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Molecular Biology

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Theses/Dissertations

Trypanosoma brucei

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Structure-Function Studies Of The Trypanosome Mitochondrial Replication Protein Polib, Raveen Armstrong Oct 2021

Structure-Function Studies Of The Trypanosome Mitochondrial Replication Protein Polib, Raveen Armstrong

Masters Theses

Trypanosoma brucei and related protists are distinguished from all other eukaryotes by an unusual mitochondrial genome known as kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) that is a catenated network composed of minicircles and maxicircles. Replication of this single nucleoid involves a release, replicate, and reattach mechanism for the thousands of catenated minicircles and requires at least three DNA polymerase (POLIB, POLIC and POLID) with similarity to E. coli DNA polymerase I. Like other proofreading replicative DNA polymerases, POLIB has both an annotated polymerase domain and an exonuclease domain. Predictive modelling of POLIB indicates that it has the canonical right hand …


Structure Function Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna Polymerase Ic Reveals Multiple Roles In Kinetoplast Maintenance, Jonathan Miller Jul 2020

Structure Function Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna Polymerase Ic Reveals Multiple Roles In Kinetoplast Maintenance, Jonathan Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

Kinetoplastid organisms including medically relevant species like Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania are distinguished by their single flagellum and unique mitochondrial DNA called kDNA, among other features. While there is heterogeneity in copy number and sequence classes among different species, kDNA is most often found as a network of thousands of DNA molecules catenated together. This unique biological property of disease-causing organisms has been a subject of study as a potential drug target since it is essential for parasite survival. Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of African Sleeping Sickness in humans and related diseases in other mammals and …


Nascent Dna Proteomics Analysis Uncovers Dna Replication Dynamics In The Human Pathogen Trypanosoma Brucei, Maria Rocha Granados Mar 2019

Nascent Dna Proteomics Analysis Uncovers Dna Replication Dynamics In The Human Pathogen Trypanosoma Brucei, Maria Rocha Granados

Doctoral Dissertations

DNA is the substrate of many cellular processes including DNA replication, transcription and chromatin remodeling. These processes are coordinated to maintain genome integrity and ensure accurate duplication of genetic and epigenetic information. Genome-wide studies have provided evidence of the relationship between transcription and DNA replication timing. A global analysis of DNA replication initiation in T. brucei showed that TbORC1 (subunit of the origin recognition complex, ORC) binding sites are located at the boundaries of transcription units. Although recent studies in T. brucei indicate functional links among DNA replication and transcription, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we adapted …


Investigating The Role Of Rna-Binding Protein 5 In The Life Cycle Differentiation Of Trypanosoma Brucei, David Anaguano Pillajo Oct 2018

Investigating The Role Of Rna-Binding Protein 5 In The Life Cycle Differentiation Of Trypanosoma Brucei, David Anaguano Pillajo

Masters Theses

Trypanosomatid parasites such as Trypanosoma brucei have unusual mechanisms of gene expression including polycistronic transcription, mitochondrial RNA editing and trans-splicing. Additionally, these protists rely mainly on post-transcriptional regulation where RNA-binding proteins (RBP) have shown to play a major role. RBP6 and RBP10 are two examples of RBPs that play crucial roles in procyclic and bloodstream form parasites differentiation respectively, by post-transcriptional regulation. Over-expression of RBP6 is enough to promote differentiation into metacyclic trypomastigotes that are infective to mice. However, continuous expression is required, and this pattern does not reflect the natural expression in the tsetse fly or the influence of …