Replication origin location might contribute to genetic variability in Trypanosoma cruzi

de Araujo, C. B. et al. (2020) Replication origin location might contribute to genetic variability in Trypanosoma cruzi. BMC Genomics, 21, 414. (doi: 10.1186/s12864-020-06803-8) (PMID:32571205) (PMCID:PMC7310030)

Abstract

Background: DNA replication in trypanosomatids operates in a uniquely challenging environment, since most of their genomes are constitutively transcribed. Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, presents high variability in both chromosomes size and copy number among strains, though the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Results: Here we have mapped sites of DNA replication initiation across the T. cruzi genome using Marker Frequency Analysis, which has previously only been deployed in two related trypanosomatids. The putative origins identified in T. cruzi show a notable enrichment of GC content, a preferential position at subtelomeric regions, coinciding with genes transcribed towards the telomeres, and a pronounced enrichment within coding DNA sequences, most notably in genes from the Dispersed Gene Family 1 (DGF-1). Conclusions: These findings suggest a scenario where collisions between DNA replication and transcription are frequent, leading to increased genetic variability, as seen by the increase SNP levels at chromosome subtelomeres and in DGF-1 genes containing putative origins.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Damasceno, Dr Jeziel and McCulloch, Professor Richard and De Almeida Marques, Dr Catarina
• Authors: de Araujo, C. B., da Cunha, J. P. C., Inada, D. T., Damasceno, J., Lima, A. R. J., Hiraiwa, P., Marques, C., Gonçalves, E., Nishiyama-Junior, M. Y., McCulloch, R., and Elias, M. C.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
• Journal Name: BMC Genomics
• Publisher: Biomed Central
• ISSN: 1471-2164
• ISSN (Online): 1471-2164
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 The Authors
• First Published: First published in BMC Genomics 21: 414
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
173173		How do common and diverged features of the replicative stress response shape the biology of TriTryp	Richard McCulloch	Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)	BB/N016165/1	III - Parasitology
170547		The Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology ( Core Support )	Andrew Waters	Wellcome Trust (WELLCOTR)	104111/Z/14/Z	III - Parasitology