Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Dec 25;12(1):32.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens12010032.

Modulation of Virulence Factors during Trypanosoma cruzi Differentiation

Camila Oliveira  1   2 , Fabíola Barbieri Holetz  1 , Lysangela Ronalte Alves  1   3 , Andréa Rodrigues Ávila  4
Affiliations
Review

Modulation of Virulence Factors during Trypanosoma cruzi Differentiation

Camila Oliveira et al. Pathogens. .

Abstract

Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. This protozoan developed several mechanisms to infect, propagate, and survive in different hosts. The specific expression of proteins is responsible for morphological and metabolic changes in different parasite stages along the parasite life cycle. The virulence strategies at the cellular and molecular levels consist of molecules responsible for mediating resistance mechanisms to oxidative damage, cellular invasion, and immune evasion, performed mainly by surface proteins. Since parasite surface coat remodeling is crucial to invasion and infectivity, surface proteins are essential virulence elements. Understanding the factors involved in these processes improves the knowledge of parasite pathogenesis. Genome sequencing has opened the door to high-throughput technologies, allowing us to obtain a deeper understanding of gene reprogramming along the parasite life cycle and identify critical molecules for survival. This review therefore focuses on proteins regulated during differentiation into infective forms considered virulence factors and addresses the current known mechanisms acting in the modulation of gene expression, emphasizing mRNA signals, regulatory factors, and protein complexes.

Keywords: gene expression regulation; infective forms; parasite differentiation; surface proteins; trypanosome.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Chagas C. Nova Tripanozomiaze Humana: Estudos Sobre a Morfolojia e o Ciclo Evolutivo Do Schizotrypanum cruzi n. Gen., n. Sp., Ajente Etiolojico de Nova Entidade Morbida Do Homem. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz. 1909;1:159–218. doi: 10.1590/S0074-02761909000200008. - DOI
    1. Rassi A., Rassi A., Marcondes de Rezende J. American Trypanosomiasis (Chagas Disease) Infect. Dis. Clin. N. Am. 2012;26:275–291. doi: 10.1016/j.idc.2012.03.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nussbaum K., Honek J., Cadmus C., Efferth T. Trypanosomatid Parasites Causing Neglected Diseases. Curr. Med. Chem. 2010;17:1594–1617. doi: 10.2174/092986710790979953. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mitra A., Mawson A. Neglected Tropical Diseases: Epidemiology and Global Burden. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2017;2:36. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed2030036. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Coura J.R. The Main Sceneries of Chagas Disease Transmission. The Vectors, Blood and Oral Transmissions--a Comprehensive Review. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz. 2015;110:277–282. doi: 10.1590/0074-0276140362. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources

-