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DIAGNOSTIC POTENTIAL OF A CONSERVED GENOMIC REARRANGEMENT IN THE TRYPANOSOMA BRUCEI GAMBIENSE-SPECIFIC TGSGP LOCUS

We have previously identified TGSGP as a gene specific to the Trypanosoma brucei gambiense subspecies. TGSGP is a truncated VSG-like telomeric gene transcribed by RNA polymerase II. The TGSGP protein localizes to the flagellar pocket, and exhibits features compatible with a role as surface receptor. Here we show that TGSGP is physically linked to a truncation of a gene homologous to yeast AUT1 (APG3), a gene involved in internal vesicular formation. Further analysis indicated that T. b. gambiense is heterozygous for AUT1 (AUT1/aut1), with each allele located on independent chromosome II homologues. In 18 T. b. gambiense isolates from distinct geographical origins and different hosts, this genomic rearrangement was conserved. The size of the intergenic region between TGSGP and truncated aut1 varied among isolates but was similar in isolates of the same geographical area, and this observation may be used in epidemiology to trace the geographical origin of T. b. gambiense isolates.

Received December 6, 2006. Accepted for publication January 12, 2007.

Acknowledgments: We acknowledge M. Berberof for earlier participation in this project. We are grateful to G. Kanmogne, W. Gibson, P. Büscher, and F. Claes for providing materials.

Financial support: This work was supported by the Belgium Fund for Scientific Research (FRSM) and by the Interuniversity Attraction Poles Program—Belgian Science Policy. C.F. was supported by FRIA.

^* Address correspondence to David Pérez-Morga, Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Institut de Biologie et Médecine Moléculaires (IBMM), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Gosselies, Belgium. E-mail: David.Perez-Morga{at}ulb.ac.be

Authors’ addresses: Cecile Felu, Julie Pasture, Etienne Pays, and David Pérez-Morga, Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, IBMM, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 12, rue des Professeurs Jeener et Brachet, B-6041 Gosselies, Belgium. Telephone: +32-2-650-97 67, Fax: +32-2-650-97 50, E-mail: David.Perez-Morga{at}ulb.ac.be.

Reprint Requests: David Pérez-Morga, Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, IBMM, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 12, rue des Professeurs Jeener et Brachet, B-6041 Gosselies, Belgium, Telephone: +32-2-650-97 67, Fax: +32-2-650-97 50, E-mail: David.Perez-Morga{at}ulb.ac.be.