title: Current understanding of the Trypanosoma cruzi-cardiomyocyte interaction.
abstract: Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, exhibits multiple strategies to ensure its establishment and persistence in the host. Although this parasite has the ability to infect different organs, heart impairment is the most frequent clinical manifestation of the disease. Advances in knowledge of T. cruzi-cardiomyocyte interactions have contributed to a better understanding of the biological events involved in the pathogenesis of Chagas disease. This brief review focuses on the current understanding of molecules involved in T. cruzi-cardiomyocyte recognition, the mechanism of invasion, and on the effect of intracellular development of T. cruzi on the structural organization and molecular response of the target cell.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ultra-estrutura Celular, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Claudia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Calvet
authors.forename: Tatiana G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: Luciana R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Garzoni
authors.forename: Francisco O R
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Dayse T Silva
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Neto
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: N S L
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Meirelles
authors.forename: Mirian C S
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Pereira
keywords: Trypanosoma cruzi; apoptosis; cardiomyocyte; cell junction; cell recognition; cytoskeleton; endocytosis; extracellular matrix