Transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of quiescent epimastigotes as a resource for investigating Trypanosoma cruzi persistence
Abstract
Chagas disease is caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi . Despite triggering a strong immune response, infections are typically life-long and can result in severe cardiac and/or digestive tract pathology. Current drugs have limited efficacy, and treatment failure is a common outcome. Eliminating a non-replicating T. cruzi sub-population that can persist after therapy has been a key challenge for the drug-development community. Here, we describe the transcriptome and proteome profiles of a low-proliferative sub-population of epimastigote forms of the parasite isolated from exponentially growing cultures on the basis of reduced turnover of transiently-induced red fluorescent protein. This partially quiescent sub-population was characterised by down-regulation of genes/proteins involved in translation, transcription, metabolism, mitochondrial function and DNA replication, and by up-regulation of proteins that promote exit from the cell cycle in other organisms. Differential expression was considerably more pronounced at a protein than an RNA level. These data provide a resource that can be exploited to dissect the mechanistic basis of quiescence, as a step towards refining the drug-development screening cascade.
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BibTeX
@article{olmo2026transcriptomic,
title = {{Transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of quiescent epimastigotes as a resource for investigating Trypanosoma cruzi persistence}},
author = {Francisco Olmo and Amy Hesketh and Hayat Hage and Jean-Marc Monneuse and Martin C. Taylor and Fernanda C. Costa and Célie Da Silva and Frédéric Bequet and Fanny Escudié and Derry Mercer and Adrien Saliou and Eric Chatelain and John M. Kelly and Josephine Abi-Ghanem},
journal = {Communications Biology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1038/s42003-026-11251-3},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-026-11251-3},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of quiescent epimastigotes as a resource for investigating Trypanosoma cruzi persistence
AU - Francisco Olmo
AU - Amy Hesketh
AU - Hayat Hage
AU - Jean-Marc Monneuse
AU - Martin C. Taylor
AU - Fernanda C. Costa
AU - Célie Da Silva
AU - Frédéric Bequet
AU - Fanny Escudié
AU - Derry Mercer
AU - Adrien Saliou
AU - Eric Chatelain
AU - John M. Kelly
AU - Josephine Abi-Ghanem
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
JO - Communications Biology
DO - 10.1038/s42003-026-11251-3
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-026-11251-3
AB - Chagas disease is caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi . Despite triggering a strong immune response, infections are typically life-long and can result in severe cardiac and/or digestive tract pathology. Current drugs have limited efficacy, and treatment failure is a common outcome. Eliminating a non-replicating T. cruzi sub-population that can persist after therapy has been a key challenge for the drug-development community. Here, we describe the transcriptome and proteome profiles of a low-proliferative sub-population of epimastigote forms of the parasite isolated from exponentially growing cultures on the basis of reduced turnover of transiently-induced red fluorescent protein. This partially quiescent sub-population was characterised by down-regulation of genes/proteins involved in translation, transcription, metabolism, mitochondrial function and DNA replication, and by up-regulation of proteins that promote exit from the cell cycle in other organisms. Differential expression was considerably more pronounced at a protein than an RNA level. These data provide a resource that can be exploited to dissect the mechanistic basis of quiescence, as a step towards refining the drug-development screening cascade.
SN - 2399-3642
ER -