The long and winding road of reverse genetics in Trypanosoma cruzi

Trypanosomes are early divergent protists with distinctive features among eukaryotic cells. Together with Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma cruzi has been one of the most studied members of the group. This protozoan parasite is the causative agent of Chagas disease, a leading cause...

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Main Authors: Miguel A. Chiurillo, Noelia Lander
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Shared Science Publishers OG 2021-08-01
Series:Microbial Cell
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Online Access:http://microbialcell.com/researcharticles/2021a-chiurillo-microbial-cell/
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author Miguel A. Chiurillo
Noelia Lander
author_facet Miguel A. Chiurillo
Noelia Lander
author_sort Miguel A. Chiurillo
collection DOAJ
description Trypanosomes are early divergent protists with distinctive features among eukaryotic cells. Together with Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma cruzi has been one of the most studied members of the group. This protozoan parasite is the causative agent of Chagas disease, a leading cause of heart disease in the Americas, for which there is no vaccine or satisfactory treatment available. Understanding T. cruzi biology is crucial to identify alternative targets for antiparasitic interventions. Genetic manipulation of T. cruzi has been historically challenging. However, the emergence of CRISPR/Cas9 technology has significantly improved the ability to generate genetically modified T. cruzi cell lines. Still, the system alone is not sufficient to answer all biologically relevant questions. In general, current genetic methods have limitations that should be overcome to advance in the study of this peculiar parasite. In this brief historic overview, we highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the molecular strategies that have been developed to genetically modify T. cruzi, emphasizing the future directions of the field.
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spelling doaj-art-2010784b6c2d4fb29ff32ecb540a1c8a2025-08-20T02:53:19ZengShared Science Publishers OGMicrobial Cell2311-26382021-08-018920320710.15698/mic2021.09.758The long and winding road of reverse genetics in Trypanosoma cruziMiguel A. Chiurillo0Noelia Lander1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA.Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA.Trypanosomes are early divergent protists with distinctive features among eukaryotic cells. Together with Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma cruzi has been one of the most studied members of the group. This protozoan parasite is the causative agent of Chagas disease, a leading cause of heart disease in the Americas, for which there is no vaccine or satisfactory treatment available. Understanding T. cruzi biology is crucial to identify alternative targets for antiparasitic interventions. Genetic manipulation of T. cruzi has been historically challenging. However, the emergence of CRISPR/Cas9 technology has significantly improved the ability to generate genetically modified T. cruzi cell lines. Still, the system alone is not sufficient to answer all biologically relevant questions. In general, current genetic methods have limitations that should be overcome to advance in the study of this peculiar parasite. In this brief historic overview, we highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the molecular strategies that have been developed to genetically modify T. cruzi, emphasizing the future directions of the field.http://microbialcell.com/researcharticles/2021a-chiurillo-microbial-cell/chagas diseasecrispr/cas9gene knockoutgene tagginggene knock-ingenome editingtrypanosomes
spellingShingle Miguel A. Chiurillo
Noelia Lander
The long and winding road of reverse genetics in Trypanosoma cruzi
Microbial Cell
chagas disease
crispr/cas9
gene knockout
gene tagging
gene knock-in
genome editing
trypanosomes
title The long and winding road of reverse genetics in Trypanosoma cruzi
title_full The long and winding road of reverse genetics in Trypanosoma cruzi
title_fullStr The long and winding road of reverse genetics in Trypanosoma cruzi
title_full_unstemmed The long and winding road of reverse genetics in Trypanosoma cruzi
title_short The long and winding road of reverse genetics in Trypanosoma cruzi
title_sort long and winding road of reverse genetics in trypanosoma cruzi
topic chagas disease
crispr/cas9
gene knockout
gene tagging
gene knock-in
genome editing
trypanosomes
url http://microbialcell.com/researcharticles/2021a-chiurillo-microbial-cell/
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