One small pseudouridine for rRNA, one great leap for trypanosome eradication

Trypanosome, the sleeping sickness-inducing pathogen, maintains a cycle between its human host and the tsetse fly that enables it to infect numerous people worldwide. To adapt itself to the different conditions present in each host, the trypanosome must alter its molecular functions. In a new study published in Nature Communications, Prof. Ron Unger, Prof. Toshiaki Isobe, Prof. Ada Yonat and Prof. Shulamit Michaeli reveal a novel mechanism based on RNA pseudouridylation. This RNA modification, induced in the guidance of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), is a well-known regulator of multiple RNA types. Using four different genome-wide approaches, the researchers pinpointed the effect of a single pseudouridylation located in the H69 site of the 80S rRNA subunit, which enhances the translational function of the ribosome. This change is required for the switch between the two life stages of the parasite, and deletion of this particular modification may prevent the continuity of its life cycle.