The epigenome represents a major regulatory interface to the eukaryotic
genome. Nucleosome positions, histone variants, histone modifications and
chromatin associated proteins all play a role in the epigenetic regulation of
DNA function.
Trypanosomes, an ancient branch of the eukaryotic evolutionary lineage,
exhibit some highly unusual transcriptional features, including the
arrangement of functionally unrelated genes in large, polymerase II transcribed
polycistronic transcription units, often exceeding hundreds of kb in size. It is
generally believed that transcription initiation plays a minor role in regulating
the transcript level of genes in trypanosomes, which are mainly regulated posttranscriptionally.
Recent advances have revealed that epigenetic mechanisms play an essential
role in the transcriptional regulation of Trypanosoma brucei. This suggested
that the regulation of gene activity is, indeed, an important control
mechanism, and that the epigenome is critical in regulating gene expression
programs that allow the successful migration of this parasite between hosts, as
well as the continuous evasion of the immune system in mammalian hosts. A
wide range of epigenetic signals, readers, writers and erasers have been
identified in trypanosomes, some of which have been observed to be unique to
trypanosomes. We review recent advances in our understanding of epigenetic
control mechanisms in T. brucei, the causative agent of African sleeping
sickness, and discuss the possible role that these mechanisms may play in the
life cycle of the parasite.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufs/oai:etd.uovs.ac.za:etd-10272014-161453 |
| Date | 27 October 2014 |
| Creators | Maree, Johannes P |
| Contributors | Prof H Patterton |
| Publisher | University of the Free State |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en-uk |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-10272014-161453/restricted/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University Free State or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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