Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Establishment of Larval Zebrafish as an Animal Model to Investigate Trypanosoma cruzi Motility In Vivo
13:21

Establishment of Larval Zebrafish as an Animal Model to Investigate Trypanosoma cruzi Motility In Vivo

Published on: September 30, 2017

Role of small GTPases in Trypanosoma cruzi invasion in MDCK cell lines

J M F Dutra1, V L Bonilha, W De Souza

  • 1Laboratório de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho-CCS-UFRJ-Ilha do Fundão, 21940-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Parasitology Research
|May 3, 2005
PubMed

Insights

This study reveals how RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 GTPases influence the host cell's actin cytoskeleton during Trypanosoma cruzi invasion. Rac1 mutants enhanced parasite adhesion and entry but reduced host cell survival.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Parasitology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Trypanosoma cruzi modulates host cell responses during invasion.
  • GTPases like RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 are implicated in cytoskeletal changes.
  • These changes involve F-actin cytoskeleton reorganization, forming stress fibers, lamellipodia, and filopodia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 GTPases in cytoskeletal rearrangement during T. cruzi infection.
  • To determine the impact of these GTPases on host cell adhesion, internalization, and survival.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized MDCK cell transfectants expressing RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 variants.
  • Assessed parasite adhesion, internalization, and host cell survival rates.
  • Employed confocal laser scanning microscopy to visualize F-actin distribution and reorganization.

Main Results:

  • Rac1 mutants exhibited significantly higher adhesion and internalization indexes of T. cruzi.
  • Conversely, Rac1 mutants displayed a lower host cell survival rate after 48 hours of infection.
  • Observed distinct alterations in F-actin distribution and reorganization at the invasion site.

Conclusions:

  • RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 GTPases play crucial roles in modulating the host F-actin cytoskeleton during T. cruzi invasion.
  • These GTPases are involved in the signaling pathways that govern cytoskeletal dynamics and host-parasite interactions.
  • The findings highlight the intricate interplay between parasite invasion mechanisms and host cell structural responses.

More Related Videos

Introducing a Gene Knockout Directly Into the Amastigote Stage of Trypanosoma cruzi Using the CRISPR/Cas9 System06:13

Introducing a Gene Knockout Directly Into the Amastigote Stage of Trypanosoma cruzi Using the CRISPR/Cas9 System

Published on: July 31, 2019

Ultrastructural Expansion Microscopy in Three In Vitro Life Cycle Stages of Trypanosoma cruzi09:45

Ultrastructural Expansion Microscopy in Three In Vitro Life Cycle Stages of Trypanosoma cruzi

Published on: May 12, 2023

Related Concept Videos

GTPases and their Regulation02:14

GTPases and their Regulation

Guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G-proteins), also known as GTPases, are a superfamily of proteins that regulate many cellular processes, such as cell signaling, vesicular transport, and the regulation of cell shape and motility. Mutation or dysfunction of these proteins can lead to disease. There are around 40,000 known G-proteins that can broadly be classified into two groups ‒  small G-proteins consisting of a single domain and large multi-domain G-proteins.
Large G-proteins, also known...
Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia01:35

Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia

Invadosome is a broad category of cell surface structures with proteolytic activity that  degrades the extracellular matrix (ECM). Invadosomes are present in normal cell types, including macrophages, endothelial cells, and neurons, as well as tumor cells. Although the macrophage podosomes and tumor cell invadopodia are classified as invadosomes, they have different structures, molecular pathways, and functions. Podosomes are short structures that last for a few minutes. However, invadopodia can...
Role of Myosin in Cell Migration01:18

Role of Myosin in Cell Migration

Myosins are multimeric motor proteins involved in various cellular processes such as migration, adhesion, and proliferation. Myosin II is the most common type in animal cells, which binds and cross-links actin filaments.
Myosin II  is a hexamer comprising two heavy chains with globular heads and coiled-coil tails, two regulatory light chains, and two essential light chains. The ATPase sites on the myosin heads hydrolyze ATP, and the released phosphate generates the force for contraction. It is...
GTPases and their Regulation02:14

GTPases and their Regulation

Guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G-proteins), also known as GTPases, are a superfamily of proteins that regulate many cellular processes, such as cell signaling, vesicular transport, and the regulation of cell shape and motility. Mutation or dysfunction of these proteins can lead to disease. There are around 40,000 known G-proteins that can broadly be classified into two groups ‒  small G-proteins consisting of a single domain and large multi-domain G-proteins.
Large G-proteins, also known...
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho01:24

Small GTPases - Ras and Rho

Ras and Rho are small monomeric GTPases that act downstream of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and regulate various cellular processes. These GTPases switch between active and inactive states by binding to guanine nucleotides.
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
American Trypanosomiasis01:22

American Trypanosomiasis

Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...