Effect of heme on the transcriptome of Trypanosoma cruzi, the Chagas disease causative agent

TEVERE E; BERNÁ L; MEDIAVILLA MG; MERLI ML; DI CAPUA C; ROBELLO C; CRICCO JA

West Dover, VT

Conferencia; Biological Impacts of Metals: From the Environment to Human Health; 2023

Gordon Research Conferences

Trypanosoma cruzi is a hemoflagellate protozoan that causes Chagas disease (a zoonotic disease transmitted to humans by blood-sucking triatomine bugs). T. cruzi presents a complex life cycle, altering between an insect vector and a mammal host (Figure 1 A). It presents heme auxotrophy and can import heme from the hosts during the replicative stages (Merli, 2016). TcHRG (previously named TcHTE) plays an essential role for heme transport and homeostasis (Merli, 2016, Pagura, 2020, Tevere, 2023), independent of the heme source (free-heme or hemoglobin) (Figure 1C). Heme is also a toxic molecule, organisms developed a strict control on transport, distribution and availability, but these mechanisms remain elusive.To identify genes involved in heme transport and homeostasis in T. cruzi we conducted a global transcriptional analysis in epimastigotes using hemin (as free heme) or hemoglobin (Hb) as heme sources.