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Dacheux D, Martinez G, Broster Reix CE, Beurois J, Lores P, Tounkara M, Dupuy JW, Robinson DR, Loeuillet C, Lambert E, Wehbe Z, Escoffier J, Amiri-Yekta A, Daneshipour A, Hosseini SH, Zouari R, Mustapha SFB, Halouani L, Jiang X, Shen Y, Liu C, Thierry-Mieg N, Septier A, Bidart M, Satre V, Cazin C, Kherraf ZE, Arnoult C, Ray PF, Toure A, Bonhivers M, Coutton C. Novel axonemal protein ZMYND12 interacts with TTC29 and DNAH1, and is required for male fertility and flagellum function. eLife 2023; 12:RP87698. [PMID: 37934199 PMCID: PMC10629824 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Male infertility is common and complex, presenting a wide range of heterogeneous phenotypes. Although about 50% of cases are estimated to have a genetic component, the underlying cause often remains undetermined. Here, from whole-exome sequencing on samples from 168 infertile men with asthenoteratozoospermia due to severe sperm flagellum, we identified homozygous ZMYND12 variants in four unrelated patients. In sperm cells from these individuals, immunofluorescence revealed altered localization of DNAH1, DNALI1, WDR66, and TTC29. Axonemal localization of ZMYND12 ortholog TbTAX-1 was confirmed using the Trypanosoma brucei model. RNAi knock-down of TbTAX-1 dramatically affected flagellar motility, with a phenotype similar to the sperm from men bearing homozygous ZMYND12 variants. Co-immunoprecipitation and ultrastructure expansion microscopy in T. brucei revealed TbTAX-1 to form a complex with TTC29. Comparative proteomics with samples from Trypanosoma and Ttc29 KO mice identified a third member of this complex: DNAH1. The data presented revealed that ZMYND12 is part of the same axonemal complex as TTC29 and DNAH1, which is critical for flagellum function and assembly in humans, and Trypanosoma. ZMYND12 is thus a new asthenoteratozoospermia-associated gene, bi-allelic variants of which cause severe flagellum malformations and primary male infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Dacheux
- University of Bordeaux, CNRSBordeauxFrance
- Bordeaux INP, Microbiologie Fondamentale et PathogénicitéBordeauxFrance
| | | | | | - Julie Beurois
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team Genetics Epigenetics and Therapies of InfertilityGrenobleFrance
| | - Patrick Lores
- Institut Cochin, INSERM U1016, CNRS UMR 8104, Université Paris CiteParisFrance
| | | | | | | | - Corinne Loeuillet
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team Genetics Epigenetics and Therapies of InfertilityGrenobleFrance
| | - Emeline Lambert
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team Genetics Epigenetics and Therapies of InfertilityGrenobleFrance
| | - Zeina Wehbe
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team Genetics Epigenetics and Therapies of InfertilityGrenobleFrance
| | - Jessica Escoffier
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team Genetics Epigenetics and Therapies of InfertilityGrenobleFrance
| | - Amir Amiri-Yekta
- Department of Genetics, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECRTehranIslamic Republic of Iran
| | - Abbas Daneshipour
- Department of Genetics, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECRTehranIslamic Republic of Iran
| | - Seyedeh-Hanieh Hosseini
- Department of Andrology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECRTehranIslamic Republic of Iran
| | - Raoudha Zouari
- Polyclinique les Jasmins, Centre d'Aide Médicale à la Procréation, Centre Urbain NordTunisTunisia
| | | | - Lazhar Halouani
- Polyclinique les Jasmins, Centre d'Aide Médicale à la Procréation, Centre Urbain NordTunisTunisia
| | - Xiaohui Jiang
- Human Sperm Bank, West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan UniversitySichuanChina
- NHC Key Laboratory of Chronobiology, Sichuan UniversitySichuanChina
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of EducationSichuanChina
| | - Ying Shen
- NHC Key Laboratory of Chronobiology, Sichuan UniversitySichuanChina
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children (Sichuan University), Ministry of EducationSichuanChina
| | - Chunyu Liu
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan UniversityFudanChina
| | | | | | - Marie Bidart
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team Genetics Epigenetics and Therapies of InfertilityGrenobleFrance
- CHU Grenoble Alpes, Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire: Maladies Héréditaires et OncologieGrenobleFrance
| | - Véronique Satre
- CHU Grenoble-Alpes, UM de Génétique ChromosomiqueGrenobleFrance
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team Genetics Epigenetics and Therapies of InfertilityGrenobleFrance
| | - Caroline Cazin
- CHU Grenoble-Alpes, UM de Génétique ChromosomiqueGrenobleFrance
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team Genetics Epigenetics and Therapies of InfertilityGrenobleFrance
- CHU de Grenoble, UM GI-DPIGrenobleFrance
| | - Zine Eddine Kherraf
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team Genetics Epigenetics and Therapies of InfertilityGrenobleFrance
- CHU de Grenoble, UM GI-DPIGrenobleFrance
| | - Christophe Arnoult
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team Genetics Epigenetics and Therapies of InfertilityGrenobleFrance
| | - Pierre F Ray
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team Genetics Epigenetics and Therapies of InfertilityGrenobleFrance
- CHU de Grenoble, UM GI-DPIGrenobleFrance
| | - Aminata Toure
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U 1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team Physiology and Pathophysiology of Sperm cellsGrenobleFrance
| | | | - Charles Coutton
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team Genetics Epigenetics and Therapies of InfertilityGrenobleFrance
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2
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Awuah-Mensah G, McDonald J, Steketee PC, Autheman D, Whipple S, D'Archivio S, Brandt C, Clare S, Harcourt K, Wright GJ, Morrison LJ, Gadelha C, Wickstead B. Reliable, scalable functional genetics in bloodstream-form Trypanosoma congolense in vitro and in vivo. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009224. [PMID: 33481935 PMCID: PMC7870057 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) is a severe, wasting disease of domestic livestock and diverse wildlife species. The disease in cattle kills millions of animals each year and inflicts a major economic cost on agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. Cattle AAT is caused predominantly by the protozoan parasites Trypanosoma congolense and T. vivax, but laboratory research on the pathogenic stages of these organisms is severely inhibited by difficulties in making even minor genetic modifications. As a result, many of the important basic questions about the biology of these parasites cannot be addressed. Here we demonstrate that an in vitro culture of the T. congolense genomic reference strain can be modified directly in the bloodstream form reliably and at high efficiency. We describe a parental single marker line that expresses T. congolense-optimized T7 RNA polymerase and Tet repressor and show that minichromosome loci can be used as sites for stable, regulatable transgene expression with low background in non-induced cells. Using these tools, we describe organism-specific constructs for inducible RNA-interference (RNAi) and demonstrate knockdown of multiple essential and non-essential genes. We also show that a minichromosomal site can be exploited to create a stable bloodstream-form line that robustly provides >40,000 independent stable clones per transfection-enabling the production of high-complexity libraries of genome-scale. Finally, we show that modified forms of T. congolense are still infectious, create stable high-bioluminescence lines that can be used in models of AAT, and follow the course of infections in mice by in vivo imaging. These experiments establish a base set of tools to change T. congolense from a technically challenging organism to a routine model for functional genetics and allow us to begin to address some of the fundamental questions about the biology of this important parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jennifer McDonald
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Pieter C. Steketee
- The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Delphine Autheman
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Whipple
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Simon D'Archivio
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Cordelia Brandt
- Pathogen Support Team, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Clare
- Pathogen Support Team, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Katherine Harcourt
- Pathogen Support Team, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin J. Wright
- Cell Surface Signalling Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Biology, Hull York Medical School, York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Liam J. Morrison
- The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Catarina Gadelha
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Bill Wickstead
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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3
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Niemirowicz GT, Cazzulo JJ, Álvarez VE, Bouvier LA. Simplified inducible system for Trypanosoma brucei. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0205527. [PMID: 30308039 PMCID: PMC6181392 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela T. Niemirowicz
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (IIB) Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Juan J. Cazzulo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (IIB) Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Vanina E. Álvarez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (IIB) Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - León A. Bouvier
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (IIB) Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- * E-mail:
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4
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McDonald L, Cayla M, Ivens A, Mony BM, MacGregor P, Silvester E, McWilliam K, Matthews KR. Non-linear hierarchy of the quorum sensing signalling pathway in bloodstream form African trypanosomes. PLoS Pathog 2018; 14:e1007145. [PMID: 29940034 PMCID: PMC6034907 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma brucei, the agents of African trypanosomiasis, undergo density-dependent differentiation in the mammalian bloodstream to prepare for transmission by tsetse flies. This involves the generation of cell-cycle arrested, quiescent, stumpy forms from proliferative slender forms. The signalling pathway responsible for the quorum sensing response has been catalogued using a genome-wide selective screen, providing a compendium of signalling protein kinases phosphatases, RNA binding proteins and hypothetical proteins. However, the ordering of these components is unknown. To piece together these components to provide a description of how stumpy formation arises we have used an extragenic suppression approach. This exploited a combinatorial gene knockout and overexpression strategy to assess whether the loss of developmental competence in null mutants of pathway components could be compensated by ectopic expression of other components. We have created null mutants for three genes in the stumpy induction factor signalling pathway (RBP7, YAK, MEKK1) and evaluated complementation by expression of RBP7, NEK17, PP1-6, or inducible gene silencing of the proposed differentiation inhibitor TbTOR4. This indicated that the signalling pathway is non-linear. Phosphoproteomic analysis focused on one pathway component, a putative MEKK, identified molecules with altered expression and phosphorylation profiles in MEKK1 null mutants, including another component in the pathway, NEK17. Our data provide a first molecular dissection of multiple components in a signal transduction cascade in trypanosomes. African trypanosome parasites respond to density sensing information in the bloodstream of their mammalian hosts to generate their transmission stage, the stumpy form. Components of this ‘quorum sensing’ signalling cascade are known but their interactions and ordering are not. Here we have dissected the dependency relationships between molecules in the pathway by combinatorial gene knockout and ectopic expression, as well as by detailed phosphoproteomic analysis of one component. Our results provide a first analysis of the signal pathway architecture, revealing that it is non-linear. Moreover, phosphoproteome analysis reveals pathway hierarchy through identifying that the phosphorylation of a NEK kinase component of the pathway is reduced when a predicted upstream kinase is absent. This provides a framework for the coherent dissection of a signal transduction cascade in these parasites that use quorum sensing to control disease spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay McDonald
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Mathieu Cayla
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Alasdair Ivens
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Binny M Mony
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Paula MacGregor
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Eleanor Silvester
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Kirsty McWilliam
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Keith R Matthews
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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5
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Cruz-Bustos T, Ramakrishnan S, Cordeiro CD, Ahmed MA, Docampo R. A Riboswitch-based Inducible Gene Expression System for Trypanosoma brucei. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2018; 65:412-421. [PMID: 29265590 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Revised: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Generation of conditional mutants in Trypanosoma brucei can be done by the use of RNA interference (RNAi). However, RNAi frequently produces off target effects. Here, we present an alternative strategy in which the glmS ribozyme is inserted in the C-terminal region of one allele of a GOI and effectively knocks it down in response to the presence of glucosamine in the culture medium. Using several endogenous genes, we show that the glmS ribozyme cleaves the mRNA in vivo leading to reduction in mRNA and protein expression following glucosamine treatment in both T. brucei procyclic and bloodstream forms. Glucosamine-induced ribozyme activation can be rapidly reversed by removing the inducer. In summary, the glmS ribozyme could be used as a tool to study essential genes in T. brucei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Cruz-Bustos
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602
| | - Srinivasan Ramakrishnan
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602
| | - Ciro D Cordeiro
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602
| | - Michael A Ahmed
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602
| | - Roberto Docampo
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602
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6
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Li FJ, Xu ZS, Aye HM, Brasseur A, Lun ZR, Tan KSW, He CY. An efficient cumate-inducible system for procyclic and bloodstream form Trypanosoma brucei. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2017; 214:101-104. [PMID: 28438458 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2017.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Revised: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
In Trypanosoma brucei, the tetracycline-inducible system enables tightly-regulated, highly-efficient expression of recombinant proteins or double-stranded RNA in both procyclic and bloodstream form cells, providing useful molecular genetic tools to study gene functions. An alternative, vanillic acid-inducible system is recently described for procyclic T. brucei, providing ∼18-fold increase in GFP reporter expression upon induction (Sunter JD. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 2016, 207:45-48). Here we describe a cumate-inducible system that allows efficient, tunable gene expression showing >300-fold increase in GFP expression upon induction. The cumate-inducible system can be used alone or together with the tetracycline-inducible system, in both procyclic and bloodstream form T. brucei. Efficient cumate-inducible expression is also achieved in T. brucei-infected mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng-Jun Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore.
| | - Zhi-Shen Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Tropical Diseases and Control of the Ministry of Education, Zhongshan Medical School, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Htay Mon Aye
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Anaïs Brasseur
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
| | - Zhao-Rong Lun
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Tropical Diseases and Control of the Ministry of Education, Zhongshan Medical School, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Kevin S W Tan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Cynthia Y He
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore; Centre for BioImaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore.
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7
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Schumann G, Kangussu-Marcolino MM, Doiron N, Käser S, de Assis Burle-Caldas G, DaRocha WD, Teixeira SM, Roditi I. Zinc finger nuclease technology: A stable tool for high efficiency transformation in bloodstream form T. brucei. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2017; 213:12-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2017.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Revised: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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