Publications des scientifiques de l'IRD

Weir W., Capewell P., Foth B., Clucas C., Pountain A., Steketee P., Veitch N., Koffi M., De Meeûs Thierry, Kabore J., Camara M., Cooper A., Tait A., Jamonneau Vincent, Bucheton Bruno, Berriman M., MacLeod A. (2016). Population genomics reveals the origin and asexual evolution of human infective trypanosomes. Elife, 5, p. e11473 [14 p.]. ISSN 2050-084X.

Titre du document
Population genomics reveals the origin and asexual evolution of human infective trypanosomes
Année de publication
2016
Type de document
Article référencé dans le Web of Science WOS:000369059800001
Auteurs
Weir W., Capewell P., Foth B., Clucas C., Pountain A., Steketee P., Veitch N., Koffi M., De Meeûs Thierry, Kabore J., Camara M., Cooper A., Tait A., Jamonneau Vincent, Bucheton Bruno, Berriman M., MacLeod A.
Source
Elife, 2016, 5, p. e11473 [14 p.] ISSN 2050-084X
Evolutionary theory predicts that the lack of recombination and chromosomal re assortment in strictly asexual organisms results in homologous chromosomes irreversibly accumulating mutations and thus evolving independently of each other, a phenomenon termed the Meselson effect. We apply a population genomics approach to examine this effect in an important human pathogen, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. We determine that T.b. gambiense is evolving strictly asexually and is derived from a single progenitor, which emerged within the last 10,000 years. We demonstrate the Meselson effect for the first time at the genome-wide level in any organism and show large regions of loss of heterozygosity, which we hypothesise to be a short-term compensatory mechanism for counteracting deleterious mutations. Our study sheds new light on the genomic and evolutionary consequences of strict asexuality, which this pathogen uses as it exploits a new biological niche, the human population.
Plan de classement
Sciences fondamentales / Techniques d'analyse et de recherche [020] ; Entomologie médicale / Parasitologie / Virologie [052]
Description Géographique
AFRIQUE DE L'OUEST ; CAMEROUN ; GUINEE ; COTE D'IVOIRE
Localisation
Fonds IRD [F B010066155]
Identifiant IRD
fdi:010066155
Contact