Gadelha Catarina, Holden Jennifer M, Allison Harriet C, Field Mark C
Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2011 Oct;179(2):51-8. doi: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2011.06.006. Epub 2011 Jul 7.
Most trypanosomatid parasites have both arthropod and mammalian or plant hosts, and the ability to survive and complete a developmental program in each of these very different environments is essential for life cycle progression and hence being a successful pathogen. For African trypanosomes, where the mammalian stage is exclusively extracellular, this presents specific challenges and requires evasion of both the acquired and innate immune systems, together with adaptation to a specific nutritional environment and resistance to mechanical and biochemical stresses. Here we consider the basis for these adaptations, the specific features of the mammalian infective trypanosome that are required to meet these challenges, and how these processes both inform on basic parasite biology and present potential therapeutic targets.
大多数锥虫寄生虫都有节肢动物宿主以及哺乳动物或植物宿主，并且在这两种截然不同的环境中生存并完成发育程序的能力对于生命周期的进展至关重要，因此对于成为成功的病原体也很关键。对于非洲锥虫而言，其哺乳动物阶段完全处于细胞外，这带来了特殊挑战，需要逃避获得性免疫系统和先天性免疫系统，同时适应特定的营养环境以及抵抗机械和生化应激。在此，我们探讨这些适应性的基础、应对这些挑战所需的哺乳动物感染性锥虫的特定特征，以及这些过程如何既揭示了寄生虫的基础生物学又提供了潜在的治疗靶点。
