Vkuehn Week 11

Journal Club Preparation: Leishmania Major

Introduction

It is important to study the genome of Leishmania major because of the various human diseases that this parasite is capable of causing. If infected by a leishmania parasite a number of diseases can form. Annually there are 2 million cases in 88 tropical and subtropical countries.
How it infects:
1. Parasite transmitted by sand flies as proliferative promastigote
2. Differentiate into nondividing forms before inoculation into vertebrate host
3. In host macrophages, phagocytose metacyclics --> differentiate into amastigotes (proliferate in phagolysosome)
4. Leads to host macrophage lysis and infection of other macrophages
5. Outcome of infection depends on species, host immune system and host genetics
Interesting to look at genome because of the unique mechanism of regulating transcription which is atypical for eukaryotes
Ways in which it differs:
1. Organization of protein coding genes: long, strand-specific polycistronic clusters
2. No transcription factors
This article determined the genome sequence of Leishmania major on a chromosome by chromosome basis. Present the structure and content based on molecular processes such as:
- chromatin remodeling
- transcription
- RNA processing
- Translation
- posttranslational modification
- protein turnover
Also discuss essential host parasite interface developmental processes