Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom.
Curr Opin Microbiol. 2019 Dec;52:124-129. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2019.07.001. Epub 2019 Aug 20.
Many microbial eukaryotes exhibit cell-cell communication to co-ordinate group behaviours as a strategy to exploit a changed environment, adapt to adverse conditions or regulate developmental responses. Although best characterised in bacteria, eukaryotic microbes have also been revealed to cooperate to optimise their survival or dissemination. An excellent model for these processes are African trypanosomes, protozoa responsible for important human and animal disease in sub Saharan Africa. These unicellular parasites use density sensing in their mammalian host to prepare for transmission. Recently, the signal and signal transduction pathway underlying this activity have been elucidated, revealing that the parasite exploits oligopeptide signals generated by released peptidases to monitor cell density and so generate transmission stages. Here we review the evidence for this elegant quorum sensing mechanism and its parallels with similar mechanisms in other microbial systems. We also discuss its implications for disease spread in the context of coinfections involving different trypanosome species.
许多微生物真核生物通过细胞间通讯来协调群体行为，这是一种利用变化的环境、适应不利条件或调节发育反应的策略。尽管在细菌中得到了最好的描述，但真核微生物也被发现可以合作以优化它们的生存或传播。这些过程的一个极好模型是非洲锥虫，一种在撒哈拉以南非洲地区导致重要人类和动物疾病的原生动物。这些单细胞寄生虫利用其在哺乳动物宿主中的密度感应来准备传播。最近，这种活动背后的信号和信号转导途径已经被阐明，表明寄生虫利用由释放的肽酶产生的寡肽信号来监测细胞密度，从而产生传播阶段。在这里，我们回顾了这种优雅的群体感应机制的证据及其与其他微生物系统中类似机制的平行关系。我们还讨论了它在涉及不同锥虫物种的合并感染的情况下对疾病传播的影响。
