Chromatin Modifications, Epigenetics, and How Protozoan Parasites Regulate Their Lives

Overview

Journal Trends Parasitol

Specialty Parasitology

Date 2012 Apr 7

PMID 22480826

Citations 36

Authors

Matthew M Croken

Sheila C Nardelli

Kami Kim

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Chromatin structure plays a vital role in epigenetic regulation of protozoan parasite gene expression. Epigenetic gene regulation impacts upon parasite virulence, differentiation and cell-cycle control. Recent work in many laboratories has elucidated the functions of proteins that regulate parasite gene expression by chemical modification of constituent nucleosomes. A major focus of investigation has been the characterization of post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histones and the identification of the enzymes responsible. Despite conserved features and specificity common to all eukaryotes, parasite enzymes involved in chromatin modification have unique functions that regulate unique aspects of parasite biology.

Citing Articles

Histone H2B lysine 122 and lysine 130, as the putative targets of Penicillium oxalicum LaeA, play important roles in asexual development, expression of secondary metabolite gene clusters, and extracellular glycoside hydrolase synthesis.

Zhang X, Yang Y, Wang L, Qin Y World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2024; 40(6):179.

PMID: 38668807 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-024-03978-0.

Decoding populations in the ocean microbiome.

Logares R Microbiome. 2024; 12(1):67.

PMID: 38561814 PMC: 10983722. DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01778-0.

Evaluating the inhibitory effect of resveratrol on the multiplication of several species and on cultures, and in mice.

El-Sayed S, El-Alfy E, Sayed-Ahmed M, Mohanta U, Alqahtani S, Alam N Front Pharmacol. 2023; 14:1192999.

PMID: 37324476 PMC: 10267976. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1192999.

Histone variant H2B.Z acetylation is necessary for maintenance of Toxoplasma gondii biological fitness.

Vanagas L, Munoz D, Cristaldi C, Ganuza A, Najera R, Bonardi M Biochim Biophys Acta Gene Regul Mech. 2023; 1866(3):194943.

PMID: 37217032 PMC: 10524646. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2023.194943.

Advances in Protozoan Epigenetic Targets and Their Inhibitors for the Development of New Potential Drugs.

Gaona-Lopez C, Vazquez-Jimenez L, Gonzalez-Gonzalez A, Delgado-Maldonado T, Ortiz-Perez E, Nogueda-Torres B Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2023; 16(4).

PMID: 37111300 PMC: 10143871. DOI: 10.3390/ph16040543.

References

Bougdour A, Braun L, Cannella D, Hakimi M . Chromatin modifications: implications in the regulation of gene expression in Toxoplasma gondii. Cell Microbiol. 2010; 12(4):413-23. DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-5822.2010.01446.x. View

Sautel C, Cannella D, Bastien O, Kieffer S, Aldebert D, Garin J . SET8-mediated methylations of histone H4 lysine 20 mark silent heterochromatic domains in apicomplexan genomes. Mol Cell Biol. 2007; 27(16):5711-24. PMC: 1952134. DOI: 10.1128/MCB.00482-07. View

Kawahara T, Siegel T, Ingram A, Alsford S, Cross G, Horn D . Two essential MYST-family proteins display distinct roles in histone H4K10 acetylation and telomeric silencing in trypanosomes. Mol Microbiol. 2008; 69(4):1054-68. PMC: 2556858. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2008.06346.x. View

Naguleswaran A, Elias E, McClintick J, Edenberg H, Sullivan Jr W . Toxoplasma gondii lysine acetyltransferase GCN5-A functions in the cellular response to alkaline stress and expression of cyst genes. PLoS Pathog. 2010; 6(12):e1001232. PMC: 3003489. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1001232. View

Ekanayake D, Sabatini R . Epigenetic regulation of polymerase II transcription initiation in Trypanosoma cruzi: modulation of nucleosome abundance, histone modification, and polymerase occupancy by O-linked thymine DNA glucosylation. Eukaryot Cell. 2011; 10(11):1465-72. PMC: 3209055. DOI: 10.1128/EC.05185-11. View

Xiao H, El Bissati K, Verdier-Pinard P, Burd B, Zhang H, Kim K . Post-translational modifications to Toxoplasma gondii alpha- and beta-tubulins include novel C-terminal methylation. J Proteome Res. 2009; 9(1):359-72. PMC: 2813730. DOI: 10.1021/pr900699a. View

Gissot M, Kelly K, Ajioka J, Greally J, Kim K . Epigenomic modifications predict active promoters and gene structure in Toxoplasma gondii. PLoS Pathog. 2007; 3(6):e77. PMC: 1891328. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.0030077. View

Dalmasso M, Onyango D, Naguleswaran A, Sullivan Jr W, Angel S . Toxoplasma H2A variants reveal novel insights into nucleosome composition and functions for this histone family. J Mol Biol. 2009; 392(1):33-47. PMC: 2734877. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.07.017. View

Heaslip A, Nishi M, Stein B, Hu K . The motility of a human parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, is regulated by a novel lysine methyltransferase. PLoS Pathog. 2011; 7(9):e1002201. PMC: 3164638. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002201. View

10.

Rivero F, Saura A, Prucca C, Carranza P, Torri A, Lujan H . Disruption of antigenic variation is crucial for effective parasite vaccine. Nat Med. 2010; 16(5):551-7, 1p following 557. DOI: 10.1038/nm.2141. View

11.

Jensen B, Sivam D, Kifer C, Myler P, Parsons M . Widespread variation in transcript abundance within and across developmental stages of Trypanosoma brucei. BMC Genomics. 2009; 10:482. PMC: 2771046. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-10-482. View

12.

Volz J, Carvalho T, Ralph S, Gilson P, Thompson J, Tonkin C . Potential epigenetic regulatory proteins localise to distinct nuclear sub-compartments in Plasmodium falciparum. Int J Parasitol. 2009; 40(1):109-21. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2009.09.002. View

13.

Thomas S, Green A, Sturm N, Campbell D, Myler P . Histone acetylations mark origins of polycistronic transcription in Leishmania major. BMC Genomics. 2009; 10:152. PMC: 2679053. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-10-152. View

14.

Bhatti M, Livingston M, Mullapudi N, Sullivan Jr W . Pair of unusual GCN5 histone acetyltransferases and ADA2 homologues in the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Eukaryot Cell. 2006; 5(1):62-76. PMC: 1360262. DOI: 10.1128/EC.5.1.62-76.2006. View

15.

Kieft R, Brand V, Ekanayake D, Sweeney K, DiPaolo C, Reznikoff W . JBP2, a SWI2/SNF2-like protein, regulates de novo telomeric DNA glycosylation in bloodstream form Trypanosoma brucei. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2007; 156(1):24-31. PMC: 4735730. DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2007.06.010. View

16.

Jenuwein T, Allis C . Translating the histone code. Science. 2001; 293(5532):1074-80. DOI: 10.1126/science.1063127. View

17.

Campbell T, De Silva E, Olszewski K, Elemento O, Llinas M . Identification and genome-wide prediction of DNA binding specificities for the ApiAP2 family of regulators from the malaria parasite. PLoS Pathog. 2010; 6(10):e1001165. PMC: 2965767. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1001165. View

18.

Atayde V, Tschudi C, Ullu E . The emerging world of small silencing RNAs in protozoan parasites. Trends Parasitol. 2011; 27(7):321-7. PMC: 3124596. DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2011.03.002. View

19.

Epp C, Li F, Howitt C, Chookajorn T, Deitsch K . Chromatin associated sense and antisense noncoding RNAs are transcribed from the var gene family of virulence genes of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. RNA. 2008; 15(1):116-27. PMC: 2612763. DOI: 10.1261/rna.1080109. View

20.

Vonlaufen N, Naguleswaran A, Coppens I, Sullivan Jr W . MYST family lysine acetyltransferase facilitates ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase-mediated DNA damage response in Toxoplasma gondii. J Biol Chem. 2010; 285(15):11154-61. PMC: 2856992. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M109.066134. View