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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Using Fluorescent Proteins to Monitor Glycosome Dynamics in the African Trypanosome
Published on: August 19, 2014
Trypanosoma brucei and the nervous system
M Bentivoglio1, G Grassi-Zucconi, T Olsson
1Institute of Anatomy and Histology, University of Verona, Italy.
Abstract:
African sleeping sickness, characterized by a peculiar pain syndrome and prominent neuropsychiatric symptoms, is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei (T.b.). In experimental T.b. infections, a molecule released from the trypanosomes has been isolated that binds to the CD8 molecule of T cells, whereby T cells are activated to secrete interferon gamma. This cytokine binds to the parasites and triggers them to proliferate, establishing a peculiar bidirectional activating signal system. The hypothesis is presented that the molecules involved in these bidirectional signals might also interact with neurons, thus causing brain dysfunctions. Studies on the molecular interactions between parasites and the nervous system in sleeping sickness might reveal basic mechanisms underlying other neuropsychiatric diseases.
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