title: Leishmania dices away cholesterol for survival.
abstract: Host lipid alterations are centrally involved in Leishmania donovani infection, and infected patients exhibit hypocholesterolemia. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Ghosh et al. (2013) show that the metalloprotease GP63 released by L. donovani in the liver cleaves DICER1, inhibiting miR-122 maturation, which regulates cholesterol metabolism. These events decrease serum cholesterol and promote parasite growth.
authors.affiliation: INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier and Centre for Host-Parasite Interactions, Laval, QC H7V 1B7, Canada. albert.descoteaux@iaf.inrs.ca
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Descoteaux
authors.forename: Neda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moradin
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arango Duque