What is it about?
The finding of a mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) in Trypanosoma cruzi was essential for the discovery of the molecular nature of this transporter in mammals. In this work we used the CRISPR/Cas9 technique that we recently developed for T. cruzi, to knockout two components of the uniporter, MCU, the pore subunit, and MCUb, which was proposed as a negative regulator of MCU in human cells. In contrast to what occurs in human cells, MCU is not essential, while MCUb is essential for growth, differentiation, and infectivity, has a bioenergetics role, and does not act as dominant negative subunit of MCU.
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Why is it important?
The finding of metabolic pathways in trypanosomes that are different from those in the host could be important to develop novel drugs, vaccines and diagnostic reagents.
Perspectives
The work shows for the first time the complementation of knockout mutants obtained by CRISPR/Cas9 in T. cruzi, that the MCUb subunit of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter is important for growth and infectivity and does not behave as a dominant negative effector of the uniporter as occurs in HeLa cells, and that MCU, the pore of the uniporter complex is not essential in T. cruzi.
Professor Roberto Docampo
University of Georgia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Different Roles of Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter Complex Subunits in Growth and Infectivity of
Trypanosoma cruzi, mBio, May 2017, ASM Journals,
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00574-17.
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