DNA damage drives antigen diversification in Trypanosoma brucei - PubMed
3 hours ago
- #DNA damage repair
- #Antigenic variation
- #Trypanosoma brucei
- DNA damage, such as Cas9-induced double-strand breaks, drives antigen diversification in Trypanosoma brucei by generating new variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) genes.
- A targeted sequencing approach reveals that VSG recombination is RAD51- and BRCA2-dependent, mirroring patterns seen during infection.
- Newly generated VSGs are antigenically distinct, enabling immune evasion and likely supporting chronic infections.