INVESTIGADORES
BUSCAGLIA Carlos Andres
artículos
Título:
Trypanosoma cruzi TcSMUG L surface mucins promote development and infectivity in the triatomine vector Rhodnius prolixus.
Autor/es:
SALABERT GONZALEZ, M.; SOUZA, M. S.; GARCIA, E. S.; NOGUEIRA, N.; MELLO, C.; CANEPA, GASPAR EXEQUIEL; BERTOTTI SANTIAGO; DURANTE IGNACIO; AZAMBUJA, P.; CARLOS ANDRES BUSCAGLIA
Revista:
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
Editorial:
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
Referencias:
Lugar: San Francisco; Año: 2013
ISSN:
1935-2735
Resumen:
Background: TcSMUG L products were recently identified as novel mucin-type glycoconjugates restricted to the surface of
insect-dwelling epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. The remarkable
conservation of their predicted mature N-terminal region, which is exposed to the extracellular milieu, suggests that
TcSMUG L products may be involved in structural and/or functional aspects of the interaction with the insect vector.
Methodology and Principal Findings: Here, we investigated the putative roles of TcSMUG L mucins in both in vivo
development and ex vivo attachment of epimastigotes to the luminal surface of the digestive tract of Rhodnius prolixus. Our
results indicate that the exogenous addition of TcSMUG L N-terminal peptide, but not control T. cruzi mucin peptides, to the
infected bloodmeal inhibited the development of parasites in R. prolixus in a dose-dependent manner. Pre-incubation of
insect midguts with the TcSMUG L peptide impaired the ex vivo attachment of epimastigotes to the luminal surface
epithelium, likely by competing out TcSMUG L binding sites on the luminal surface of the posterior midgut, as revealed by
fluorescence microscopy.
Conclusion and Significance: Together, these observations indicate that TcSMUG L mucins are a determinant of both
adhesion of T. cruzi epimastigotes to the posterior midgut epithelial cells of the triatomine, and the infection of the insect
vector, R. prolixus.