Biology subjects

Munday, J. C.

Publications and source records attributed to Munday, J. C..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Trypanosoma congolense Variant Surface Glycoprotein gene expression occurs in the absence of monoallelic transcription control

Antigenic variation is a very widespread process for pathogen evasion of mammalian adaptive immunity, involving the continuous change of exposed antigens. In many single-celled pathogens, antigen expression during antigenic variation is monoallelic: just a single gene from a large family is expressed in one cell at a time. In African trypanosomes, antigenic variation relies on expression of Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG), and in Trypanosoma brucei there is detailed understanding of the machinery that dictates that only one of approximately 15 VSG expression sites is actively transcribed at a time. In the closely related African trypanosome, T. congolense, which remains a significant blight on agriculture productivity in sub-Sharan Africa, we have no such understanding of VSG gene expression control or dynamics. Here, we have investigated the mechanics of antigenic variation in T. congolense, first examining the patterns of VSG expression at the transcript and protein level in small parasite populations in vitro. Surprisingly, this analysis revealed much greater VSG diversity than seen in T. brucei, with such expression diversity unaltered in mutants that impair homologous recombination. Using single cell transcriptomics, we explain this diversity, since we find no evidence for monoallelic transcription of T. congolense VSGs, but show instead that each parasite can dynamically express up to [~]40 different VSGs in a single cell both in vitro and in vivo. VSG co-expression occurs from VSG genes distributed across the genome, indicating the lack of a dedicated locus for VSG transcription. Thus, comparing two trypanosome species that rely on the same class of surface antigen for immune evasion has revealed highly distinct mechanisms for controlling antigen gene expression, challenging the assumed common operation of antigenic variation across African trypanosome species.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2026

De novo assembly of the Trypanosoma congolense genome reveals an organisation influenced by antigenic variation but distinct from Trypanosoma brucei

Antigenic variation is a widespread process for pathogen evasion of mammalian adaptive immunity, involving the continuous change in exposed antigens. In African trypanosomes, antigenic variation involves changes in the expression of Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG). Understanding of VSG expression control and change amongst African trypanosomes is most advanced in Trypanosoma brucei. In the important animal trypanosome, Trypanosoma congolense, incomplete assembly of the genome has held back understanding of the mechanics of antigenic variation. Here, we have used long-read DNA sequencing and Hi-C DNA interaction analysis to provide a telomere-telomere assembly of the T. congolense genome. This assembly reveals a genome comprising 12 diploid chromosomes, one tetraploid chromosome, and more than 100 small chromosomes. Within this new assembly, we reveal several features of VSG organisation and expression that differ from T. brucei. The majority of the T. congolense VSG archive, estimated at [~]1500 genes, localises to subtelomeres in 12 of the 13 large chromosomes, but these loci are notably smaller than are found in T. brucei. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis reveals expression of VSGs across the T. congolense subtelomeres, which are not separated within the nucleus from non-VSG chromosome regions, indicating that there is no dedicated VSG expression site. Strikingly, one chromosome contains approximately 40% of the VSG archive and is largely transcriptionally silent, potentially acting as the major reservoir of new VSG variants. Finally, we show that VSG expression can be detected from multiple small chromosomes. In summary, the new genome assembly provides a platform for understanding a potentially unusual operation of VSG expression and switching in T. congolense.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Novel kinetoplastid-specific cAMP binding proteins identified by RNAi screening for cAMP resistance in T. brucei

Cyclic AMP signalling in trypanosomes differs from most eukaryotes due to absence of known cAMP effectors and cAMP independence of PKA. We have previously identified four genes from a genome-wide RNAi screen for resistance to the cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor NPD-001. The genes were named cAMP Response Protein (CARP) 1 through 4. Here, we report an additional six CARP candidate genes from the original sample, after deep sequencing of the RNA interference target pool retrieved after NPD-001 selection (RIT-seq). The resistance phenotypes were confirmed by targeted RNAi knockdown and highest level of resistance to NPD-001, approximately 17-fold, was seen for knockdown of CARP7 (Tb927.7.4510). CARP1 and CARP11 contain predicted cyclic AMP binding domains and bind cAMP as evidenced by capture and competition on immobilised cAMP. CARP orthologues are strongly enriched in kinetoplastid species, and CARP3 and CARP11 are unique to Trypanosoma. Localization data and/or domain architecture of all CARPs predict association with the T. brucei flagellum. This suggests a crucial role of cAMP in flagellar function, in line with the cell division phenotype caused by high cAMP and the known role of the flagellum for cytokinesis. The CARP collection is a resource for discovery of unusual cAMP pathways and flagellar biology. ImportanceTrypanosomes are major pathogens of humans and livestock. In addition they have been invaluable as a model system to investigate new biological systems, and not just of protozoa. Equally, they are known to have a lot of unique biology and biochemistry. One example of this is signal transduction by cyclic nucleotides. Some elements, including phosphodiesterases and the catalytic domains of its dozens of adenylate cyclase isoforms, are highly conserved, while the absence of G-proteins, a cAMP-responsive protein kinase A and other known effector types suggests a unique cAMP-dependent pathway, which as yet is mostly uncharacterised. Here, we identify a set of ten Trypanosoma brucei proteins, all localised to its flagellum, that appear to be involved in the production of cAMP, or in mediating its cellular effects. These cAMP Response Proteins (CARPs) were mostly unique to trypanosomes, suggesting a completely novel pathway. Two of the CARPs were shown to bind cAMP and were found to possess structurally conserved cyclic nucleotide binding domains.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Diminazene resistance in Trypanosoma congolense is linked to reduced mitochondrial membrane potential and not to reduced transport capacity

Trypanosoma congolense is one of the principal agents causing livestock trypanosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa. This wasting disease is costing these developing economies billions of dollars and undermining food security. Only two old drugs, the diamidine diminazene and the phenanthridine isometamidium are regularly used, and resistance is widespread but poorly understood. We induce diminazene resistance in T. congolense laboratory strain IL3000 in vitro. Resistance was stable and not deleterious to in vitro growth. There was no cross-resistance with the phenanthridine drugs, with melaminophenyl arsenicals, with two promising new oxaborole trypanocides, nor with other diamidine trypanocides such as pentamidine, except the close structural analogues DB829 and DB75. Fluorescence microscopy showed that accumulation of DB75 was inhibited by folate. Uptake of [3H]-diminazene was also partly inhibited by folate, as well as by competing diamidine drugs, albeit at quite high concentrations, and uptake of tritiated diminazene and pentamidine was slow and low affinity. Uptake of [3H]-folate was in turn partly inhibited by diminazene, and inhibition of diminazene uptake by folate and pentamidine appeared to be additive, indicating multiple low affinity transport mechanisms for the drug. Expression of the T. congolense folate transporters TcoFT1-3 in diminazene-resistant T. b. brucei significantly sensitized the cells to diminazene and DB829, but not to oxaborole AN7973. However, [3H]-diminazene uptake was not different in T. congolense IL3000 and its diminazene resistant clones and RNAseq and whole-genome sequencing of multiple resistant clones did not reveal major changes in folate transporter sequence or expression. Instead, flow cytometry revealed a strong and stable reduction in the mitochondrial membrane potential {Psi}m in all resistant clones. We conclude that diminazene uptake in T. congolense proceed via multiple low affinity mechanisms including folate transporters and that resistance is the result of a reduction in {Psi}m that limits mitochondrial accumulation of the drug.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Positively selected modifications in the pore of TbAQP2 allow pentamidine to enter Trypanosoma brucei

Mutations in the Trypanosoma brucei aquaporin AQP2 are associated with resistance to pentamidine and melarsoprol. We show that TbAQP2 but not TbAQP3 was positively selected for increased pore size from a common ancestor aquaporin. We demonstrate that TbAQP2s unique architecture permits pentamidine permeation through its central pore and show how specific mutations in highly conserved motifs affect drug permeation. Introduction of key TbAQP2 amino acids into TbAQP3 renders the latter permeable to pentamidine. Molecular dynamics demonstrates that permeation by dicationic pentamidine is energetically favourable in TbAQP2, driven by the membrane potential, although aquaporins are normally strictly impermeable for ionic species. We also identify the structural determinants that make pentamidine a permeant but exclude most other diamidine drugs. Our results have wide-ranging implications for optimising antitrypanosomal drugs and averting cross-resistance. Moreover, these new insights in aquaporin permeation may allow the pharmacological exploitation of other members of this ubiquitous gene family.

biochemistry↗