The Uptake and Metabolism of Amino Acids, and Their Unique Role in the Biology of Pathogenic Trypanosomatids

Marchese, Letícia; Nascimento, Janaina De Freitas; Damasceno, Flávia Silva; Bringaud, Frédéric; Michels, Paul A. M.; Silber, Ariel Mariano

doi:10.3390/pathogens7020036

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The Uptake and Metabolism of Amino Acids, and Their Unique Role in the Biology of Pathogenic Trypanosomatids

by

Letícia Marchese

^1,†,

Janaina De Freitas Nascimento

^1,†,

Flávia Silva Damasceno

^1,†,

Frédéric Bringaud

²,

Paul A. M. Michels

³

and

Ariel Mariano Silber

^1,*

¹

Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps—LaBTryps, Department of Parasitology, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Lineu Prestes, 1374, São Paulo 05508-000, SP, Brazil

²

Laboratoire de Microbiologie Fondamentale et Pathogénicité (MFP), Université de Bordeaux, CNRS UMR-5234, 146, rue Léo Saignat, Zone Nord, Bâtiment 3A, 33076 Bordeaux, France

³

Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution and Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Ashworth Laboratories, Charlotte Auerbach Road, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Pathogens 2018, 7(2), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens7020036

Submission received: 5 March 2018 / Revised: 28 March 2018 / Accepted: 29 March 2018 / Published: 1 April 2018

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trypanosoma brucei)

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Abstract

Trypanosoma brucei, as well as Trypanosoma cruzi and more than 20 species of the genus Leishmania, form a group of flagellated protists that threaten human health. These organisms are transmitted by insects that, together with mammals, are their natural hosts. This implies that during their life cycles each of them faces environments with different physical, chemical, biochemical, and biological characteristics. In this work we review how amino acids are obtained from such environments, how they are metabolized, and how they and some of their intermediate metabolites are used as a survival toolbox to cope with the different conditions in which these parasites should establish the infections in the insects and mammalian hosts.

Keywords: amino acid metabolism; amino acid uptake; bioenergetics; stress management; autophagy; host-parasite interaction

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MDPI and ACS Style

Marchese, L.; Nascimento, J.D.F.; Damasceno, F.S.; Bringaud, F.; Michels, P.A.M.; Silber, A.M. The Uptake and Metabolism of Amino Acids, and Their Unique Role in the Biology of Pathogenic Trypanosomatids. Pathogens 2018, 7, 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens7020036

AMA Style

Marchese L, Nascimento JDF, Damasceno FS, Bringaud F, Michels PAM, Silber AM. The Uptake and Metabolism of Amino Acids, and Their Unique Role in the Biology of Pathogenic Trypanosomatids. Pathogens. 2018; 7(2):36. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens7020036

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marchese, Letícia, Janaina De Freitas Nascimento, Flávia Silva Damasceno, Frédéric Bringaud, Paul A. M. Michels, and Ariel Mariano Silber. 2018. "The Uptake and Metabolism of Amino Acids, and Their Unique Role in the Biology of Pathogenic Trypanosomatids" Pathogens 7, no. 2: 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens7020036

APA Style

Marchese, L., Nascimento, J. D. F., Damasceno, F. S., Bringaud, F., Michels, P. A. M., & Silber, A. M. (2018). The Uptake and Metabolism of Amino Acids, and Their Unique Role in the Biology of Pathogenic Trypanosomatids. Pathogens, 7(2), 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens7020036

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The Uptake and Metabolism of Amino Acids, and Their Unique Role in the Biology of Pathogenic Trypanosomatids

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