Phylogenomic and comparative analysis of Endotrypanum scaudinni TCC224.

Author(s)

Percy Omar Túllume Vergara

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB/SDI)
• Defense date: 2020-10-19

Examining board members

João Marcelo Pereira Alves; Diana Bahia; Sergio Russo Matioli; Marta Maria Geraldes Teixeira

• Advisor: João Marcelo Pereira Alves

Abstract

Endotrypanum spp., is a haemoflagellate parasitic protozoan (Order: Kinetoplastid, Family Trypanosomatidae) with a digenetic life cycle. These parasites are transmitted by sandflies (Phlebotomus) and infect vertebrate, invertebrate and plant hosts. Both, Endotrypanum and Leishmania parasites infect to sloths of the Choloepus and Bradypus genera. E. schaudinni presents a motile flagellated promastigota stage, associated with the alimentary tract of the sand fly vectors, and a trypomastigote stage, located inside the erythrocytes of sloths. Several molecular phylogenetic studies show that the Endotrypanum genus is closely related to a group of Leishmania species termed enigmatic. The main goal of this study is the characterization the genome of E. schaudinni TCC224 and its comparison to trypanosomatids species through phylogenomics and comparative genomics tools. Our results show that assembly is comprised by 10.088 contigs, with an N50 of 6kb. We predicted 9,711 proteins-coding genes, 1,086 ncRNAs, 86 tRNAs and 6 rRNAs within the E. schaudinni genome. Microsynteny analysis showed that Endotrypanum is closer to Leishmania spp. with conserved gene order. We identified 8,769 orthologous groups between all 12 isolates used in this study. A core genome with 6,763 orthologous genes was identified as well as 5,594 singles gene. The phylogenomics analysis, using the maximum likelihood method on 5,594 concatenating single-copy genes, supported the taxonomic position of E. schaudinni within the Paraleishmania section together with E. monterogeii. Functional categorization or proteins shows that category M, related to the cell membrane and envelope biogenesis, was different but other categories were quite similar. In addition, the domains characterization of the gene families related to cell membrane function showed copy number expansion, specifically of GP63 and GP46. We also found few copies of amastina- in comparison with Leishmania. In conclusion, the gene family expansions and contractions in the Endotrypanum genus, specially those families involved in membrane surface activities, could signal important adaptations in the host-parasite interactions that likely arose in the co-evolution of sloths and trypanosomatids. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/01284-6 - Genomic and evolutionary analyses of Endotrypanum schaudinni
• Grantee: Percy Omar Tullume Vergara
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master