title: Targeting essential pathways in trypanosomatids gives insights into protozoan mechanisms of cell death.
abstract: Apoptosis is a normal component of the development and health of multicellular organisms. However, apoptosis is now considered a prerogative of unicellular organisms, including the trypanosomatids of the genera Trypanosoma spp. and Leishmania spp., causative agents of some of the most important neglected human diseases. Trypanosomatids show typical hallmarks of apoptosis, although they lack some of the key molecules contributing to this process in metazoans, like caspase genes, Bcl-2 family genes and the TNF-related family of receptors. Despite the lack of these molecules, trypanosomatids appear to have the basic machinery to commit suicide. The components of the apoptotic execution machinery of these parasites are slowly coming into light, by targeting essential processes and pathways with different apoptogenic agents and inhibitors. This review will be confined to the events known to drive trypanosomatid parasites to apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Department of Microbiology, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 127 Bas, Sofias Ave,, 11521 Athens, Greece. penny@pasteur.gr.
authors.forename: Despina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Smirlis
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duszenko
authors.forename: Antonio Jiménez
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: Effie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scoulica
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bastien
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fasel
authors.forename: Ketty
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Soteriadou