life cycle. Six double-drug-resistant progeny clones, recovered from the mammalian stage of the life cycle, show fusion of parental genotypes, loss of alleles, homologous recombination, and uniparental inheritance of kinetoplast maxicircle DNA. There are strong genetic parallels between these experimental hybrids and the genotypes among natural isolates of T. cruzi. In this instance, aneuploidy through nuclear hybridization results in recombination across far greater genetic distances than mendelian genetic exchange. This mechanism also parallels genome duplication.

U2 - 10.1038/nature01438

DO - 10.1038/nature01438

M3 - Article

SN - 0028-0836

VL - 421

SP - 936

EP - 939

JO - Nature

JF - Nature

IS - 6926

ER -

Mechanism of genetic exchange in American trypanosomes

Abstract

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