Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, King's Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK.
Microbiology (Reading). 2023 Aug;169(8). doi: 10.1099/mic.0.001388.
Years of research have shown us that unicellular organisms do not exist entirely in isolation, but rather that they are capable of an altogether far more sociable way of living. Single cells produce, receive and interpret signals, coordinating and changing their behaviour according to the information received. Although this cell-cell communication has long been considered the norm in the bacterial world, an increasing body of knowledge is demonstrating that single-celled eukaryotic parasites also maintain active social lives. This communication can drive parasite development, facilitate the invasion of new niches and, ultimately, influence infection outcome. In this review, I present the evidence for cell-cell communication during the life cycle of the African trypanosomes, from their mammalian hosts to their insect vectors, and reflect on the many remaining unanswered questions in this fascinating field.
多年的研究表明，单细胞生物并非完全孤立存在，而是能够以一种更为社会化的方式生活。单细胞生物能够产生、接收和解读信号，并根据接收到的信息协调和改变自身行为。尽管这种细胞间的通讯在细菌世界中早已被认为是常态，但越来越多的知识表明，单细胞真核寄生虫也保持着活跃的社会生活。这种通讯可以驱动寄生虫的发育，促进其侵入新的小生境，并最终影响感染结果。在这篇综述中，我介绍了在从哺乳动物宿主到昆虫媒介的非洲锥虫生命周期中细胞间通讯的证据，并思考了这一迷人领域中许多仍然悬而未决的问题。
