Paratrypanosoma Is a Novel Early-Branching Trypanosomatid

Abstract

The kinetoplastids are a widespread and important group of single-celled eukaryotes, many of which are devastating parasites of animals, including humans. We have discovered a new insect trypanosomatid in the gut of Culex pipiens mosquitoes. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase- and SSU rRNA-based phylogenetic analyses show this parasite to constitute a distinct branch between the free-living Bodo saltans and the obligatory parasitic clades represented by the genus Trypanosoma and other trypanosomatids. From draft genome sequence data, we identified 114 protein genes shared among the new flagellate, 15 trypanosomatid species, B. saltans, and the heterolobosean Naegleria gruberi, as well as 129 protein genes shared with the basal kinetoplastid Perkinsela sp. Individual protein phylogenies together with analyses of concatenated alignments show that the new species, here named Paratrypanosoma confusum n. gen., n. sp., branches with very high support at the base of the family Trypanosomatidae. P. confusum thus represents a long-sought-after missing link between the ancestral free-living bodonids and the derived parasitic trypanosomatids. Further analysis of the P. confusum genome should provide insight into the emergence of parasitism in the medically important trypanosomatids.

DNA of free-living bodonids (Euglenozoa: Kinetoplastea) in bat ectoparasites: potential relevance to the evolution of parasitic trypanosomatids

“…Morphological and molecular-phylogenetic evidences strongly support the origin of parasitic trypanosomatids from free-living bodonids like B. saltans (Simpson et al, 2006;Flegontov et al, 2013;Lukeš et al, 2014). In this study, Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 65, 2017 three DNA extracts from bat ectoparasites were shown to be PCR-positive for kinetoplastids, and in these samples sequencing identified free-living (waterassociated) bodonids.…”

“…Bodo saltans) in freshwater, soil and marine habitats, as well as ecto-and endoparasites of fish, amphibians and molluscs (e.g., Ichthyobodo, Trypanoplasma, Perkinsela and Cryptobia). A common ground to consider the interrelatedness of these two kinetoplastid categories lies in their evolutionary history, because obligate parasitic trypanosomatids most likely developed from free-living B. saltans (Simpson et al, 2006;Flegontov et al, 2013;Lukeš et al, 2014).…”

Barcoding in trypanosomes

“…Different avenues of research have different requirements, in terms of both the techniques they use and the information required/acquired. A geneticist studying the evolution of trypanosomes needs a way to detect intricate relationships over a range of evolutionary timescales (from, for example, the (putatively) most ancient to most recent: Simpson et al 2004;Flegontov et al 2013;Hamilton et al 2004;Stevens & Rambaut, 2001;Haag et al 1998;Lima et al 2015;Balmer et al 2011;Messenger et al 2012), and it may be that a suite of gene markers is required to provide sufficient detail at all levels of phylogenetic depth. Conversely, for a clinician diagnosing patients in a resource-poor community, the nuances of an organism's evolutionary history are all but irrelevant.…”

Spliced Leader (SL) RNA: análises de genes e regiões intergênicas com aportes na filogenia, taxonomia e genotipagem de <i>Trypanosoma</i> spp. de todas as classes de vertebrados.

“…Porém, os caracteres morfológicos e comportamentais geraram muitas inconsistências e erros na classificação taxonômica destes organismos, tornando necessário buscar outros caracteres informativos, tais como bioquímicos, moleculares e ultraestruturais, para a descrição dos gêneros e grupos genéticos da família Trypanosomatidae. De todos os caracteres avaliados, o uso de marcadores moleculares tornou-se a metodologia discriminatória de maior poder e resultados confirmatórios, tornando-se a ferramenta mais empregada nas duas últimas décadas para a validação e reclassificação das espécies descritas e o posicionamento dos novos organismos encontrados (Svodová et al, 2007;Teixeira et al, 2011;Flegontov et al, 2013;Votypka et al, 2013;Espinosa et al, 2016).…”