Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Bio21 Institute of Molecular Science and Biotechnology, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Annu Rev Microbiol. 2011;65:543-61. doi: 10.1146/annurev-micro-090110-102913.
Leishmania spp. are sandfly-transmitted parasitic protozoa that cause a spectrum of important diseases and lifelong chronic infections in humans. In the mammalian host, these parasites proliferate within acidified vacuoles in several phagocytic host cells, including macrophages, dendritic cells, and neutrophils. In this review, we discuss recent progress that has been made in defining the nutrient composition of the Leishmania parasitophorous vacuole, as well as metabolic pathways required by these parasites for virulence. Analysis of the virulence phenotype of Leishmania mutants has been particularly useful in defining carbon sources and nutrient salvage pathways that are essential for parasite persistence and/or induction of pathology. We also review data suggesting that intracellular parasite stages modulate metabolic processes in their host cells in order to generate a more permissive niche.
利什曼原虫属是通过沙蝇传播的寄生原生动物，可引起人类一系列重要疾病和终身慢性感染。在哺乳动物宿主中，这些寄生虫在几种吞噬宿主细胞（包括巨噬细胞、树突状细胞和中性粒细胞）内的酸化小泡中增殖。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了在确定利什曼原虫寄生空泡的营养成分以及这些寄生虫为毒力所需的代谢途径方面取得的最新进展。对利什曼原虫突变体的毒力表型的分析特别有助于确定对寄生虫存活和/或诱导病理学至关重要的碳源和营养回收途径。我们还回顾了表明细胞内寄生虫阶段调节宿主细胞代谢过程以产生更允许的小生境的数据。
