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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Parasite and Host
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1502339

The histone methyltransferase DOT1B is dispensable for stage differentiation and macrophage infection of Leishmania mexicana

Provisionally accepted
Nicole Eisenhuth Nicole Eisenhuth 1Elisa Theres Rauh Elisa Theres Rauh 1Melina Mitnacht Melina Mitnacht 1Andrea Debus Andrea Debus 2Ulrike Schleicher Ulrike Schleicher 2Falk Bu>er Falk Bu>er 3Katerina Pruzinova Katerina Pruzinova 4Petr Volf Petr Volf 4Christian J Janzen Christian J Janzen 1*
  • 1 Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
  • 2 University of Erlangen Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bavaria, Germany
  • 3 Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
  • 4 Charles University, Prague, Prague, Czechia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Conserved histone methyltransferases of the DOT1 family are involved in replicaKon regulaKon, cell cycle progression, stage differenKaKon and gene regulaKon in trypanosomaKds. However, the specific funcKons of these enzymes depend on the host evasion strategies of the parasites. In this study, we invesKgated the role of DOT1B in Leishmania mexicana, focusing on life cycle progression and infecKvity. In contrast to Trypanosoma brucei, in which DOT1B is essenKal for the differenKaKon of mammal-infecKve bloodstream forms to insect procyclic forms, L. mexicana DOT1B (LmxDOT1B) is not criKcal for the differenKaKon of promasKgotes to amasKgotes in vitro. AddiKonally, there are no significant differences in the ability to infect or differenKate in macrophages or sand fly vectors between the LmxDOT1B-depleted and control strains. These findings highlight the divergency of the funcKon of DOT1B in these related parasites, suggesKng genus-specific adaptaKons in the use of histone modificaKons for life cycle progression and host adaptaKon processes.

    Keywords: histone methyltransferase, Dot1, Leishmania mexicana, Virulence, differentiation, Sandfly

    Received: 26 Sep 2024; Accepted: 16 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Eisenhuth, Rauh, Mitnacht, Debus, Schleicher, Bu>er, Pruzinova, Volf and Janzen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Christian J Janzen, Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany

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