scholarly journals Editosome Accessory Factors KREPB9 and KREPB10 in Trypanosoma brucei

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 832-843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Lerch ◽  
Jason Carnes ◽  
Nathalie Acestor ◽  
Xuemin Guo ◽  
Achim Schnaufer ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Multiprotein complexes, called editosomes, catalyze the uridine insertion and deletion RNA editing that forms translatable mitochondrial mRNAs in kinetoplastid parasites. We have identified here two new U1-like zinc finger proteins that associate with editosomes and have shown that they are related to KREPB6, KREPB7, and KREPB8, and thus we have named them K inetoplastid R NA E diting P roteins, KREPB9 and KREPB10. They are conserved and syntenic in trypanosomatids although KREPB10 is absent in Trypanosoma vivax and both are absent in Leishmania . Tandem affinity purification (TAP)-tagged KREPB9 and KREPB10 incorporate into ∼20S editosomes and/or subcomplexes thereof and preferentially associate with deletion subcomplexes, as do KREPB6, KREPB7, and KREPB8. KREPB10 also associates with editosomes that are isolated via a chimeric endonuclease, KREN1 in KREPB8 RNA interference (RNAi) cells, or MEAT1. The purified complexes have precleaved editing activities and endonuclease cleavage activity that appears to leave a 5′ OH on the 3′ product. RNAi knockdowns did not affect growth but resulted in relative reductions of both edited and unedited mitochondrial mRNAs. The similarity of KREPB9 and KREPB10 to KREPB6, KREPB7, and KREPB8 suggests they may be accessory factors that affect editing endonuclease activity and as a consequence may affect mitochondrial mRNA stability. KREPB9 and KREPB10, along with KREPB6, KREPB7, and KREPB8, may enable the endonucleases to discriminate among and accurately cleave hundreds of different editing sites and may be involved in the control of differential editing during the life cycle of T. brucei .

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 356-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke Morriswood ◽  
Katharina Havlicek ◽  
Lars Demmel ◽  
Sevil Yavuz ◽  
Marco Sealey-Cardona ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The trypanosomes are a family of parasitic protists of which the African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei , is the best characterized. The complex and highly ordered cytoskeleton of T. brucei has been shown to play vital roles in its biology but remains difficult to study, in large part owing to the intractability of its constituent proteins. Existing methods of protein identification, such as bioinformatic analysis, generation of monoclonal antibody panels, proteomics, affinity purification, and yeast two-hybrid screens, all have drawbacks. Such deficiencies—troublesome proteins and technical limitations—are common not only to T. brucei but also to many other protists, many of which are even less well studied. Proximity-dependent biotin identification (BioID) is a recently developed technique that allows forward screens for interaction partners and near neighbors in a native environment with no requirement for solubility in nonionic detergent. As such, it is extremely well suited to the exploration of the cytoskeleton. In this project, BioID was adapted for use in T. brucei . The trypanosome bilobe, a discrete cytoskeletal structure with few known protein components, represented an excellent test subject. Use of the bilobe protein TbMORN1 as a probe resulted in the identification of seven new bilobe constituents and two new flagellum attachment zone proteins. This constitutes the first usage of BioID on a largely uncharacterized structure, and demonstrates its utility in identifying new components of such a structure. This remarkable success validates BioID as a new tool for the study of unicellular eukaryotes in particular and the eukaryotic cytoskeleton in general.


mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucie Kafková ◽  
Chengjian Tu ◽  
Kyle L. Pazzo ◽  
Kyle P. Smith ◽  
Erik W. Debler ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In Trypanosoma brucei and related kinetoplastid parasites, transcription of protein coding genes is largely unregulated. Rather, mRNA binding proteins, which impact processes such as transcript stability and translation efficiency, are the predominant regulators of gene expression. Arginine methylation is a posttranslational modification that preferentially targets RNA binding proteins and is, therefore, likely to have a substantial impact on T. brucei biology. The data presented here demonstrate that cells depleted of T. brucei PRMT1 (TbPRMT1), a major type I protein arginine methyltransferase, exhibit decreased virulence in an animal model. To understand the basis of this phenotype, quantitative global proteomics was employed to measure protein steady-state levels in cells lacking TbPRMT1. The approach revealed striking changes in proteins involved in energy metabolism. Most prominent were a decrease in glycolytic enzyme abundance and an increase in proline degradation pathway components, changes that resemble the metabolic remodeling that occurs during T. brucei life cycle progression. The work describes several RNA binding proteins whose association with mRNA was altered in TbPRMT1-depleted cells, and a large number of TbPRMT1-interacting proteins, thereby highlighting potential TbPRMT1 substrates. Many proteins involved in the T. brucei starvation stress response were found to interact with TbPRMT1, prompting analysis of the response of TbPRMT1-depleted cells to nutrient deprivation. Indeed, depletion of TbPRMT1 strongly hinders the ability of T. brucei to form cytoplasmic mRNA granules under starvation conditions. Finally, this work shows that TbPRMT1 itself binds nucleic acids in vitro and in vivo, a feature completely novel to protein arginine methyltransferases. IMPORTANCE Trypanosoma brucei infection causes human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, a disease with a nearly 100% fatality rate when untreated. Current drugs are expensive, toxic, and highly impractical to administer, prompting the community to explore various unique aspects of T. brucei biology in search of better treatments. In this study, we identified the protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT), TbPRMT1, as a factor that modulates numerous aspects of T. brucei biology. These include glycolysis and life cycle progression signaling, both of which are being intensely researched toward identification of potential drug targets. Our data will aid research in those fields. Furthermore, we demonstrate for the first time a direct association of a PRMT with nucleic acids, a finding we believe could translate to other organisms, including humans, thereby impacting research in fields as distant as human cancer biology and immune response modulation.


mSphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Carnes ◽  
Suzanne M. McDermott ◽  
Kenneth Stuart

ABSTRACT Editosomes are the multiprotein complexes that catalyze the insertion and deletion of uridines to create translatable mRNAs in the mitochondria of kinetoplastids. Recognition and cleavage of a broad diversity of RNA substrates in vivo require three functionally distinct RNase III-type endonucleases, as well as five additional editosome proteins that contain noncatalytic RNase III domains. RNase III domains have recently been identified in the editosome accessory proteins KREPB9 and KREPB10, suggesting a role related to editing endonuclease function. In this report, we definitively show that KREPB9 and KREPB10 are not essential in either bloodstream-form parasites (BF) or procyclic-form parasites (PF) by creating null or conditional null cell lines. While preedited and edited transcripts are largely unaffected by the loss of KREPB9 in both PF and BF, loss of KREPB10 produces distinct responses in BF and PF. BF cells lacking KREPB10 also lack edited CYb, while PF cells have increased edited A6, RPS12, ND3, and COII after loss of KREPB10. We also demonstrate that mutation of the RNase III domain of either KREPB9 or KREPB10 results in decreased association with ~20S editosomes. Editosome interactions with KREPB9 and KREPB10 are therefore mediated by the noncatalytic RNase III domain, consistent with a role in endonuclease specialization in Trypanosoma brucei. IMPORTANCE Trypanosoma brucei is a protozoan parasite that causes African sleeping sickness. U insertion/deletion RNA editing in T. brucei generates mature mitochondrial mRNAs. Editing is essential for survival in mammalian hosts and tsetse fly vectors and is differentially regulated during the parasite life cycle. Three multiprotein “editosomes,” typified by exclusive RNase III endonucleases that act at distinct sites, catalyze editing. Here, we show that editosome accessory proteins KREPB9 and KREPB10 are not essential for mammalian blood- or insect-form parasite survival but have specific and differential effects on edited RNA abundance in different stages. We also characterize KREPB9 and KREPB10 noncatalytic RNase III domains and show they are essential for editosome association, potentially via dimerization with RNase III domains in other editosome proteins. This work enhances the understanding of distinct editosome and accessory protein functions, and thus differential editing, during the parasite life cycle and highlights the importance of RNase III domain interactions to editosome architecture.


2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 734-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
David F. Bruhn ◽  
Mark P. Sammartino ◽  
Michele M. Klingbeil

ABSTRACT Trypanosoma brucei , the causative agent of human African trypanosomiasis, has a complex life cycle that includes multiple life cycle stages and metabolic changes as the parasite switches between insect vector and mammalian host. The parasite's single mitochondrion contains a unique catenated mitochondrial DNA network called kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) that is composed of minicircles and maxicircles. Long-standing uncertainty about the requirement of kDNA in bloodstream form (BF) T. brucei has recently eroded, with reports of posttranscriptional editing and subsequent translation of kDNA-encoded transcripts as essential processes for BF parasites. These studies suggest that kDNA and its faithful replication are indispensable for this life cycle stage. Here we demonstrate that three kDNA replication proteins (mitochondrial DNA polymerases IB, IC, and ID) are required for BF parasite viability. Silencing of each polymerase was lethal, resulting in kDNA loss, persistence of prereplication DNA monomers, and collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential. These data demonstrate that kDNA replication is indeed crucial for BF T. brucei . The contributions of mitochondrial DNA polymerases IB, IC, and ID to BF parasite viability suggest that these and other kDNA replication proteins warrant further investigation as a new class of targets for the development of antitrypanosomal drugs.


mSphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Zhang ◽  
Tai An ◽  
Kieu T. M. Pham ◽  
Zhao-Rong Lun ◽  
Ziyin Li

ABSTRACT The early divergent protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei alternates between the insect vector and the mammalian hosts during its life cycle and proliferates through binary cell fission. The cell cycle control system in T. brucei differs substantially from that in its mammalian hosts and possesses distinct mitosis-cytokinesis checkpoint controls between two life cycle stages, the procyclic form and the bloodstream form. T. brucei undergoes an unusual mode of cytokinesis, which is controlled by a novel signaling cascade consisting of evolutionarily conserved protein kinases and trypanosome-specific regulatory proteins in the procyclic form. However, given the distinct mitosis-cytokinesis checkpoints between the two forms, it is unclear whether the cytokinesis regulatory pathway discovered in the procyclic form also operates in a similar manner in the bloodstream form. Here, we showed that the three regulators of cytokinesis initiation, cytokinesis initiation factor 1 (CIF1), CIF2, and CIF3, are interdependent for subcellular localization but not for protein stability as in the procyclic form. Further, we demonstrated that KLIF, a regulator of cytokinesis completion in the procyclic form, plays limited roles in cytokinesis in the bloodstream form. Finally, we showed that the cleavage furrow-localizing protein FRW1 is required for cytokinesis initiation in the bloodstream form but is nonessential for cytokinesis in the procyclic form. Together, these results identify conserved and life cycle-specific functions of cytokinesis regulators, highlighting the distinction in the regulation of cytokinesis between different life cycle stages of T. brucei. IMPORTANCE The early divergent protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. This parasite has a complex life cycle by alternating between the insect vector and the mammalian hosts and proliferates by binary cell fission. The control of cell division in trypanosomes appears to be distinct from that in its human host and differs substantially between two life cycle stages, the procyclic (insect) form and the bloodstream form. Cytokinesis, the final step of binary cell fission, is regulated by a novel signaling cascade consisting of two evolutionarily conserved protein kinases and a cohort of trypanosome-specific regulators in the procyclic form, but whether this signaling pathway operates in a similar manner in the bloodstream form is unclear. In this report, we performed a functional analysis of multiple cytokinesis regulators and discovered their distinct functions and regulations in the bloodstream form.


2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (23) ◽  
pp. 3945-3961 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne M. McDermott ◽  
Jason Carnes ◽  
Kenneth Stuart

KREPB5 is an essential component of ∼20S editosomes inTrypanosoma bruceiwhich contains a degenerate, noncatalytic RNase III domain. To explore the function of this protein, we used a novel approach to make and screen numerous conditional nullT. bruceibloodstream form cell lines that express randomly mutagenized KREPB5 alleles. We identified nine single amino acid substitutions that could not complement the conditional loss of wild-type KREPB5. Seven of these were within the RNase III domain, and two were in the C-terminal region that has no homology to known motifs. Exclusive expression of these mutated KREPB5 alleles in the absence of wild-type allele expression resulted in growth inhibition, the loss of ∼20S editosomes, and inhibition of RNA editing in BF cells. Eight of these mutations were lethal in bloodstream form parasites but not in procyclic-form parasites, showing that multiple domains function in a life cycle-dependent manner. Amino acid changes at a substantial number of positions, including up to 7 per allele, allowed complementation and thus did not block KREPB5 function. Hence, the degenerate RNase III domain and a newly identified domain are critical for KREPB5 function and have differential effects between the life cycle stages ofT. bruceithat differentially edit mRNAs.


mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Balázs Szöőr ◽  
Dorina V. Simon ◽  
Federico Rojas ◽  
Julie Young ◽  
Derrick R. Robinson ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Glycosomes are peroxisome-related organelles that compartmentalize the glycolytic enzymes in kinetoplastid parasites. These organelles are developmentally regulated in their number and composition, allowing metabolic adaptation to the parasite’s needs in the blood of mammalian hosts or within their arthropod vector. A protein phosphatase cascade regulates differentiation between parasite developmental forms, comprising a tyrosine phosphatase, Trypanosoma brucei PTP1 (TbPTP1), which dephosphorylates and inhibits a serine threonine phosphatase, TbPIP39, which promotes differentiation. When TbPTP1 is inactivated, TbPIP39 is activated and during differentiation becomes located in glycosomes. Here we have tracked TbPIP39 recruitment to glycosomes during differentiation from bloodstream “stumpy” forms to procyclic forms. Detailed microscopy and live-cell imaging during the synchronous transition between life cycle stages revealed that in stumpy forms, TbPIP39 is located at a periflagellar pocket site closely associated with TbVAP, which defines the flagellar pocket endoplasmic reticulum. TbPTP1 is also located at the same site in stumpy forms, as is REG9.1, a regulator of stumpy-enriched mRNAs. This site provides a molecular node for the interaction between TbPTP1 and TbPIP39. Within 30 min of the initiation of differentiation, TbPIP39 relocates to glycosomes, whereas TbPTP1 disperses to the cytosol. Overall, the study identifies a “stumpy regulatory nexus” (STuRN) that coordinates the molecular components of life cycle signaling and glycosomal development during transmission of Trypanosoma brucei. IMPORTANCE African trypanosomes are parasites of sub-Saharan Africa responsible for both human and animal disease. The parasites are transmitted by tsetse flies, and completion of their life cycle involves progression through several development steps. The initiation of differentiation between blood and tsetse fly forms is signaled by a phosphatase cascade, ultimately trafficked into peroxisome-related organelles called glycosomes that are unique to this group of organisms. Glycosomes undergo substantial remodeling of their composition and function during the differentiation step, but how this is regulated is not understood. Here we identify a cytological site where the signaling molecules controlling differentiation converge before the dispersal of one of them into glycosomes. In combination, the study provides the first insight into the spatial coordination of signaling pathway components in trypanosomes as they undergo cell-type differentiation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Wei ◽  
Ziyin Li

ABSTRACT Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) modules are evolutionarily conserved signaling cascades that function in response to the environment and play crucial roles in intracellular signal transduction in eukaryotes. The involvement of a MAP kinase in regulating cytokinesis in yeast, animals, and plants has been reported, but the requirement for a MAP kinase for cytokinesis in the early-branching protozoa is not documented. Here, we show that a MAP kinase homolog (TbMAPK6) from Trypanosoma brucei plays distinct roles in cytokinesis in two life cycle forms of T. brucei . TbMAPK6 is distributed throughout the cytosol in the procyclic form but is localized in both the cytosol and the nucleus in the bloodstream form. RNA interference (RNAi) of TbMAPK6 results in moderate growth inhibition in the procyclic form but severe growth defects and rapid cell death in the bloodstream form. Moreover, TbMAPK6 appears to be implicated in furrow ingression and cytokinesis completion in the procyclic form but is essential for cytokinesis initiation in the bloodstream form. Despite the distinct defects in cytokinesis in the two forms, RNAi of TbMAPK6 also caused defective basal body duplication/segregation in a small cell population in both life cycle forms. Altogether, our results demonstrate the involvement of the TbMAPK6-mediated pathway in regulating cytokinesis in trypanosomes and suggest distinct roles of TbMAPK6 in cytokinesis between different life cycle stages of T. brucei .


2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (13) ◽  
pp. 6577-6594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin Kumar Gupta ◽  
Idit Kosti ◽  
Guy Plaut ◽  
Asher Pivko ◽  
Itai Dov Tkacz ◽  
...  

F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry K. Smith ◽  
Frédéric Bringaud ◽  
Derek P. Nolan ◽  
Luisa M. Figueiredo

Cellular metabolic activity is a highly complex, dynamic, regulated process that is influenced by numerous factors, including extracellular environmental signals, nutrient availability and the physiological and developmental status of the cell. The causative agent of sleeping sickness, Trypanosoma brucei, is an exclusively extracellular protozoan parasite that encounters very different extracellular environments during its life cycle within the mammalian host and tsetse fly insect vector. In order to meet these challenges, there are significant alterations in the major energetic and metabolic pathways of these highly adaptable parasites. This review highlights some of these metabolic changes in this early divergent eukaryotic model organism.


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