Abstract
The frequency of hybrid formation between twoTrypanosoma brucei clones during cyclical transmission throughGlossina morsitans centralis was analyzed. In two independent experiments, teneralG. m. centralis were infected with an equal mixture of twoT. brucei clones showing different homozygous isoenzyme patterns for isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICD; E.C. 1.1.1.42) and alkaline phosphatase (AP; E.C. 3.1.3.1). Trypanosomes were cyclically transmitted to mice from 23 infective flies and the subsequent blodstream-form populations were characterized by isoenzyme electrophoresis. Heterozygous patterns for ICD and AP indicated that hybrid formation occurred in at least 9 of the 23 vectors. There was further evidence that extrusion of hybrid parasites with saliva from a single fly was not necessarily continuous but could alter over time with the occurrence of either of both of the homozygous parental clones.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bauer B, Wetzel H (1976) A new membrane for feedingGlossina morsitans Westw. (Diptera, Glossinidae). Bull Entomol Res 65:563–565
Betschart B, Wyler R, Jenni L (1983) Characterization ofTrypanozoon stocks by isoelectric focusing and isoenzyme analysis. Acta Trop 40:25–28
Borst P, Van der Ploeg M, Van Hoek JFM, Tas J, James J (1982) On the DNA content and ploidy of trypanosomes. Mol Biochem Parasitol 6:13–23
Gibson WC, Borst P (1986) Size-fractionation of the small chromosomes ofTrypanozoon andNannomonas trypanosomes by pulsed field gradient gel lectrophoresis. Mol Biochem Parasitol 18:127–140
Gibson WC, Marshall TF de C, Godfey DG (1980) numerical analysis of enzyme polymorphisms: new approach to the epidemiology and taxonomy of trypanosomes of the subgenusTrypanozoon. Adv Parasitol 18:175–246
Gibson WC, Osinga KA, Michels PAM, Borst P (1985) Trypanosomes of subgenusTrypanozoon are diploid for housekeeping genes. Mol Biochem Parasitol 16:231–242
Jenni L, Marti S, Schweizer J, Betschart B, Le Page RWF, Wells JM, Tait A, Paindavoine P, Pays E, Steinert M (1986) Hybrid formation between African trypanosomes during cyclical transmission. Nature 322:173–175
Lanham SM, Godfrey DG (1970) Isolation of salivarian trypanosomes from man and other animals using DEAE-cellulose. Exp Parasitol 28:521–534
Paindavoine P, Zampetti-Bosseler F, Pays E, Schweizer J, Guyaux M, Jenni L, Steinert M (1986) Trypanosome hybrids generated in tsetse flies by nuclear fusion. EMBO J 5:3631–3636
Sternberg J, Tait A, Haley S, Schweizer J, Jenni L (1987) The inheritance of chromosomal and kinetoplast variants inT. brucei spp. In: Agabian N, Goodman H, Nogeira N (eds) Molecular strategies of parasitic invasion. UCLA Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology. Alan R Liss, New York, pp 253–258
Sternberg J, Tait A, Haley S, Wells JM, Le Page RWF, Schweizer J, Jenni L (1988) Gene exchange in African trypanosomes: characterisation of a new hybrid genotype. Mol Biochem Parasitol 27:191–200
Tait A (1980) Evidence for diploidy and mating in trypanosomes. Nature 287:536–538
Tait A, Babiker EA, Le Ray D (1984) Enzyme variation inTrypanosoma brucei spp.: 1. Evidence for sub-speciation ofTrypanosoma brucei gambiense. Parasitology 89:311–326
Tait A, Barry JD, Wink R, Sanderson A, Crowe JS (1985) Enzyme variation inT. brucei ssp: II. Evidence forT. b. rhodesiense being a set of variants ofT. b. brucei. Parasitology 90:89–100
Van der Ploeg LHT, Cornelissen AWCA, Barry JD, Borst P (1984) Chromosomes ofKinetoplastida. EMBO J 3:3109–3115
Van Meirvenne N, Janssens PG, Magnus E (1975) Antigenic variation in syringe passaged populations ofTrypanosoma (Trypanozoon) brucei: I. Rationalization of the experimental approach. Ann Soc Belg Med Trop 55:1–23
Wells JM, Prospero TD, Jenni L, Le Page RWF (1987) DNA contents and molecular karyotypes of hybridTrypanosoma brucei. Mol Biochem Parasitol 24:103–116
Wetzel H (1980) The use of freeze-dried blood in the membrane feeding of tsetse flies (Glossina p. palpalis, Diptera: Glossinidae). Tropenmed Parasitol 31:259–274
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schweizer, J., Tait, A. & Jenni, L. The timing and frequency of hybrid formation in African trypanosomes during cyclical transmission. Parasitol Res 75, 98–101 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00932707
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00932707