Transport of essential metabolites in trypanosomatids

PEREIRA CA; CARRILLO C

Parasites: Ecology, Management and Diseases

Nova Science Publishers

Lugar: New York; Año: 2013; p. 43 - 60

Infections caused by the protozoan parasites from the genus Trypanosoma and Leishmania are among the most relevant public health problems in the developing countries. These parasites present several metabolic characteristics which are completely absent in their insects and mammalian hosts. Some of the differences were acquired after millions of years of adaptation to parasitism, in which this protozoan replaced, along its evolution, many biosynthetic routes for transport systems. In the proposed chapter we will describe the advances in the knowledge of transport systems and the molecules involved in such processes from the first biochemical description to the post-genomic era including the future perspectives in this area. In particular, we will focus the attention on amino acids and polyamines transporters from the AAAP family (Amino Acid/Auxin Permeases), because they seem to be unique to Trypanosomatids. Considering that these permeases are completely absent in mammals they could be put forward as a potential target against Trypanosomatid parasites.