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A MORC-driven transcriptional switch controls Toxoplasma developmental trajectories and sexual commitment

ABSTRACT: Purpose: T. gondii has a complex life cycle typified by an asexual development taking place in vertebrate and a sexual reproduction occurring exclusively in felids and thereby is less studied. The developmental transitions rely on changes in gene expression patterns, and recent studies have assigned roles for chromatin shapers, including histone modifications, in establishing specific programs for a given stage. Here, we identified T. gondii microrchidia (MORC) protein as an upstream transcriptional repressor of sexual commitment. MORC, in partnership with Apetala (AP2) transcription factors, was shown to recruit the histone deacetylase HDAC3, thereby impeding the chromatin accessibility of the genes predestined to be exclusively expressed in sexual stages. As such, MORC-depleted cells underwent marked transcriptional changes, resulting in the expression of a specific repertoire of genes, thus revealing a shift from asexual proliferation to sexual differentiation. MORC acts as a master regulator that directs the hierarchical expression of secondary AP2 factors, with these latter potentially contributing to the unidirectionality of the life cycle. Thus, MORC plays a cardinal role in the T. gondii life cycle, and its conditional depletion offers a way to study the parasite’s sexual development in vitro, and proposes an alternative to the requirement of cat infections.

ORGANISM(S): Toxoplasma gondii

PROVIDER: GSE136123 | GEO | 2019/12/21

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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A MORC-driven transcriptional switch controls Toxoplasma developmental trajectories and sexual commitment

Project description:Toxoplasma gondii has a complex life cycle that is typified by asexual development that takes place in vertebrates, and sexual reproduction, which occurs exclusively in felids and is therefore less studied. The developmental transitions rely on changes in the patterns of gene expression, and recent studies have assigned roles for chromatin shapers, including histone modifications, in establishing specific epigenetic programs for each given stage. Here, we identified the T. gondii microrchidia (MORC) protein as an upstream transcriptional repressor of sexual commitment. MORC, in a complex with Apetala 2 (AP2) transcription factors, was shown to recruit the histone deacetylase HDAC3, thereby impeding the accessibility of chromatin at the genes that are exclusively expressed during sexual stages. We found that MORC-depleted cells underwent marked transcriptional changes, resulting in the expression of a specific repertoire of genes, and revealing a shift from asexual proliferation to sexual differentiation. MORC acts as a master regulator that directs the hierarchical expression of secondary AP2 transcription factors, and these transcription factors potentially contribute to the unidirectionality of the life cycle. Thus, MORC plays a cardinal role in the T. gondii life cycle, and its conditional depletion offers a method to study the sexual development of the parasite in vitro, and is proposed as an alternative to the requirement of T. gondii infections in cats.

2019-12-21 | GSE136060 | GEO

Mass spectrometry-based characterization of Toxoplasma gondii MORC interactome

Project description:T. gondii has a complex life cycle typified by an asexual development taking place in vertebrate, and a sexual reproduction which occurs exclusively in felids and thereby is less studied. The developmental transitions rely on changes in gene expression patterns, and recent studies have assigned roles for chromatin shapers, including histone modifications, in establishing specific epigenetic programs for each given stage. Here, we identified T. gondii microrchidia (MORC) protein as an upstream transcriptional repressor of sexual commitment. We performed affinity purification coupled to tandem mass spectrometry analyses to identify its binding partners.

2020-01-09 | PXD016846 | Pride

MS-based quantitative proteomic analysis of total proteomes from T. gondii strains upon MORC’s depletion and TgHDAC3 inhibition.

Project description:T. gondii has a complex life cycle typified by an asexual development taking place in vertebrate, and a sexual reproduction which occurs exclusively in felids and thereby is less studied. The developmental transitions rely on changes in gene expression patterns, and recent studies have assigned roles for chromatin shapers, including histone modifications, in establishing specific epigenetic programs for each given stage. Here, we identified T. gondii microrchidia (MORC) protein as an upstream transcriptional repressor of sexual commitment. To explore the molecular role of MORC, we conducted mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomic analyses to monitor the proteome changes upon MORC’s depletion and TgHDAC3 inhibition.

2020-01-09 | PXD016845 | Pride

Unveiling the Transcriptional Regulation of Development in Toxoplasma gondii: Insights into a Cascade AP2 Regulatory Network

Project description:Toxoplasma gondii is a medically and veterinary important intracellular parasite that undergoes distinct developmental transitions in its intermediate and definitive hosts. The switch between stages of T. gondii is meticulously regulated by a variety of factors. Previous studies have explored the role of the microrchidia (MORC) protein complex as a transcriptional suppressor of sexual commitment. By utilizing immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, constituents of this protein complex have been identified, including MORC, Histone Deacetylase 3 (HDAC3), and several ApiApiAP2 transcription factors. Conditional knockout of MORC or inhibition of HDAC3 results in upregulation of a set of genes associated with schizogony and sexual stages in T. gondii tachyzoites. Here, our focus extends to three primary ApiAP2s: ApiAP2XII-1, ApiAP2XI-2, and ApiAP2V-2, demonstrating their significant impact on the fitness of asexual tachyzoites and their target genes. Notably, the targeted disruption of ApiAP2XII-1 and ApiAP2XI-2 resulted in a more profound alteration in merozoite-specific genes targeted by the MORC/HDAC3 complex compared to ApiAP2V-2. Additionally, considerable overlap was observed in downstream gene profiles between ApiAP2XII-1 and ApiAP2XI-2, with ApiAP2XII-1 specifically binding to a subset of ApiAP2 transcription factors, including ApiAP2XI-2. These findings reveal an intricate cascade of ApiAP2 regulatory networks involved in T. gondii schizogony development, orchestrated by ApiAP2XII-1 and ApiAP2XI-2. This study provides valuable insights into the transcriptional regulation of T. gondii growth and development, shedding light on the intricate life cycle of this parasitic pathogen.

2023-12-10 | GSE249604 | GEO

Transcriptomics of Toxoplasma gondii enteroepithelial stages

Project description:Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic pathogen for which felids serve as definitive hosts. In cats, the parasite undergoes several rounds of asexual replication before entering the sexual cycle which gives rise to oocysts that are shed into the environment. These then sporulate and become infective to humans and live stock. To understand the genes involved in the parasite development in the felid host and identify potential intervention targets, we designed a transcriptomic approach to compare the cat intestinal stages with the well characterised tachyzoites that mediate acute infection and tissue cysts that are responsible for chronic infection. Cats were infected with T. gondii tissue cysts from mouse brain and sampled the intestinal stages at day 3, 5 and 7 post infection. As an input sample, we also collected tissue cysts from mouse brain as well as in vitro cultivated tachyzoites. Total RNA was extracted, enriched for mRNA and used for cDNA synthesis. RNA-Seq was then performed to describe the transcriptomic repertoire of each time point/life cycle stage.

2018-03-30 | GSE108740 | GEO

Plasmodium falciparum MORC protein modulates gene expression through interaction with heterochromatin

Project description:The MORC (microrchidia) family of proteins is highly conserved in all eukaryotic cells and have been shown to play diverse roles by forming protein-protein interactions with immune-responsive proteins, SWI chromatin remodeling complexes, histone deacetylases, and histone tail modifications across metazoans. To dissect the functional roles of MORC in the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, we developed a glmS based ribozyme knockdown system to induce PfMORC knockdown upon glucosamine (GlcN) induction. We further conducted a transcriptomic analysis in PfMORC-HA-glmS knockdown parasites at the asexual stage to investigate alterations in global gene expression. Our results indicate an overrepresentation of downregulated genes belonging to the heterochromatin-associated hypervariable gene family proteins. Overall, we found that PfMORC controls the asexual gene expression of the P. falciparum and can be a potential target for malaria disease containment.

2023-11-15 | GSE241313 | GEO

In vitro production of cat-restricted Toxoplasma pre-sexual stages by epigenetic reprogramming

Project description:Sexual reproduction of Toxoplasma gondii, which is restricted to the small intestine of felids, is sparsely documented in studies involving domestic cats, which also raises ethical concerns. Chromatin modifiers dictate the developmental fate of the parasite during its multistage life cycle, but their targeting to stage-specific cistromes is poorly described. Here we show that AP2XII-1 and AP2XI-2, two transcription factors expressed in tachyzoites, a stage that causes acute toxoplasmosis, silence genes specific to merozoites, a developmental stage critical for sexual commitment and transmission to the next host, including humans. Their conditional and simultaneous depletion leads to a drastic change in the transcriptional program, promoting a complete transition from tachyzoites to merozoites, as revealed by mass spectrometry-based proteomic analyses of the parasites.

2023-09-16 | PXD039400 | Pride

A knockout screen of ApiAP2 genes reveals networks of interacting transcriptional regulators controlling the Plasmodium life cycle.

Project description:The family of apicomplexa-specific proteins with DNA binding AP2 domains (ApiAP2s) includes sequence-specific transcription factors that are key regulators of development in malaria parasites. However, functions for the majority of ApiAP2 genes remain unknown. Here, a systematic knockout screen in Plasmodium berghei identifies ten ApiAP2 genes essential for mosquito transmission, of which four are critical for the formation of infectious ookinetes and three for sporogony. We describe unexpected non-essential functions for AP2-O and AP2-SP proteins in blood stages and identify AP2-G2 as a universal repressor active in both, asexual and sexual stages. Comparative transcriptomics across mutants and developmental stages reveals clusters of co-regulated genes with shared cis elements in their promoters, whose expression can be controlled positively or negatively by different ApiAP2 gene deletions. We propose that stage-specific interactions between ApiAP2 proteins on partly overlapping sets of target genes generate the complex transcriptional network that controls the Plasmodium life cycle.

2017-02-08 | PXD005180 | Pride

Mass spectrometry-based proteomic characterization of T. gondii AP2XI-2 and AP2XII-1 interactomes

Project description:Sexual reproduction of Toxoplasma gondii, which is restricted to the small intestine of felids, is sparsely documented in studies involving domestic cats, which also raises ethical concerns. Chromatin modifiers dictate the developmental fate of the parasite during its multistage life cycle, but their targeting to stage-specific cistromes is poorly described. AP2XII-1 and AP2XI-2, two transcription factors expressed in tachyzoites, a stage that causes acute toxoplasmosis, silence genes specific to merozoites, a developmental stage critical for sexual commitment and transmission to the next host, including humans. Their conditional and simultaneous depletion leads to a drastic change in the transcriptional program, promoting a complete transition from tachyzoites to merozoites. AP2XI-2 and AP2XII-1 likely synergize to suppress gene expression in tachyzoites, but their modus operandi is still enigmatic. We therefore characterized their interactomes.

2023-09-16 | PXD042658 | Pride

Global Transcriptional Repression: Initial and Essential Step for Plasmodium Sexual Development [ChIP-seq]

Project description:Gametocytes are nonreplicative sexual forms that mediate malaria transmission to a mosquito vector. They are generated from asexual blood stage parasites, which proliferate in the circulation. However, it remains largely unknown as to how this transition is genetically regulated. Here, we report that an Apetala2 (AP2) family transcription factor, AP2-G2, regulates the transition as a transcriptional repressor. Disruption of AP2-G2 in the rodent malaria parasites, Plasmodium berghei, did not prevent commitment to the sexual stage but halted their development before manifesting sex-specific morphologies. ChIP-seq analysis revealed that AP2-G2 targets approximately 1,500 genes and recognizes a five-base motif on their promoters. Most of these target genes are required for asexual proliferation in the blood by the parasites, thereby suggesting that AP2-G2 blocks the program for asexual replication of parasites in the blood. DNA microarray analysis showed that the identified targets constituted approximately 70% of the upregulated genes in AP2-G2-depleted parasites, and a promoter assay using a centromere plasmid demonstrated that the binding motif functions as a cis-acting negative regulatory element. These results suggest that global transcriptional repression, which occurs during the initial phase of gametocytogenesis, is an essential step to promote conversion to the sexual stage.

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