Comparison of Leishmania donovani differentiation in axenic culture and macrophages

Leishmania parasites change from promastigotes (which are elongated with a long flagellum) in the insect vector to amastigotes (which are rounded with only relict flagellum) in the mammalian host. While this differentiation normally occurs with the phagolysosome of host macrophages, it also occurs in axenic culture, when promastigotes are exposed to higher temperatures (37C) under acidic conditions (pH5.5). We have used RNA-seq to compare the changes in gene expression during differentiation in axenic culture with those that occur when grown in macrophage cell-line.