Genetic modification of the diarrhoeal pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum.

Recent studies into the global causes of severe diarrhoea in young children have identified the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium as the second most important diarrhoeal pathogen after rotavirus. Diarrhoeal disease is estimated to be responsible for 10.5% of overall child mortality. Cryptosporidium is also an opportunistic pathogen in the contexts of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-caused AIDS and organ transplantation. There is no vaccine and only a single approved drug that provides no benefit for those in gravest danger: malnourished children and immunocompromised patients. Cryptosporidiosis drug and vaccine development is limited by the poor tractability of the parasite, which includes a lack of systems for continuous culture, facile animal models, and molecular genetic tools. Here we describe an experimental framework to genetically modify this important human pathogen. We established and optimized transfection of C. parvum sporozoites in tissue culture. To isolate stable transgenics we developed a mouse model that delivers sporozoites directly into the intestine, a Cryptosporidium clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9 system, and in vivo selection for aminoglycoside resistance. We derived reporter parasites suitable for in vitro and in vivo drug screening, and we evaluated the basis of drug susceptibility by gene knockout. We anticipate that the ability to genetically engineer this parasite will be transformative for Cryptosporidium research. Genetic reporters will provide quantitative correlates for disease, cure and protection, and the role of parasite genes in these processes is now open to rigorous investigation.

RegTransBase--a database of regulatory sequences and interactions based on literature: a resource for investigating transcriptional regulation in prokaryotes.

BACKGROUND: Due to the constantly growing number of sequenced microbial genomes, comparative genomics has been playing a major role in the investigation of regulatory interactions in bacteria. Regulon inference mostly remains a field of semi-manual examination since absence of a knowledgebase and informatics platform for automated and systematic investigation restricts opportunities for computational prediction. Additionally, confirming computationally inferred regulons by experimental data is critically important. DESCRIPTION: RegTransBase is an open-access platform with a user-friendly web interface publicly available at http://regtransbase.lbl.gov. It consists of two databases - a manually collected hierarchical regulatory interactions database based on more than 7000 scientific papers which can serve as a knowledgebase for verification of predictions, and a large set of curated by experts transcription factor binding sites used in regulon inference by a variety of tools. RegTransBase captures the knowledge from published scientific literature using controlled vocabularies and contains various types of experimental data, such as: the activation or repression of transcription by an identified direct regulator; determination of the transcriptional regulatory function of a protein (or RNA) directly binding to DNA or RNA; mapping of binding sites for a regulatory protein; characterization of regulatory mutations. Analysis of the data collected from literature resulted in the creation of Putative Regulons from Experimental Data that are also available in RegTransBase. CONCLUSIONS: RegTransBase is a powerful user-friendly platform for the investigation of regulation in prokaryotes. It uses a collection of validated regulatory sequences that can be easily extracted and used to infer regulatory interactions by comparative genomics techniques thus assisting researchers in the interpretation of transcriptional regulation data.

Telomeric co-localization of the modified base J and contingency genes in the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi.

Base J or beta-d-glucosylhydroxymethyluracil is a modification of thymine residues within the genome of kinetoplastid parasites. In organisms known to contain the modified base, J is located mainly within the telomeric repeats. However, in Trypanosoma brucei, a small fraction of J is also located within the silent subtelomeric variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) gene expression sites, but not in the active expression site, suggesting a role for J in regulating telomeric genes involved in pathogenesis. With the identification of surface glycoprotein genes adjacent to telomeres in the South American Trypanosome, Trypanosoma cruzi, we became interested in the telomeric distribution of base J. Analysis of J and telomeric repeat sequences by J immunoblots and Southern blots following DNA digestion, reveals approximately 25% of J outside the telomeric repeat sequences. Moreover, the analysis of DNA sequences immunoprecipitated with J antiserum, localized J within subtelomeric regions rich in life-stage-specific surface glycoprotein genes involved in pathogenesis. Interestingly, the pattern of J within these regions is developmentally regulated. These studies provide a framework to characterize the role of base J in the regulation of telomeric gene expression/diversity in T. cruzi.

RegTransBase--a database of regulatory sequences and interactions in a wide range of prokaryotic genomes.

RegTransBase is a manually curated database of regulatory interactions in prokaryotes that captures the knowledge in public scientific literature using a controlled vocabulary. Although several databases describing interactions between regulatory proteins and their binding sites are already being maintained, they either focus mostly on the model organisms Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis or are entirely computationally derived. RegTransBase describes a large number of regulatory interactions reported in many organisms and contains the following types of experimental data: the activation or repression of transcription by an identified direct regulator, determining the transcriptional regulatory function of a protein (or RNA) directly binding to DNA (RNA), mapping or prediction of a binding site for a regulatory protein and characterization of regulatory mutations. Currently, RegTransBase content is derived from about 3000 relevant articles describing over 7000 experiments in relation to 128 microbes. It contains data on the regulation of about 7500 genes and evidence for 6500 interactions with 650 regulators. RegTransBase also contains manually created position weight matrices (PWM) that can be used to identify candidate regulatory sites in over 60 species. RegTransBase is available at http://regtransbase.lbl.gov.

Drivers of persistent infection: pathogen-induced extracellular vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are produced by invading pathogens and also by host cells in response to infection. The origin, composition, and function of EVs made during infection are diverse and provide effective vehicles for localized and broad dissimilation of effector molecules in the infected host. Extracellular pathogens use EVs to communicate with each other by sensing the host environment contributing to social motility, tissue tropism, and persistence of infection. Pathogen-derived EVs can also interact with host cells to influence the adhesive properties of host membranes and to alter immune recognition and response. Intracellular pathogens can affect both the protein and RNA content of EVs produced by infected host cells. Release of pathogen-induced host EVs can affect host immune responses to infection. In this review, we will describe both the biogenesis and content of EVs produced by a number of diverse pathogens. In addition, we will examine the pathogen-induced changes to EVs produced by infected host cells.

Protein phosphatase 2A plays a crucial role in Giardia lamblia differentiation.

The ability of Giardia lamblia to undergo two distinct differentiations in response to physiologic stimuli is central to its pathogenesis. The giardial cytoskeleton changes drastically during encystation and excystation. However, the signal transduction pathways mediating these transformations are poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that PP2A, a highly conserved serine/threonine protein phosphatase, might be important in giardial differentiation. We found that in vegetatively growing trophozoites, gPP2A-C protein localizes to basal bodies/centrosomes, and to cytoskeletal structures unique to Giardia: the ventral disk, and the dense rods of the anterior, posterior-lateral, and caudal flagella. During encystation, gPP2A-C protein disappears from only the anterior flagellar dense rods. During excystation, gPP2A-C localizes to the cyst wall in excysting cysts but is not found in the wall of cysts with emerging excyzoites. Transcriptome and immunoblot analyses indicated that gPP2A-C mRNA and protein are upregulated in mature cysts and during the early stage of excystation that models passage through the host stomach. Stable expression of gPP2A-C antisense RNA did not affect vegetative growth, but strongly inhibited the formation of encystation secretory vesicles (ESV) and water-resistant cysts. Moreover, the few cysts that formed were highly defective in excystation. Thus, gPP2A-C localizes to universal cytoskeletal structures and to structures unique to Giardia. It is also important for encystation and excystation, crucial giardial transformations that entail entry into and exit from dormancy.

A Plastid Protein That Evolved from Ubiquitin and Is Required for Apicoplast Protein Import in Toxoplasma gondii.

Apicomplexan parasites cause a variety of important infectious diseases, including malaria, toxoplasma encephalitis, and severe diarrhea due to Cryptosporidium Most apicomplexans depend on an organelle called the apicoplast which is derived from a red algal endosymbiont. The apicoplast is essential for the parasite as the compartment of fatty acid, heme, and isoprenoid biosynthesis. The majority of the approximate 500 apicoplast proteins are nucleus encoded and have to be imported across the four membranes that surround the apicoplast. Import across the second outermost membrane of the apicoplast, the periplastid membrane, depends on an apicoplast-specific endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation (ERAD) complex and on enzymes of the associated ubiquitination cascade. However, identification of an apicoplast ubiquitin associated with this machinery has long been elusive. Here we identify a plastid ubiquitin-like protein (PUBL), an apicoplast protein that is derived from a ubiquitin ancestor but that has significantly changed in its primary sequence. PUBL is distinct from known ubiquitin-like proteins, and phylogenomic analyses suggest a clade specific to apicomplexans. We demonstrate that PUBL and the AAA ATPase CDC48AP both act to translocate apicoplast proteins across the periplastid membrane during protein import. Conditional null mutants and genetic complementation show that both proteins are critical for this process and for parasite survival. PUBL residues homologous to those that are required for ubiquitin conjugation onto target proteins are essential for this function, while those required for polyubiquitination and preprotein processing are dispensable. Our experiments provide a mechanistic understanding of the molecular machinery that drives protein import across the membranes of the apicoplast.IMPORTANCE Apicomplexan parasites are responsible for important human diseases. There are no effective vaccines for use in humans, and drug treatment faces multiple challenges, including emerging resistance, lack of efficacy across the lifecycle, and adverse drug effects. The apicoplast is a promising target for novel treatments: this chloroplast-like organelle is derived from an algal symbiont, is absent from the host, and is essential for parasite growth and pathogenesis. We use Toxoplasma gondii as a model to study the apicoplast due to its strong genetic tools and established functional assays. We identify a plastid ubiquitin-like protein (PUBL) which is a novel ubiquitin-like protein and demonstrate its importance and that of the motor protein CDC48AP for apicoplast protein import. These findings broaden our understanding of the evolution and mechanistic workings of a unique parasite organelle and may lead to new opportunities for treatments against important human pathogens.

PfClpC Is an Essential Clp Chaperone Required for Plastid Integrity and Clp Protease Stability in Plasmodium falciparum.

The deadly malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum contains a nonphotosynthetic plastid, known as the apicoplast, that functions to produce essential metabolites, and drugs that target the apicoplast are clinically effective. Several prokaryotic caseinolytic protease (Clp) genes have been identified in the Plasmodium genome. Using phylogenetic analysis, we focused on the Clp members that may form a regulated proteolytic complex in the apicoplast. We genetically targeted members of this complex and generated conditional mutants of the apicoplast-localized PfClpC chaperone and PfClpP protease. Conditional inhibition of the PfClpC chaperone resulted in growth arrest and apicoplast loss and was rescued by addition of the essential apicoplast-derived metabolite IPP. Using a double-conditional mutant parasite line, we discovered that the chaperone activity is required to stabilize the mature protease, revealing functional interactions. These data demonstrate the essential function of PfClpC in maintaining apicoplast integrity and its role in regulating the proteolytic activity of the Clp complex.

Developmental changes in the adhesive disk during Giardia differentiation.

Giardia lamblia is a protozoan parasite infecting the upper mammalian small intestine. Infection relies upon the ability of the parasite to attach to the intestine via a unique cytoskeletal organelle, the ventral disk. We determined the composition and structure of the disk throughout the life cycle of the parasite and identified a new disk protein, SALP-1. SALP-1 is an immunodominant protein related to striated fiber-assemblin (SFA). The disk is disassembled during encystation and stored as four fragments in the immobile cyst. Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) showed that the mRNA levels of the disk proteins decreased in encystation but two-dimensional protein gels showed that the protein levels were more constant. The parasite emerges without a functional disk but the four disk fragments are quickly reassembled into two new disks on the dividing, early excysting form. Thus, disk proteins are stored within the cyst, ready to be used in the rapid steps of excystation.

Autophagy-Related Protein ATG8 Has a Noncanonical Function for Apicoplast Inheritance in Toxoplasma gondii.

UNLABELLED: Autophagy is a catabolic process widely conserved among eukaryotes that permits the rapid degradation of unwanted proteins and organelles through the lysosomal pathway. This mechanism involves the formation of a double-membrane structure called the autophagosome that sequesters cellular components to be degraded. To orchestrate this process, yeasts and animals rely on a conserved set of autophagy-related proteins (ATGs). Key among these factors is ATG8, a cytoplasmic protein that is recruited to nascent autophagosomal membranes upon the induction of autophagy. Toxoplasma gondii is a potentially harmful human pathogen in which only a subset of ATGs appears to be present. Although this eukaryotic parasite seems able to generate autophagosomes upon stresses such as nutrient starvation, the full functionality and biological relevance of a canonical autophagy pathway are as yet unclear. Intriguingly, in T. gondii, ATG8 localizes to the apicoplast under normal intracellular growth conditions. The apicoplast is a nonphotosynthetic plastid enclosed by four membranes resulting from a secondary endosymbiosis. Using superresolution microscopy and biochemical techniques, we show that TgATG8 localizes to the outermost membrane of this organelle. We investigated the unusual function of TgATG8 at the apicoplast by generating a conditional knockdown mutant. Depletion of TgATG8 led to rapid loss of the organelle and subsequent intracellular replication defects, indicating that the protein is essential for maintaining apicoplast homeostasis and thus for survival of the tachyzoite stage. More precisely, loss of TgATG8 led to abnormal segregation of the apicoplast into the progeny because of a loss of physical interactions of the organelle with the centrosomes. IMPORTANCE: By definition, autophagy is a catabolic process that leads to the digestion and recycling of eukaryotic cellular components. The molecular machinery of autophagy was identified mainly in model organisms such as yeasts but remains poorly characterized in phylogenetically distant apicomplexan parasites. We have uncovered an unusual function for autophagy-related protein ATG8 in Toxoplasma gondii: TgATG8 is crucial for normal replication of the parasite inside its host cell. Seemingly unrelated to the catabolic autophagy process, TgATG8 associates with the outer membrane of the nonphotosynthetic plastid harbored by the parasite called the apicoplast, and there it plays an important role in the centrosome-driven inheritance of the organelle during cell division. This not only reveals an unexpected function for an autophagy-related protein but also sheds new light on the division process of an organelle that is vital to a group of important human and animal pathogens.

Gene expression changes during Giardia-host cell interactions in serum-free medium.

Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) was used to quantify transcriptional changes in Giardia intestinalis during its interaction with human intestinal epithelial cells (IECs, HT-29) in serum free M199 medium. Transcriptional changes were compared to those in trophozoites alone in M199 and in TYI-S-33 Giardia growth medium. In total, 90 genes were differentially expressed, mainly those involved in cellular redox homeostasis, metabolism and small molecule transport but also cysteine proteases and structural proteins of the giardin family. Only 29 genes changed their expression due to IEC interaction and the rest were due to M199 medium. Although our findings generated a small dataset, it was consistent with our earlier microarray studies performed under different interaction conditions. This study has confined the number of genes in Giardia to a small subset that specifically change their expression due to interaction with IECs.

The transcriptional response to oxidative stress during vertebrate development: effects of tert-butylhydroquinone and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.

Oxidative stress is an important mechanism of chemical toxicity, contributing to teratogenesis and to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Developing animals may be especially sensitive to chemicals causing oxidative stress. The developmental expression and inducibility of anti-oxidant defenses through activation of NF-E2-related factor 2 (NRF2) affect susceptibility to oxidants, but the embryonic response to oxidants is not well understood. To assess the response to chemically mediated oxidative stress and how it may vary during development, zebrafish embryos, eleutheroembryos, or larvae at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 days post fertilization (dpf) were exposed to DMSO (0.1%), tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ; 10 µM) or 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD; 2 nM) for 6 hr. Transcript abundance was assessed by real-time qRT-PCR and microarray. qRT-PCR showed strong (4- to 5-fold) induction of gstp1 by tBHQ as early as 1 dpf. tBHQ also induced gclc (2 dpf), but not sod1, nqo1, or cyp1a. TCDD induced cyp1a but none of the other genes. Microarray analysis showed that 1477 probes were significantly different among the DMSO-, tBHQ-, and TCDD-treated eleutheroembryos at 4 dpf. There was substantial overlap between genes induced in developing zebrafish and a set of marker genes induced by oxidative stress in mammals. Genes induced by tBHQ in 4-dpf zebrafish included those involved in glutathione synthesis and utilization, signal transduction, and DNA damage/stress response. The strong induction of hsp70 determined by microarray was confirmed by qRT-PCR and by use of transgenic zebrafish expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under control of the hsp70 promoter. Genes strongly down-regulated by tBHQ included mitfa, providing a molecular explanation for the loss of pigmentation in tBHQ-exposed embryos. These data show that zebrafish embryos are responsive to oxidative stress as early as 1 dpf, that responsiveness varies with development in a gene-specific manner, and that the oxidative stress response is substantially conserved in vertebrate animals.

Novel structural components of the ventral disc and lateral crest in Giardia intestinalis.

Giardia intestinalis is a ubiquitous parasitic protist that is the causative agent of giardiasis, one of the most common protozoan diarrheal diseases in the world. Giardia trophozoites attach to the intestinal epithelium using a specialized and elaborate microtubule structure, the ventral disc. Surrounding the ventral disc is a less characterized putatively contractile structure, the lateral crest, which forms a continuous perimeter seal with the substrate. A better understanding of ventral disc and lateral crest structure, conformational dynamics, and biogenesis is critical for understanding the mechanism of giardial attachment to the host. To determine the components comprising the ventral disc and lateral crest, we used shotgun proteomics to identify proteins in a preparation of isolated ventral discs. Candidate disc-associated proteins, or DAPs, were GFP-tagged using a ligation-independent high-throughput cloning method. Based on disc localization, we identified eighteen novel DAPs, which more than doubles the number of known disc-associated proteins. Ten of the novel DAPs are associated with the lateral crest or outer edge of the disc, and are the first confirmed components of this structure. Using Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) with representative novel DAP::GFP strains we found that the newly identified DAPs tested did not recover after photobleaching and are therefore structural components of the ventral disc or lateral crest. Functional analyses of the novel DAPs will be central toward understanding the mechanism of ventral disc-mediated attachment and the mechanism of disc biogenesis during cell division. Since attachment of Giardia to the intestine via the ventral disc is essential for pathogenesis, it is possible that some proteins comprising the disc could be potential drug targets if their loss or disruption interfered with disc biogenesis or function, preventing attachment.

Transcriptome analyses of the Giardia lamblia life cycle.

We quantified mRNA abundance from 10 stages in the Giardia lamblia life cycle in vitro using Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE). 163 abundant transcripts were expressed constitutively. 71 transcripts were upregulated specifically during excystation and 42 during encystation. Nonetheless, the transcriptomes of cysts and trophozoites showed major differences. SAGE detected co-expressed clusters of 284 transcripts differentially expressed in cysts and excyzoites and 287 transcripts in vegetative trophozoites and encysting cells. All clusters included known genes and pathways as well as proteins unique to Giardia or diplomonads. SAGE analysis of the Giardia life cycle identified a number of kinases, phosphatases, and DNA replication proteins involved in excystation and encystation, which could be important for examining the roles of cell signaling in giardial differentiation. Overall, these data pave the way for directed gene discovery and a better understanding of the biology of G. lamblia.

Profiling Schistosoma mansoni development using serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE).

Despite the widespread use of chemotherapy and other control strategies over the past 50years, transmission rates for schistosomiasis have changed little. Regardless of the approach used, future control efforts will require a more complete understanding of fundamental parasite biology. Schistosomes undergo complex development involving an alteration of parasite generations within a mammalian and freshwater molluscan host in the completion of its lifecycle. Little is known about factors controlling schistosome development, but understanding these processes may facilitate the discovery of new control methods. Therefore, our goal in this study is to determine global developmentally regulated and stage-specific gene expression in Schistosoma mansoni using serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE). We present a preliminary analysis of genes expressed during development and sexual differentiation in the mammalian host and during early larval development in the snail host. A number of novel, differentially expressed genes have been identified, both within and between the different developmental stages found in the mammalian and snail hosts.

Genomic minimalism in the early diverging intestinal parasite Giardia lamblia.

The genome of the eukaryotic protist Giardia lamblia, an important human intestinal parasite, is compact in structure and content, contains few introns or mitochondrial relics, and has simplified machinery for DNA replication, transcription, RNA processing, and most metabolic pathways. Protein kinases comprise the single largest protein class and reflect Giardia's requirement for a complex signal transduction network for coordinating differentiation. Lateral gene transfer from bacterial and archaeal donors has shaped Giardia's genome, and previously unknown gene families, for example, cysteine-rich structural proteins, have been discovered. Unexpectedly, the genome shows little evidence of heterozygosity, supporting recent speculations that this organism is sexual. This genome sequence will not only be valuable for investigating the evolution of eukaryotes, but will also be applied to the search for new therapeutics for this parasite.

Long serial analysis of gene expression for gene discovery and transcriptome profiling in the widespread marine coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi.

The abundant and widespread coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi plays an important role in mediating CO2 exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere through its impact on marine photosynthesis and calcification. Here, we use long serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) to identify E. huxleyi genes responsive to nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) starvation. Long SAGE is an elegant approach for examining quantitative and comprehensive gene expression patterns without a priori knowledge of gene sequences via the detection of 21-bp nucleotide sequence tags. E. huxleyi appears to have a robust transcriptional-level response to macronutrient deficiency, with 42 tags uniquely present or up-regulated twofold or greater in the N-starved library and 128 tags uniquely present or up-regulated twofold or greater in the P-starved library. The expression patterns of several tags were validated with reverse transcriptase PCR. Roughly 48% of these differentially expressed tags could be mapped to publicly available genomic or expressed sequence tag (EST) sequence data. For example, in the P-starved library a number of the tags mapped to genes with a role in P scavenging, including a putative phosphate-repressible permease and a putative polyphosphate synthetase. In short, the long SAGE analyses have (i) identified many new differentially regulated gene sequences, (ii) assigned regulation data to EST sequences with no database homology and unknown function, and (iii) highlighted previously uncharacterized aspects of E. huxleyi N and P physiology. To this end, our long SAGE libraries provide a new public resource for gene discovery and transcriptional analysis in this biogeochemically important marine organism.

A new family of giardial cysteine-rich non-VSP protein genes and a novel cyst protein.

Since the Giardia lamblia cyst wall is necessary for survival in the environment and host infection, we tested the hypothesis that it contains proteins other than the three known cyst wall proteins. Serial analysis of gene expression during growth and encystation revealed a gene, "HCNCp" (High Cysteine Non-variant Cyst protein), that was upregulated late in encystation, and that resembled the classic Giardia variable surface proteins (VSPs) that cover the trophozoite plasmalemma. HCNCp is 13.9% cysteine, with many "CxxC" tetrapeptide motifs and a transmembrane sequence near the C-terminus. However, HCNCp has multiple "CxC" motifs rarely found in VSPs, and does not localize to the trophozoite plasmalemma. Moreover, the HCNCp C-terminus differed from the canonical VSP signature. Full-length epitope-tagged HCNCp expressed under its own promoter was upregulated during encystation with highest expression in cysts, including 42 and 21 kDa C-terminal fragments. Tagged HCNCp targeted to the nuclear envelope in trophozoites, and co-localized with cyst proteins to encystation-specific secretory vesicles during encystation. HCNCp defined a novel trafficking pathway as it localized to the wall and body of cysts, while the cyst proteins were exclusively in the wall. Unlike VSPs, HCNCp is expressed in at least five giardial strains and four WB subclones expressing different VSPs. Bioinformatics identified 60 additional large high cysteine membrane proteins (HCMp) containing > or = 20 CxxC/CxC's lacking the VSP-specific C-terminal CRGKA. HCMp were absent or rare in other model or parasite genomes, except for Tetrahymena thermophila with 30. MEME analysis classified the 61 gHCMp genes into nine groups with similar internal motifs. Our data suggest that HCNCp is a novel invariant cyst protein belonging to a new HCMp family that is abundant in the Giardia genome. HCNCp and the other HCMp provide a rich source for developing parasite-specific diagnostic reagents, vaccine candidates, and subjects for further research into Giardia biology.

In vitro generation of human high-density-lipoprotein-resistant Trypanosoma brucei brucei.

The host range of African trypanosomes is influenced by innate protective molecules in the blood of primates. A subfraction of human high-density lipoprotein (HDL) containing apolipoprotein A-I, apolipoprotein L-I, and haptoglobin-related protein is toxic to Trypanosoma brucei brucei but not the human sleeping sickness parasite Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. It is thought that T. b. rhodesiense evolved from a T. b. brucei-like ancestor and expresses a defense protein that ablates the antitrypanosomal activity of human HDL. To directly investigate this possibility, we developed an in vitro selection to generate human HDL-resistant T. b. brucei. Here we show that conversion of T. b. brucei from human HDL sensitive to resistant correlates with changes in the expression of the variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) and abolished uptake of the cytotoxic human HDLs. Complete transcriptome analysis of the HDL-susceptible and -resistant trypanosomes confirmed that VSG switching had occurred but failed to reveal the expression of other genes specifically associated with human HDL resistance, including the serum resistance-associated gene (SRA) of T. b. rhodesiense. In addition, we found that while the original active expression site was still utilized, expression of three expression site-associated genes (ESAG) was altered in the HDL-resistant trypanosomes. These findings demonstrate that resistance to human HDLs can be acquired by T. b. brucei.