1. Trypanosoma brucei Interaction with Host: Mechanism of VSG Release as Target for Drug Discovery for African Trypanosomiasis
- Author
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Adriana Temporão, Marcelo Silva, Cláudia Jassica Gonçalves Moreno, and Taffarel Melo Torres
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Proteases ,Trypanosoma brucei ,Virulence ,Review ,antigenic variation ,Catalysis ,lcsh:Chemistry ,Inorganic Chemistry ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,parasitic diseases ,Antigenic variation ,medicine ,African trypanosomiasis ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,variable surface glycoprotein ,major surface protease ,lcsh:QH301-705.5 ,Molecular Biology ,Spectroscopy ,biology ,Drug discovery ,phospholipase-C ,Organic Chemistry ,General Medicine ,Variable surface glycoprotein ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,Computer Science Applications ,Cell biology ,030104 developmental biology ,lcsh:Biology (General) ,lcsh:QD1-999 ,Interaction with host ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
The protozoan Trypanosoma brucei, responsible for animal and human trypanosomiasis, has a family of major surface proteases (MSPs) and phospholipase-C (PLC), both involved in some mechanisms of virulence during mammalian infections. During parasitism in the mammalian host, this protozoan is exclusively extracellular and presents a robust mechanism of antigenic variation that allows the persistence of infection. There has been incredible progress in our understanding of how variable surface glycoproteins (VSGs) are organised and expressed, and how expression is switched, particularly through recombination. The objective of this manuscript is to create a reflection about the mechanisms of antigenic variation in T. brucei, more specifically, in the process of variable surface glycoprotein (VSG) release. We firstly explore the mechanism of VSG release as a potential pathway and target for the development of anti-T. brucei drugs.
- Published
- 2019
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