Paone Silvio, Olivieri Anna
Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Microorganisms. 2022 Jul 7;10(7):1370. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10071370.
The Apicomplexa are obligate intracellular parasites responsible for several important human diseases. These protozoan organisms have evolved several strategies to modify the host cell environment to create a favorable niche for their survival. The host cytoskeleton is widely manipulated during all phases of apicomplexan intracellular infection. Moreover, the localization and organization of host organelles are altered in order to scavenge nutrients from the host. Small GTPases are a class of proteins widely involved in intracellular pathways governing different processes, from cytoskeletal and organelle organization to gene transcription and intracellular trafficking. These proteins are already known to be involved in infection by several intracellular pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and protozoan parasites. In this review, we recapitulate the mechanisms by which apicomplexan parasites manipulate the host cell during infection, focusing on the role of host small GTPases. We also discuss the possibility of considering small GTPases as potential targets for the development of novel host-targeted therapies against apicomplexan infections.
顶复门原虫是专性细胞内寄生虫，可引发多种重要的人类疾病。这些原生动物进化出了多种策略来改变宿主细胞环境，以创造有利于其生存的小生境。在顶复门原虫细胞内感染的各个阶段，宿主细胞骨架都会受到广泛操控。此外，宿主细胞器的定位和组织也会发生改变，以便从宿主细胞中获取营养物质。小GTP酶是一类广泛参与细胞内多种过程调控途径的蛋白质，这些过程包括细胞骨架和细胞器组织、基因转录以及细胞内运输等。已知这些蛋白质参与多种细胞内病原体的感染过程，包括病毒、细菌和原生动物寄生虫。在本综述中，我们概述了顶复门寄生虫在感染过程中操控宿主细胞的机制，重点关注宿主小GTP酶的作用。我们还讨论了将小GTP酶作为开发新型抗顶复门感染宿主靶向疗法潜在靶点的可能性。
