Molecular mechanisms of host cell invasion by Trypanosoma cruzi

Abstract

The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, is an obligate intracellular protozoan pathogen. Overlapping mechanisms ensure successful infection, yet the relationship between these cellular events and clinical disease remains obscure. This review explores the process of cell invasion from the perspective of cell surface interactions, intracellular signaling, modulation of the host cytoskeleton and endosomal compartment, and the intracellular innate immune response to infection.

Figure 1

Trypanosoma cruzi forms nests of intracellular parasites (white arrow) when it infects mammalian cells, especially cardiac and skeletal muscle. Shown here is an H&E stained section of a mouse heart demonstrating parasitosis of adjacent cardiac myocytes. Bar = 20 micrometers.

Figure 2

T. cruzi interacts with the host cytoskeleton during cell invasion. Shown here are H9C2 rat cardiomyoblasts during invasion with Trypanosoma cruzi. Host and parasite DNA in blue (DAPI) host lysosomes in red, host α-tubulin in green. Bar = 5 micrometers