Integrated genomic and metabolomic profiling of ISC1, an emerging Leishmania donovani population in the Indian subcontinent.

In this study, we perform for the first time an integrated, untargeted genomics and metabolomics approach to characterize ISC1, in comparison with the Core Group (CG), main population that drove the last outbreak of VL in the ISC. We show that the ISC1 population is very different from the CG, both at genome and metabolome levels. These differences included SNPs, CNV and small indels in genes coding for known virulence factors, immunogens and surface proteins. Both genomic and metabolic approaches highlighted dissimilarities related to membrane lipids, the nucleotide salvage pathway and the urea cycle in ISC1 versus CG. Many of these pathways and molecules are important for the interaction with the host/extracellular environment. Altogether, our data predict major functional differences in ISC1 parasites, including virulence. Therefore, particular attention is required to monitor the fate of this emerging population in the ISC, especially in a post-VL elimination context.
PMID: 29679745 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Infection, Genetics and Evolution - April 18, 2018 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Cuypers B, Berg M, Imamura H, Dumetz F, De Muylder G, Domagalska MA, Rijal S, Bhattarai NR, Maes I, Sanders M, Cotton JA, Meysman P, Laukens K, Dujardin JC Tags: Infect Genet Evol Source Type: research