Evolutionary diversification of the trypanosome haptoglobin-haemoglobin receptor from an ancestral haemoglobin receptor

DOI: 10.7554/eLife.13044

Authors: Harriet Lane-serff (Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Diamond Light Source) , Paula Macgregor (Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford) , Lori Peacock (School of Veterinary Science, University of Bristol) , Olivia Js Macleod (Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge) , Christopher Kay (School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol) , Wendy Gibson (School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol) , Matthew K Higgins (Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford) , Mark Carrington (Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Elife , VOL 5

State: Published (Approved)
Published: April 2016
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 9306

Abstract: The haptoglobin-haemoglobin receptor of the African trypanosome species, Trypanosoma brucei, is expressed when the parasite is in the bloodstream of the mammalian host, allowing it to acquire haem through the uptake of haptoglobin-haemoglobin complexes. Here we show that in Trypanosoma congolense this receptor is instead expressed in the epimastigote developmental stage that occurs in the tsetse fly, where it acts as a haemoglobin receptor. We also present the structure of the T. congolense receptor in complex with haemoglobin. This allows us to propose an evolutionary history for this receptor, charting the structural and cellular changes that took place as it adapted from a role in the insect to a new role in the mammalian host.

Subject Areas: Biology and Bio-materials, Chemistry, Medicine


Instruments: I03-Macromolecular Crystallography

Documents:
e13044-download.pdf