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Título del libro: Comparative Genomics In Neglected Human Parasites
Título del capítulo: Trypanosoma cruzi genome: Organization, dynamics, function and promise

Autores UNAM:
SANTIAGO MARTINEZ CALVILLO;
Autores externos:

Idioma:
Inglés
Año de publicación:
2013
Resumen:

The complete genome sequence of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of American trypanosomiasis, was published seven years ago. The selected strain, CL Brener, is a natural hybrid of the T. cruzi II and T. cruzi III lineages. The sequence analysis revealed that this parasite contains a diploid genome of between 106.4 and 110.7 Mb that is organized into 41 chromosome pairs and 22,570 predicted protein-coding genes, of which 12,570 represent allelic pairs. Similar to other trypanosomatids, T. cruzi is characterized by its unique mechanisms of gene expression, such as constitutive polycistronic transcription and trans-splicing. The parasite genome is organized into large polycistronic clusters of unrelated genes that are arranged sequentially on the same DNA strand, which emphasizes the importance of posttranscriptional regulation. T. cruzi contains a large number of repetitive sequences (= 50% of the genome) and includes large gene families of surface proteins (e.g., TS, mucins, gp63s and MASP), retrotransposons and subtelomeric repeats. Few promoter sequences have been identified, and general transcription factors are almost unrepresented. Therefore, little is known concerning transcription initiation and regulation. The parasite lacks classical RNA polymerase II promoter sequences. However, it has been shown that transcription initiation and termination regions are epigenetically marked by histone variants or modified histones, similarly to other eukaryotes. The chromatin exhibits differential condensation through the parasite life-cycle stages, and despite the presence of nucleosomes, chromatin never folds into 30-nm fibers. In this chapter, we intend to detail the general knowledge of the T. cruzi genome and discuss the most recent discoveries regarding the regulation of its genome expression and the impact that these findings have on parasite biology and disease pathogenesis. © 2013 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.


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