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SUMMARY:Transcriptional control and immune evasion in African trypanosomes
  - Dr Gloria Rudenko\, Division of Cell and Molecular Biology\, Imperial C
 ollege
DTSTART:20130213T163000Z
DTEND:20130213T173000Z
UID:TALK42345@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Suzy Blows
DESCRIPTION:The African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei is a single-celled 
 parasite causing African Sleeping Sickness in subSaharan Africa.  Trypanos
 omes multiply extracellularly in the blood\, where they are exposed to con
 tinuous immune attack.  As a consequence\, they have developed a highly so
 phisticated strategy of antigenic variation of a protective Variant Surfac
 e Glycoprotein (VSG) coat allowing them to avoid erradication by host anti
 bodies.  An individual trypanosome has up to 2000 different VSG genes\, of
  which one is expressed at a time in a strictly monoallelic fashion from o
 ne of about fifteen VSG expression site transcription units.  We are tryin
 g to understand how the mutually exclusive expression of these different V
 SG genes is controlled.  We are currently investigating the role of chroma
 tin remodeling in VSG expression site control.  In addition\, we are inves
 tigating the role of the protective VSG coat itself.  We have discovered t
 hat VSG synthesis is monitored during the T. brucei cell cycle\, and that 
 blocking its synthesis triggers a highly precise cell cycle arrest.  This 
 argues that VSG synthesis is part of a protective cellular checkpoint.  Ho
 pefullly\, these investigations will help us understand what makes African
  trypanosomes such successful extracellular pathogens.
LOCATION:Lecture Theatre 1\, Department of Veterinary Medicine
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