Dataset Information

Nuclear Compartmentalization Contributes to Stage-Specific Gene Expression Control in Trypanosoma cruzi.

ABSTRACT: In the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, as in other trypanosomatids, transcription of protein coding genes occurs in a constitutive fashion, producing large polycistronic transcription units. These units are composed of non-functionally related genes which are pervasively processed to yield each mRNA. Therefore, post-transcriptional processes are crucial to regulate gene expression. Considering that nuclear compartmentalization could contribute to gene expression regulation, we comparatively studied the nuclear, cytoplasmic and whole cell transcriptomes of the non-infective epimastigote stage of T. cruzi, using RNA-Seq. We found that the cytoplasmic transcriptome tightly correlates with the whole cell transcriptome and both equally correlate with the proteome. Nonetheless, 1,200 transcripts showed differential abundance between the nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions. For the genes with transcript content augmented in the nucleus, significant structural and compositional differences were found. The analysis of the reported epimastigote translatome and proteome, revealed scarce ribosome footprints and encoded proteins for them. Ontology analyses unveiled that many of these genes are distinctive of other parasite life-cycle stages. Finally, the relocalization of transcript abundance in the metacyclic trypomastigote infective stage was confirmed for specific genes. While gene expression is strongly dependent on transcript steady-state level, we here highlight the importance of the distribution of transcripts abundance between compartments in T. cruzi. Particularly, we show that nuclear compartmentation is playing an active role in the developmental stage determination preventing off-stage expression.

SUBMITTER: Pastro L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5303743 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Nuclear Compartmentalization Contributes to Stage-Specific Gene Expression Control in <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>.

Pastro Lucía L Smircich Pablo P Di Paolo Andrés A Becco Lorena L Duhagon María A MA Sotelo-Silveira José J Garat Beatriz B

Frontiers in cell and developmental biology 20170213

In the protozoan parasite <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>, as in other trypanosomatids, transcription of protein coding genes occurs in a constitutive fashion, producing large polycistronic transcription units. These units are composed of non-functionally related genes which are pervasively processed to yield each mRNA. Therefore, post-transcriptional processes are crucial to regulate gene expression. Considering that nuclear compartmentalization could contribute to gene expression regulation, we compa ...[more]

PMID: 28243589

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Project description:Due to the absence of transcription initiation regulation of protein coding genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II, posttranscriptional regulation is responsible for the majority of gene expression changes in trypanosomatids. Therefore, cataloging the abundance of mRNAs (transcriptome) and the level of their translation (translatome) is a key step to understand control of gene expression in these organisms.Here we assess the extent of regulation of the transcriptome and the translatome in the Chagas disease causing agent, Trypanosoma cruzi, in both the non-infective (epimastigote) and infective (metacyclic trypomastigote) insect's life stages using RNA-seq and ribosome profiling. The observed steady state transcript levels support constitutive transcription and maturation implying the existence of distinctive posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms controlling gene expression levels at those parasite stages. Meanwhile, the downregulation of a large proportion of the translatome indicates a key role of translation control in differentiation into the infective form. The previously described proteomic data correlate better with the translatomes than with the transcriptomes and translational efficiency analysis shows a wide dynamic range, reinforcing the importance of translatability as a regulatory step. Translation efficiencies for protein families like ribosomal components are diminished while translation of the transialidase virulence factors is upregulated in the quiescent infective metacyclic trypomastigote stage.A large subset of genes is modulated at the translation level in two different stages of Trypanosoma cruzi life cycle. Translation upregulation of virulence factors and downregulation of ribosomal proteins indicates different degrees of control operating to prepare the parasite for an infective life form. Taking together our results show that translational regulation, in addition to regulation of steady state level of mRNA, is a major factor playing a role during the parasite differentiation.

Dataset Information

Nuclear Compartmentalization Contributes to Stage-Specific Gene Expression Control in Trypanosoma cruzi.

Publications

Nuclear Compartmentalization Contributes to Stage-Specific Gene Expression Control in <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i>.

Similar Datasets

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