Role of the MOB protein in the cell division of Tritrichomonas foetus

COCERES VM; DE MIGUEL, N; IRIARTE, LUCRECIA S.

Congreso; Reunión Anual de Sociedades de Biociencia 2019; 2019

The flagellated protist Tritrichomonas foetus is a parasite that causesbovine trichomonosis, a major sexually transmitted disease in cattle. T. foetus has aworldwide distribution and causes significant economic losses. Celldivision has been described as a key player in controlling cell survival inother cells, including parasites but there is no information about theregulation of this process in trichomonads. MOB proteins have also been shownto regulate cell division in plants and trypanosomes. Two MOB1 genes, MOB1A andMOB1B, were identified in T. foetus genome. We report that MOB1A is localized on cell cytoplasm and nucleus of T. foetus and deletion of TfMOB1A-N terminal(with sites of phosphorylation necessary for activation) leads to abnormal T. foetus growth and an increase in thepercentage of multinucleated parasites. These results suggest that MOB1 proteinwould be important for a correct parasite division.