Simplified inducible system for Trypanosoma brucei

PLoS One. 2018 Oct 11;13(10):e0205527. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205527. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Nowadays, most reverse genetics approaches in Trypanosoma brucei, a protozoan parasite of medical and veterinary importance, rely on pre-established cell lines. Consequently, inducible experimentation is reduced to a few laboratory strains. Here we described a new transgene expression system based exclusively on endogenous transcription activities and a minimum set of regulatory components that can easily been adapted to different strains. The pTbFIX vectors are designed to contain the sequence of interest under the control of an inducible rRNA promoter along with a constitutive dicistronic unit encoding a nucleus targeted tetracycline repressor and puromycin resistance genes in a tandem "head-to-tail" configuration. Upon doxycycline induction, the system supports regulatable GFP expression (170 to 400 fold) in both bloodstream and procyclic T. brucei forms. Furthermore we have adapted the pTbFIX plasmid to perform RNAi experimentation. Lethal phenotypes, including α-tubulin and those corresponding to the enolase and clathrin heavy chain genes, were successfully recapitulated in procyclic and bloodstream parasites thus showing the versatility of this new tool.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Line
  • Genetic Techniques*
  • Genetic Vectors
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Protozoan Proteins / genetics
  • Protozoan Proteins / metabolism
  • RNA Interference
  • Transcriptional Activation
  • Trypanosoma brucei brucei* / genetics
  • Trypanosoma brucei brucei* / metabolism

Substances

  • Protozoan Proteins
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins

Grants and funding

This study was supported by PICT 2014-3029 from the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT, MinCyT) to LAB; PICT 2014-3510 to GTN; PICT 2017-3447 to VEA and JJC; PIP CONICET 112-201301-00303 to GTN and LAB and Fundación Bunge y Born to LAB. GTN, JJC, VEA and LAB are members of the research career of the Argentinean National Research Council (CONICET). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.