Trypanosoma (T) brucei is a protozoan parasite that is transmitted by the tsetse fly and causes the debilitating and often fatal neglected tropical disease human African trypanosomiasis (HAT, also known as sleeping sickness) or animal African trypanosomiasis. As trypanosomes progress from the mammalian host through the tsetse fly insect vector, they encounter varied environments, which require specific life cycle changes to survive in these divergent niches. Trypanosome cellular plasticity underpins their ability to traverse these diverse environments, with at least 9 life cycle steps in both hosts. we aim to understand trypanosome developmental progression in the tsetse fly, how individual cells differentiate as they move between different tissue types and which gene regulatory networks govern these processes.
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