The Genome of the African Trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei
George Washington University · Wellcome Sanger Institute · +8 more institutions
Abstract
African trypanosomes cause human sleeping sickness and livestock trypanosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa. We present the sequence and analysis of the 11 megabase-sized chromosomes of Trypanosoma brucei. The 26-megabase genome contains 9068 predicted genes, including approximately 900 pseudogenes and approximately 1700 T. brucei-specific genes. Large subtelomeric arrays contain an archive of 806 variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) genes used by the parasite to evade the mammalian immune system. Most VSG genes are pseudogenes, which may be used to generate expressed mosaic genes by ectopic recombination. Comparisons of the cytoskeleton and endocytic trafficking systems with those of humans and other eukaryotic…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 71.40
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 53
Authors
102- MBMatthew BerrimanCorresponding
George Washington University, Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Oxford, Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, University of Glasgow
- EGElodie Ghedin
George Washington University, Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Oxford, Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, University of Glasgow
- CHChristiane Hertz‐Fowler
George Washington University, Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Oxford, Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, University of Glasgow
- GBGaëlle Blandin
George Washington University, Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Oxford, Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, University of Glasgow
- HRHubert Renauld
George Washington University, Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Oxford, Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, University of Glasgow
Topics & keywords
- Pseudogene
- Trypanosoma brucei
- Biology
- Gene
- Genome
- Genetics
- Subtelomere
- Computational biology