Article
Metacyclogenesis defects and gene expression hallmarks of histone deacetylase 4‑deficient Trypanosoma cruzi cells
Registro en:
PICCHI-CONSTANTE, Gisele Fernanda Assine et al. Metacyclogenesis defects and gene expression hallmarks of histone deacetylase 4‑deficient Trypanosoma cruzi cells. Scientific Reports, v.11, n. 21671, p. 1–18, 2021.
2045-2322
10.1038/s41598-021-01080-1
Autor
Picchi‑Constante, Gisele Fernanda Assine
Guerra‑Slompo, Eloise Pavão
Tahira, Ana Carolina
Alcantara, Monica Visnieski
Amaral, Murilo Sena
Ferreira, Arthur Schveitzer
Batista, Michel
Batista, Cassiano Martin
Goldenberg, Samuel
Verjovski‑Almeida, Sergio
Zanchin, Nilson Ivo Tonin
Resumen
Trypanosoma cruzi—the causative agent of Chagas disease—like other kinetoplastids, relies mostly on post-transcriptional mechanisms for regulation of gene expression. However, trypanosomatids undergo drastic changes in nuclear architecture and chromatin structure along their complex life cycle which, combined with a remarkable set of reversible histone post-translational modifcations, indicate that chromatin is also a target for control of gene expression and diferentiation signals in these organisms. Chromatin-modifying enzymes have a direct impact on gene expression programs and DNA metabolism. In this work, we have investigated the function of T. cruzi histone deacetylase 4 (TcHDAC4). We show that, although TcHDAC4 is not essential for viability, metacyclic trypomastigote TcHDAC4 null mutants show a thin cell body and a round and less condensed nucleus located very close to the kinetoplast. Sixty-four acetylation sites were quantitatively evaluated, which revealed H2AT85ac, H4K10ac and H4K78ac as potential target sites of TcHDAC4. Gene expression analyses identifed three chromosomes with overrepresented regions of diferentially expressed genes in the TcHDAC4 knockout mutant compared with the wild type, showing clusters of either up or
downregulated genes. The adjacent chromosomal location of some of these genes indicates that TcHDAC4 participates in gene expression regulation during T. cruzi diferentiation.