Jaclyn E. Smith

The bromodomain protein Bdf3 is sufficient to activate expression of a procyclin gene in bloodstream stage African trypanosomes

This paper shows that Bdf3 activation at the EP promoter in bloodstream Trypanosoma brucei increases EP1 transcript levels, supporting its role in initiating transcription during differentiation to the procyclic stage.

DNA damage drives antigen diversification through mosaic VSG formation in Trypanosoma brucei

The paper demonstrates that DNA damage induces VSG recombination in T. brucei, leading to antigenic variation and immune evasion.

High-resolution scRNA-seq reveals genomic determinants of antigen expression hierarchy in African Trypanosomes

This study uses high-resolution scRNA-seq to uncover how genomic rearrangements during antigen switching in Trypanosoma brucei depend on repair mechanisms and homologous templates.