A vanillic acid inducible expression system for Trypanosoma brucei

Reverse genetics in Trypanosoma brucei is dependent on the tetracycline inducible system for the precise control over the expression of both genes and dsRNA. Another independent inducible system for trypanosomes would enable the control of the activities of two different genes in the same cell, providing greater experimental sophistication. Here, I describe the development of the vanillic acid based inducible expression system for T. brucei, which operates independently of, and can be used in parallel with the tetracycline inducible system.