| Popis: |
The recent completion of the genomic sequencing of three species of Leishmania, L. (L.) major, L. (L.) infantum, and L. (V.) braziliensis has enormous relevance to the study of the leishmaniasis pathogenesis. However, since in Leishmania the control of gene expression relies on the stability or processing of the mature mRNA, as well as on the posttranslational modifications of proteins, the genomic sequences alone are insufficient to predict protein expression within the parasites. In this scenario, proteomic technologies provide feasible pathways to functional studies of this parasite. With the challenging increase of natural drug resistance by Leishmania, the combination of the available genomic resources of these parasites with powerful high-throughput proteomic analysis is urgently needed to shed light on resistance mechanisms and identify new drug targets against Leishmania. Diverse proteomic approaches have been used to describe and catalogue global protein profiles of Leishmania spp. reveal changes in protein expression during development, determine the subcellular localization of gene products, evaluate host-parasite interactions, and elucidate drug resistance mechanisms. The characterization of these proteins has advanced, although many fundamental questions remain unanswered. Here we discuss the recent proteomic discoveries that have contributed to the understanding of drug resistance mechanisms in Leishmania parasites. |
