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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology
Intracellular protozoan parasites of humans: The role of molecular chaperones in development and pathogenesis
Protein and Peptide Letters, Volume 18, No. 2, Year 2011
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Description
Certain kinetoplastid (Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi) and apicomplexan parasites (Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii) are capable of invading human cells as part of their pathology. These parasites appear to have evolved a relatively expanded or diverse complement of genes encoding molecular chaperones. The gene families encoding heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) chaperones show significant expansion and diversity (especially for Leishmania spp. and T. cruzi), and in particular the Hsp40 family appears to be an extreme example of phylogenetic radiation. In general, Hsp40 proteins act as co-chaperones of Hsp70 chaperones, forming protein folding pathways that integrate with Hsp90 to ensure proteostasis in the cell. It is tempting to speculate that the diverse environmental insults that these parasites endure have resulted in the evolutionary selection of a diverse and expanded chaperone network. Hsp90 is involved in development and growth of all of these intracellular parasites, and so far represents the strongest candidate as a target for chemotherapeutic interventions. While there have been some excellent studies on the molecular and cell biology of Hsp70 proteins, relatively little is known about the biological function of Hsp70-Hsp40 in teractions in these intracellular parasites. This review focuses on intracellular protozoan parasites of humans, and provides a critique of the role of heat shock proteins in development and pathogenesis, especially the molecular chaperones Hsp90, Hsp70 and Hsp40. © 2011 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Authors & Co-Authors
Shonhai, Addmore
South Africa, Ulundi
University of Zululand
Maier, Alexander Gerd
Australia, Melbourne
La Trobe University
Przyborski, Jude Marek
Germany, Marburg
Philipps-universität Marburg
Blatch, Gregory Lloyd
South Africa, Grahamstown
Rhodes University
Statistics
Citations: 99
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.2174/092986611794475002
ISSN:
09298665
Research Areas
Cancer
Genetics And Genomics