Understanding host-parasite interactions using single cell transcriptomic analysis of trypanosome parasites and their mammalian host
Supervisor: Professor Annette MacLeod, School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medine
Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a devastating neglected tropical disease affecting vast regions in rural Africa. It is caused by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and transmitted by tsetse flies. One of the hallmarks of HAT is the low number of parasites found in blood, however, recently we have discovered that a significant number of trypanosome parasites also reside in the skin of their hosts. These skin-dwelling parasites are particularly important as they contribute to disease transmission when the tsetse vector takes a bloodmeal.
The central aims of this project are:
1) to understand how trypanosomes colonise, functionally adapt and thrive in host’s skin and
2) to understand the intrinsic responses of the human skin to T. b. gambiense infection.
To achieve this, we will employ dual host-pathogen single-cell transcriptomics analysis using mouse models of infection and from skin biopsies derived from HAT patients.
We anticipate that the outcome of this project will inform about parasite and host genes that are up or down-regulated upon skin invasion, thus enabling us to generate further hypotheses-driven research questions that will be built upon these datasets.