title: Trypanosoma cruzi parasites fight for control of the JAK-STAT pathway by disarming their host.
abstract: The zoonotic Chagas' disease is caused by infections with the hemoflagellate Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) which is endemic in Latin America. Despite recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease, the underlying molecular processes involved in host-parasite interactions are only poorly understood. In particular, the mechanisms for parasite persistence in host cells remain largely unknown. Cytokine-driven transcription factors from the family of STAT (signal transducer and activator of transcription) proteins appear to play a central role in the fight against T. cruzi infection. However, amastigotes proliferating in the cytoplasm of infected host cells develop effective strategies to circumvent the attack executed by STAT proteins. This review highlights the interactions between T. cruzi parasites and human host cells in terms of cytokine signaling and, in particular, discusses the impact of STATs on the balance between parasite invasion and clearance.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology; Parasitology Unit; University of Marburg ; Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stahl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology; Parasitology Unit; University of Marburg ; Marburg, Germany ; Laboratory for Structural and Functional Glycobiology; University of Lille 1 for Sciences and Technologies ; Lille, France.
authors.forename: Ralph T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.affiliation: Mixed Research Unit 1282; François Rabelais University of Tours-INRA; Infectious Diseases and Public Health ; Tours, France.
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Debierre-Grockiego
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy; University of Göttingen ; Göttingen, Germany ; German Center for Cardiovascular Research ; Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meyer
keywords: Chagas’ disease; STAT proteins; Trypanosoma cruzi; serine phosphorylation; tyrosine phosphorylation