Analysis by RNA-seq of transcriptomic changes elicited by heat shock in Leishmania major

Besides their medical relevance, Leishmania is an adequate model for studying post-transcriptional mechanisms of gene expression. In this microorganism, mRNA degradation/stabilization mechanisms together with translational control and post-translational modifications of proteins are the major driver...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Rastrojo Lastras, Alberto, Corvo, Laura, Lombraña, Rodrigo, Solana, Jose C., Aguado, Begoña, Requena Rolania, José María
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Repositorio:Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.uam.es:10486/690692
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10486/690692
https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-43354-9
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Microbial genetics
Transcriptomics
Leishmania major
Biología y Biomedicina / Biología
Descripción
Sumario:Besides their medical relevance, Leishmania is an adequate model for studying post-transcriptional mechanisms of gene expression. In this microorganism, mRNA degradation/stabilization mechanisms together with translational control and post-translational modifications of proteins are the major drivers of gene expression. Leishmania parasites develop as promastigotes in sandflies and as amastigotes in mammalians, and during host transmission, the parasite experiences a sudden temperature increase. Here, changes in the transcriptome of Leishmania major promastigotes after a moderate heat shock were analysed by RNA-seq. Several of the up-regulated transcripts code for heat shock proteins, other for proteins previously reported to be amastigote-specific and many for hypothetical proteins. Many of the transcripts experiencing a decrease in their steady-state levels code for transporters, proteins involved in RNA metabolism or translational factors. In addition, putative long noncoding RNAs were identified among the differentially expressed transcripts. Finally, temperature-dependent changes in the selection of the spliced leader addition sites were inferred from the RNA-seq data, and particular cases were further validated by RT-PCR and Northern blotting. This study provides new insights into the post-transcriptional mechanisms by which Leishmania modulate gene expression