Comparative genomics of drug resistance in Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense

Graf, F. E. et al. (2016) Comparative genomics of drug resistance in Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 73(17), pp. 3387-3400. (doi: 10.1007/s00018-016-2173-6) (PMID:26973180) (PMCID:PMC4967103)

Abstract

Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense is one of the causative agents of human sleeping sickness, a fatal disease that is transmitted by tsetse flies and restricted to Sub-Saharan Africa. Here we investigate two independent lines of T. b. rhodesiense that have been selected with the drugs melarsoprol and pentamidine over the course of 2 years, until they exhibited stable cross-resistance to an unprecedented degree. We apply comparative genomics and transcriptomics to identify the underlying mutations. Only few mutations have become fixed during selection. Three genes were affected by mutations in both lines: the aminopurine transporter AT1, the aquaporin AQP2, and the RNA-binding protein UBP1. The melarsoprol-selected line carried a large deletion including the adenosine transporter gene AT1, whereas the pentamidine-selected line carried a heterozygous point mutation in AT1, G430R, which rendered the transporter non-functional. Both resistant lines had lost AQP2, and both lines carried the same point mutation, R131L, in the RNA-binding motif of UBP1. The finding that concomitant deletion of the known resistance genes AT1 and AQP2 in T. b. brucei failed to phenocopy the high levels of resistance of the T. b. rhodesiense mutants indicated a possible role of UBP1 in melarsoprol–pentamidine cross-resistance. However, homozygous in situ expression of UBP1-Leu131 in T. b. brucei did not affect the sensitivity to melarsoprol or pentamidine.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Munday, Dr Jane and De Koning, Professor Harry
• Authors: Graf, F. E., Ludin, P., Arquint, C., Schmidt, R. S., Schaub, N., Kunz Renggli, C., Munday, J. C., Krezdorn, J., Baker, N., Horn, D., Balmer, O., Caccone, A., de Koning, H. P., and Mäser, P.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
• Journal Name: Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 1420-682X
• ISSN (Online): 1420-9071
• Published Online: 14 March 2016
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 73(17):3387-3400
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License