POLIE suppresses telomerase-mediated telomere G-strand extension and helps ensure proper telomere C-strand synthesis in trypanosomes

T. brucei regularly switches its major surface antigen, VSG, to evade the mammalian host immune response. VSGs are expressed from subtelomeric loci in a strictly monoallelic manner. We identify POLIE as an intrinsic component of the T. brucei telomere complex and examined the effect of POLIE depletion on VSG expression regulation by RNAseq. Tet-inducible POLIE RNAi strains were established. Total RNA was isolated from POLIE RNAi cells before or 30 hr after the induction of POLIE RNAi. Two biological replicates were included. RNA samples were sent to Novogene for subsequent experiments. Poly(A) RNA was purified for generating cDNA library and paired-end sequencing was done using Illumina. Gene expression profiles were compared between the induced and uninduced cells by differential gene expression analysis.