Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Department of Chemical Physiology & Biochemistry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Mol Microbiol. 2021 May;115(5):849-859. doi: 10.1111/mmi.14635. Epub 2020 Nov 21.
Parasites are by definition organisms that utilize resources from a host to support their existence, thus, promoting their ability to establish long-term infections and disease. Hence, sensing and acquiring nutrients for which the parasite and host compete is central to the parasitic mode of existence. Leishmania are flagellated kinetoplastid parasites that parasitize phagocytic cells, principally macrophages, of vertebrate hosts and the alimentary tract of sand fly vectors. Because nutritional supplies vary over time within both these hosts and are often restricted in availability, these parasites must sense a plethora of nutrients and respond accordingly. The flagellum has been recognized as an "antenna" that plays a core role in sensing environmental conditions, and various flagellar proteins have been implicated in sensing roles. In addition, these parasites exhibit non-flagellar intracellular mechanisms of nutrient sensing, several of which have been explored. Nonetheless, mechanistic details of these sensory pathways are still sparse and represent a challenging frontier for further experimental exploration.
寄生虫从定义上讲是利用宿主资源来支持自身生存的生物，因此，促进其建立长期感染和疾病的能力是寄生虫生存方式的核心。 利什曼原虫是鞭毛动基体原生动物寄生虫，寄生于脊椎动物宿主的吞噬细胞，主要是巨噬细胞，以及沙蝇传播媒介的消化道。 由于这两种宿主的营养供应随时间而变化，并且通常供应有限，因此这些寄生虫必须感知大量的营养物质并做出相应的反应。 鞭毛已被认为是一种“天线”，在感知环境条件方面起着核心作用，并且各种鞭毛蛋白已被牵连到感应作用中。 此外，这些寄生虫还表现出非鞭毛的细胞内营养感应机制，其中一些已经得到了探索。 尽管如此，这些感觉途径的机制细节仍然很少，这是进一步实验探索的一个具有挑战性的领域。
