Trypanosoma cruzi membrane proteins and host cell invasion

Trypanosoma cruzi can invade a wide range of non-professional phagocytic cells and does so by subverting the host cell membrane repair mechanism. For this, T. cruzi interacts with and signals to the host cell, leading to the recruitment and fusion of lysosomes to the plasma membrane, which ultimately culminates with the endocytosis of the parasite. To do so, parasite follows a series of steps that include attachment, signaling and formation of the parasitophorous vacuole. For each of these steps a set of proteins have been described to participate, which most likely contribute to its ability to invade different cell types. Besides, intracellular environment also modifies parasite protein expression profile, contributing to its adaptability to the host environment. This chapter will present the different aspects and proteins involved in each of the host cell infection steps.