Conserved organization of genes in trypanosomatids

• Published in: Molecular and biochemical parasitology Vol. 94; no. 2; pp. 249 - 264
• Main Authors: Bringaud, Frédéric, Vedrenne, Cécile, Cuvillier, Armelle, Parzy, Daniel, Baltz, Dominique, Tetaud, Emmanuel, Pays, Etienne, Venegas, Juan, Merlin, Gilles, Baltz, Théo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.08.1998
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Blotting, Southern; Evolution, Molecular; Flanking gene; Gene organization; Genes, Protozoan; Genomic Library; Glucose transporter; Humans; Leishmania; Leishmania donovani; Leishmania donovani - genetics; Leishmania donovani - growth & development; Molecular Sequence Data; Monosaccharide Transport Proteins - genetics; Multigene Family; Phylogeny; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Trypanosoma; Trypanosoma - genetics; Trypanosoma - growth & development; Trypanosoma brucei; Trypanosoma congolense; Trypanosoma cruzi; Trypanosoma vivax; Glucose transporter; Trypanosoma; ORF, open reading frame; TcoHT, from T. congolense; THT, trypanosome hexose transporter from T. brucei; Gene organization; PI3K, phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase; Leishmania; TvHT, from T. vivax; TcrHT, from T. cruzi; RPS12, ribosomal protein S12; Flanking gene; ARL3, ADP ribosylation factor like 3
• ISSN: 0166-6851; 1872-9428
• DOI: 10.1016/S0166-6851(98)00080-2

Trypanosomatids are unicellular protozoan parasites which constitute some of the most primitive eukaryotes. Leishmania spp, Trypanosoma cruzi and members of the Trypanosoma brucei group, which cause human diseases, are the most studied representatives of this large family. Here we report a comparative analysis of a large genomic region containing glucose transporter genes in three Salivarian trypanosomes ( T. brucei, T. congolense and T. vivax), T. cruzi and Leishmania donovani. In T. brucei, the 8 kb (upstream) and 14 kb (downstream) regions flanking the glucose transporter genes cluster contain two and six new genes, respectively, six of them encoding proteins homologous to known eukaryotic proteins (phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase, ribosomal protein S12, DNAJ and three small G-proteins—Rab1, YPT6 and ARL3). This gene organization is identical in T. brucei, T. congolense and T. vivax suggesting that Salivarian trypanosomes have a high level of conservation in gene organization. In T. cruzi and Leishmania, the overall organization of this cluster is conserved, with insertion of additional genes when compared with T. brucei. Phylogenetic reconstitution based on glucose transporters is in accord with the monophyly of the genus Trypanosoma and the early separation of T. vivax within Salivarian trypanosomes. On the basis of gene organization, biochemical characteristics of isoforms and phylogeny, we discuss the genesis of the glucose transporter multigene family in Salivarian trypanosomes.