Identification of SL addition trans-splicing acceptor sites in the internal transcribed spacer I region of pre-rRNA in Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis
Abstract:Trypanosomatidae is a family of flagellated protozoans. A variety of Trypanosomatidae species from the Leishmania and Trypanosoma genera are responsible for various human diseases that lead to millions of deaths in developing countries. These organisms branch early in the phylogenetic tree and exhibit a single, conserved mechanism for gene expression (Simpson et al. 2006). Protein coding genes are polycistronically transcribed by RNA polymerase II from only a small number of promoter regions and individual nuc… Show more
“…Indeed, the study of protozoa has rapidly evolved from the molecular characterisation of eukaryotes through host-parasite interactions and ecoepidemiological aspects to therapeutic interventions. Several important mechanisms were first described in protozoa, such as nonconventional RNA polymerase II promoter sites ( Clayton 2002 ), trans -splicing ( Mayer & Floeter-Winter 2012 ) and RNA editing ( Simpson et al. 2006) .…”
Brazilian scientists have been contributing to the protozoology field for more than
100 years with important discoveries of new species such asTrypanosoma
cruzi and Leishmania spp. In this work, we used a
Brazilian thesis database (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education
Personnel) covering the period from 1987-2011 to identify researchers who contributed
substantially to protozoology. We selected 248 advisors by filtering to obtain
researchers who supervised at least 10 theses. Based on a computational analysis of
the thesis databases, we found students who were supervised by these scientists. A
computational procedure was developed to determine the advisors’ scientific ancestors
using the Lattes Platform. These analyses provided a list of 1,997 researchers who
were inspected through Lattes CV examination and allowed the identification of the
pioneers of Brazilian protozoology. Moreover, we investigated the areas in which
researchers who earned PhDs in protozoology are now working. We found that 68.4% of
them are still in protozoology, while 16.7% have migrated to other fields. We
observed that support for protozoology by national or international agencies is
clearly correlated with the increase of scientists in the field. Finally, we
described the academic genealogy of Brazilian protozoology by formalising the
“forest” of Brazilian scientists involved in the study of protozoa and their vectors
over the past century.
“…Indeed, the study of protozoa has rapidly evolved from the molecular characterisation of eukaryotes through host-parasite interactions and ecoepidemiological aspects to therapeutic interventions. Several important mechanisms were first described in protozoa, such as nonconventional RNA polymerase II promoter sites ( Clayton 2002 ), trans -splicing ( Mayer & Floeter-Winter 2012 ) and RNA editing ( Simpson et al. 2006) .…”
Brazilian scientists have been contributing to the protozoology field for more than
100 years with important discoveries of new species such asTrypanosoma
cruzi and Leishmania spp. In this work, we used a
Brazilian thesis database (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education
Personnel) covering the period from 1987-2011 to identify researchers who contributed
substantially to protozoology. We selected 248 advisors by filtering to obtain
researchers who supervised at least 10 theses. Based on a computational analysis of
the thesis databases, we found students who were supervised by these scientists. A
computational procedure was developed to determine the advisors’ scientific ancestors
using the Lattes Platform. These analyses provided a list of 1,997 researchers who
were inspected through Lattes CV examination and allowed the identification of the
pioneers of Brazilian protozoology. Moreover, we investigated the areas in which
researchers who earned PhDs in protozoology are now working. We found that 68.4% of
them are still in protozoology, while 16.7% have migrated to other fields. We
observed that support for protozoology by national or international agencies is
clearly correlated with the increase of scientists in the field. Finally, we
described the academic genealogy of Brazilian protozoology by formalising the
“forest” of Brazilian scientists involved in the study of protozoa and their vectors
over the past century.
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. More than 20 Leishmania species infect humans and the disease is endemic in several areas of the Old and New World. Existing therapies for leishmaniasis are inadequate due to resistance, safety and cost, underscoring the necessity for safer therapies with alternative modes of action. The entry of molecular biology with its elucidation of the genomics and proteomics of these organisms has provided increasingly sophisticated explanations of their unique mechanisms to adapt to intense environmental pressures. An interesting feature of the Leishmania (and other trypanosomatids) genome is the unusual nature of transcription and RNA processing. Protein-coding genes are organized into long gene clusters, and the resulting polycistronic RNAs are post-transcriptionally processed into mature mRNAs by concomitant trans-splicing and polyadenylation. These and other unique features are not shared with its host, thus offering new and exciting new avenues for therapeutic intervention.
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