Gels and cells: the Leishmania biofilm as a space and place for parasite transmission.

Autor: Rogers ME; Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK., de Pablos LM; Department of Parasitology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Institute of Biotechnology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain., Sunter JD; Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK. Electronic address: jsunter@brookes.ac.uk.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Trends in parasitology [Trends Parasitol] 2024 Aug 31. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Aug 31.
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2024.08.001
Abstrakt: Leishmania make an abundant glycoprotein and proteophosphoglycan-rich gel, called the promastigote secretory gel, in the anterior midgut of their sand fly vector. This gel is a multi-faceted virulence factor which promotes the survival and transmission of the parasites between hosts. Here, we present the case that Leishmania parasites embedded in the promastigote secretory gel should be redefined as a biofilm as it shares striking similarities in biogenesis, form, and function with biofilms of other unicellular organisms. We believe that this reinterpretation will stimulate new hypotheses and avenues of research to improve our understanding of the developmental programme of Leishmania and the interaction these parasites and other kinetoplastids have with their insect hosts.
Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests.
(Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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