Importance of the gp85 Laminin-G-like domain for the intracellular proliferation of T. cruzi

• Grant number: 15/19654-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2015
• End date: November 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Jose Giordano
• Grantee: Veronica de Cássia Sardinha de Vasconcelos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Trypanosoma cruzi, the ethological agent of Chagas disease, is a protozoan parasite which needs to invade cells in order to complete its life cycle. To successfully invade cells, T.cruzi must adhere to the host cell surface, enter and then proliferate inside the cell. The gp85/trans-sialidas e superfamily comprises a group of molecule which has been implicated in the cell infection process. Our group has shown that the interaction of these molecules through conserved motifs with cell host proteins, such as cytokeratin-18, found in on the surface of the host cell, is important for parasite cells adhesion and invasion. In this study, we will investigate the importance of this proteins, the peptide motifs and interaction with intracellular cytokeratin for T.cruzi proliferation.