Diagenode

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


Farhat DC, Swale C, Dard C, Cannella D, Ortet P, Barakat M, Sindikubwabo F, Belmudes L, De Bock PJ, Couté Y, Bougdour A, Hakimi MA

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.

Tags
Antibody
IPure kit
iDeal ChIP-seq Kit for Histones
Beads

Share this article

Published
February, 2020

Source

Products used in this publication

  • ChIP-seq Grade
    C15210005
    H3K14ac Antibody
  • cut and tag antibody icon
    C15410003-50
    H3K4me3 Antibody
  • ChIP kit icon
    C01010051
    iDeal ChIP-seq kit for Histones
  • default alt
    C03010015
    IPure kit v2
  • default alt
    C03010020-220
    DiaMag protein A-coated magnetic beads (ChIP-se...

Events

  • Long-Read Sequencing Meeting 2024
    Uppsala, Sweden
    Oct 21-Oct 23, 2024
  • NextGen Omics 2024
    London, UK
    Oct 23-Oct 25, 2024
  • FEBS 2024
    Budapest, Hungary
    Oct 28-Oct 31, 2024
  • 5th Danube Conference on Epigenetics
    Budapest, Hungary
    Oct 28-Oct 31, 2024
 See all events

 


       Site map   |   Contact us   |   Conditions of sales   |   Conditions of purchase   |   Privacy policy