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Hijacking of host cellular functions by the Apicomplexa.

Fabienne Plattner¹, Dominique Soldati-Favre

¹Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva CMU, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland. Fabienne.Plattner@medecine.unige.ch

Annual Review of Microbiology

|September 13, 2008

Summary

Intracellular pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and protozoa hijack host cell functions. These parasites manipulate cellular processes for nutrients and to evade immune responses, demonstrating sophisticated subversion strategies.

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Area of Science:

Cellular microbiology
Parasitology
Immunology

Background:

Intracellular pathogens, including viruses and bacteria, are known to subvert host cellular functions.
Protozoan parasites, particularly Apicomplexa, also manipulate host cells for survival and replication.
Examples include nutrient acquisition, immune evasion, and modulation of host cell processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the diverse strategies employed by intracellular pathogens to hijack host cell functions.
To illustrate how protozoan parasites subvert host cell processes for their benefit.
To provide examples of parasitic manipulation of host cell compartments and functions.

Main Methods:

Review and synthesis of existing literature on host-pathogen interactions.
Comparative analysis of parasitic strategies across different intracellular pathogens.
Case studies focusing on Toxoplasma gondii, Plasmodium falciparum, and Theileria parva.

Main Results:

Viruses and bacteria target key cellular functions like protein synthesis, membrane trafficking, gene expression, antigen presentation, and apoptosis.
Protozoan parasites, such as Apicomplexa, exhibit sophisticated hijacking mechanisms.
Specific examples include the manipulation of the parasitophorous vacuole (Toxoplasma gondii), surface protein export (Plasmodium falciparum), and lymphocyte transformation (Theileria parva).

Conclusions:

Intracellular pathogens extensively subvert host cell machinery for their own advantage.
Protozoan parasites demonstrate remarkable adaptations in manipulating host cell functions.
Understanding these parasitic strategies is crucial for developing effective therapeutic interventions.