# Glycosome biogenesis in African trypanosomes

> **NIH NIH P20** · CLEMSON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $221,447

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Glycosomes are essential, parasite-specific organelles found in kinetoplastids, the causative agents of
diseases affecting more than 70 million people globally. Currently, there is a fundamental gap in the
knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate glycosome biology. The long-term goal is to identify the
mechanisms involved in the maintenance, biogenesis and remodeling of glycosomes in the kinetoplastid
Trypanosoma brucei. The central hypothesis is that glycosomes form de novo through the formation of pre-
glycosomal vesicles that mature through a sequential process of protein import and predict that glycosome
protein content changes during the maturation process and in response to environmental conditions. The
short-term goal of this proposal is to characterize the molecular mechanisms that affect glycosome maturation
and remodeling. The rationale for this project is that understanding the mechanisms that regulate glycosome
biology will reveal attractive new drug targets. In pursuit of these goals, we will carry out the following specific
aims: 1) Identify the post-translational modifications of the glycosome protein, TbPEX11, in different glycosome
populations, 2) Identify the pathways that regulate glycosome remodeling in response to changes in
environmental conditions 3) Identify glucose-dependent changes in glycosome protein expression and
transcriptome response to extracellular glucose. This work is significant and will positively impact the field, as
it will resolve mechanisms of glycosome biogenesis and elucidate processes that can be exploited for
therapeutic design.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9900820
- **Project number:** 5P20GM109094-05
- **Recipient organization:** CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** MEREDITH T MORRIS
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $221,447
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → 2022-07-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9900820

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9900820, Glycosome biogenesis in African trypanosomes (5P20GM109094-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9900820. Licensed CC0.

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