The trypanosomatid protists belonging to Order Kinetoplastida are some of the most successful parasites ever known to mankind. Their extreme physiological diversity and adaptability to different environmental conditions and host systems make them some of the most widespread parasites, causing deadly diseases in humans and other vertebrates. This project focuses on their unique mitochondrion, called the kinetoplast, and more specifically involves the characterization of a part of their mitochondrial DNA (also called kinetoplast DNA or kDNA), the maxicircles, which are functional homologs of eukaryotic mitochondrial DNA in the kinetoplastid protists. We have sequenced and characterized the maxicircle genomes of 20 new trypanosomatids and compared them with 8 previously published maxicircle genomes of other trypanosomatids. Transcripts of ~13 of the 20 total genes in these maxicircles undergo post-transcriptional modifications involving the insertion and deletion of U residues at precise sites, to yield the final, fully-edited, translatable mRNA. We have deciphered the diverse patterns and extents of RNA editing of each edited gene in the maxicircle of each organism, and inferred the sequences of the putative fully edited mitochondrial transcripts and proteins. Using a binary value - based strategy (1/0), we quantified the RNA editing in all these trypanosomatids and estimated the evolution of RNA editing in the group. Additionally, we conducted phylogenetic analyses using a subset of unedited maxicircle genes to predict the relationships between the various trypanosomatids in this project, and compared them to the previously published nuclear gene-based phylogenies. For convenience of analysis, the 28 total trypanosomatids in this work were divided into two groups: the first group consisting of the endosymbiont-bearing and related insect trypanosomatids, which constitute the first half of the project, and the second group consisting of trypanosomatids of the Trypanosoma genus, including T. cruzi-related and unrelated parasites, constituting the latter half of the project. In summary, most of the trypanosomatid maxicircles showed a syntenic panel of 20 protein-coding genes (excluding any guide RNA genes), beginning with the mitochondrial ribosomal genes and ending with the gene encoding NADH dehydrogenase-5. Although some genes were partially or completely absent in the maxcircles of some species, the remaining genes were completely syntenic. The total number of genes edited and their editing patterns varied considerably among the first group of insect trypanosomatids, but were remarkably similar in the second group of the Trypanosoma genus. On a broad scale, the mitochondrial phylogeny reflects the nuclear phylogeny for these trypanosomatids, except within the T. cruzi population. Similarly, RNA editing appears to have evolved in parallel with the nuclear genes, although subtle differences are again noticeable within the T. cruzi family.

Na fase crônica da doença de Chagas, 70% dos pacientes são assintomáticos, 20-30% apresentam a forma cardíaca e 8% a digestiva. A influência da heterogeneidade genética das cepas de Trypanosoma cruzi na evolução da forma clínica foi cogitada. Neste trabalho, utilizamos PCRs para genes do maxicírculo de T. cruzi para caracterizar parasitas isolados de 75 pacientes com a forma assintomática ou cardíaca. Verificamos que os genes que codificam as subunidades 7 (ND7) e 4 (ND4) da NADH desidrogenase (complexo I mitocondrial) apresentam deleções em algumas cepas. No entanto, não observamos correlação entre as deleções nos genes e as formas clínicas. Investigamos alguns parâmetros do funcionamento da mitocôndria em cepas controle e com mutações. Verificamos que as deleções em ND7 ou ND4 não afetam a velocidade de consumo de oxigênio em epimastigotas permeabilizados com digitonina, concluindo que o complexo I mitocondrial não é funcional neste estágio. Observamos que os níveis de produção de H2O2 pela mitocôndria não guardam relação com a presença das mutações. / In the chronic phase of Chagas disease, 70% of the patients are asymptomatic, 20-30% develop the cardiac form and 8% the digestive form. The influence of the genetic heterogeneity of Trypanosoma cruzi strains in the outcome of the clinical presentation has been considered. In this study, we employed PCR assays targeted to T. cruzi maxicircle genes to genotype parasite isolates from 75 patients with the asymptomatic or cardiac forms. We verified that the genes that code for subunits 7 (ND7) and 4 (ND4) of the NADH dehydrogenase (mitochondrial complex I) show deletions in some strains. Nevertheless, we found no correlation between the presence of the deletions and the clinical presentations. We investigated some mitochondrial functional parameters in control and mutant strains. We observed that deletions in ND7 or ND4 do not affect the rate of oxygen consumption in epimastigotes permeabilized with digitonin. We conclude that complex I is non-functional in this stage. We observed no correlation between mitochondrial production of H2O2 and the gene deletions.

Na fase crônica da doença de Chagas, 70% dos pacientes são assintomáticos, 20-30% apresentam a forma cardíaca e 8% a digestiva. A influência da heterogeneidade genética das cepas de Trypanosoma cruzi na evolução da forma clínica foi cogitada. Neste trabalho, utilizamos PCRs para genes do maxicírculo de T. cruzi para caracterizar parasitas isolados de 75 pacientes com a forma assintomática ou cardíaca. Verificamos que os genes que codificam as subunidades 7 (ND7) e 4 (ND4) da NADH desidrogenase (complexo I mitocondrial) apresentam deleções em algumas cepas. No entanto, não observamos correlação entre as deleções nos genes e as formas clínicas. Investigamos alguns parâmetros do funcionamento da mitocôndria em cepas controle e com mutações. Verificamos que as deleções em ND7 ou ND4 não afetam a velocidade de consumo de oxigênio em epimastigotas permeabilizados com digitonina, concluindo que o complexo I mitocondrial não é funcional neste estágio. Observamos que os níveis de produção de H2O2 pela mitocôndria não guardam relação com a presença das mutações. / In the chronic phase of Chagas disease, 70% of the patients are asymptomatic, 20-30% develop the cardiac form and 8% the digestive form. The influence of the genetic heterogeneity of Trypanosoma cruzi strains in the outcome of the clinical presentation has been considered. In this study, we employed PCR assays targeted to T. cruzi maxicircle genes to genotype parasite isolates from 75 patients with the asymptomatic or cardiac forms. We verified that the genes that code for subunits 7 (ND7) and 4 (ND4) of the NADH dehydrogenase (mitochondrial complex I) show deletions in some strains. Nevertheless, we found no correlation between the presence of the deletions and the clinical presentations. We investigated some mitochondrial functional parameters in control and mutant strains. We observed that deletions in ND7 or ND4 do not affect the rate of oxygen consumption in epimastigotes permeabilized with digitonin. We conclude that complex I is non-functional in this stage. We observed no correlation between mitochondrial production of H2O2 and the gene deletions.