High-throughput decoding of mitosis in trypanosome parasites

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Correct cell division is essential to life. The way in which this is achieved, however, differs greatly between organisms. This is particularly the case for many important parasite species, the division of which are often very different from host cells. Understanding this cell division machinery is important to understanding the basic biology of the parasite, but also because differences between parasite and host present opportunities for the development of new treatments. African trypanosomes are single-celled parasites of the blood. They cause a deadly disease in humans in sub-Saharan Africa and a wasting disease of cattle that kills ~3 million cattle per year and creates an estimated loss of ~$4 billion from African economies. African trypanosomes have an unusual genome structure that is linked to their pathology and encompasses ~120 chromosomes all of which are moved by a cell division machinery that is very different from most other eukaryotes. How this system works is an important outstanding question in parasitology and will tell us how the system evolved as well as which parts are potential drug targets. The lab has developed a genomic method that allows researchers to generate and follow 100,000s of mutants to assess the function of genes in a specific process. This PhD project will use this new technology, along with biochemical and cell biological approaches to understand the cell division machinery of African trypanosomes and related parasites. By combining the genome-wide approach with specific mutants, we will define the essential parts of the chromosome segregation machinery, identify new components and decode how the system is put together.