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This is RefScout-Newsletter 42/2004






REQUEST: [ leishmaniasis ]

(36 articles match this request)



PMID: 15471704
 

TITLE: Macrophages, pathology and parasite persistence in experimental visceral
leishmaniasis.

AUTHORS: Christian R Engwerda, Manabu Ato, Paul M Kaye

AFFILIATION: Immunology and Infection Laboratory, Queensland Institute of
Medical Research and Australian Centre for International and Tropical Health
and Nutrition, 300 Herston Road, Herston, Queensland, 4029, Australia.

REFERENCE: Trends Parasitol 2004 Nov 20(11):524-30

Many infectious diseases are associated with parasite persistence, often
 restricted to certain tissue sites, yet the determinants of such 
persistence are poorly understood. Infection with the protozoan parasite
 Leishmania donovani has proved a useful experimental tool to address 
how immune responses can be differentially effective in clearing 
parasites from different tissues and, conversely, it might also provide 
a good model for understanding the basis of parasite persistence. This 
article reviews recent studies on the determinants and consequences of 
persistent parasite infection in the spleen and suggest that some of the
 messages to emerge could have important implications for the study of a
 broad range of infectious diseases.








PMID: 15465048
 

TITLE: High Resolution Crystal Structure of a Key Editosome Enzyme from
Trypanosoma brucei: RNA Editing Ligase 1.

AUTHORS: Junpeng Deng, Achim Schnaufer, Reza Salavati, Kenneth D Stuart, Wim G J
Hol

AFFILIATION: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle
WA 98195, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biological Structure,
Biomolecular Structure Center, University of Washington, P.O. Box 357742,
Seattle WA 98195, USA.

REFERENCE: J Mol Biol 2004 Oct 343(3):601-13

Trypanosomatids are causative agents of several devastating tropical 
diseases such as African sleeping sickness, Chagas' disease and 
leishmaniasis. There are no effective vaccines available to date for 
treatment of these protozoan diseases, while current drugs have limited 
efficacy, significant toxicity and suffer from increasing resistance. 
Trypanosomatids have several remarkable and unique metabolic and 
structural features that are of great interest for developing new anti-
protozoan therapeutics. One such feature is "RNA editing", an essential 
process in these pathogenic protozoa. Transcripts for key trypanosomatid
 mitochondrial proteins undergo extensive post-transcriptional RNA 
editing by specifically inserting or deleting uridylates from pre-mature
 mRNA in order to create mature mRNAs that encode functional proteins. 
The RNA editing process is carried out in a approximately 1.6MDa multi-
protein complex, the editosome. In Trypanosoma brucei, one of the 
editosome's core enzymes, the RNA editing ligase 1 (TbREL1), has been 
shown to be essential for survival of both insect and bloodstream forms 
of the parasite. We report here the crystal structure of the catalytic 
domain of TbREL1 at 1.2A resolution, in complex with ATP and magnesium. 
The magnesium ion interacts with the beta and gamma-phosphate groups and
 is almost perfectly octahedrally coordinated by six phosphate and water
 oxygen atoms. ATP makes extensive direct and indirect interactions with
 the ligase via essentially all its atoms while extending its base into 
a deep pocket. In addition, the ATP makes numerous interactions with 
residues that are conserved in the editing ligases only. Further away 
from the active site, TbREL1 contains a unique loop containing several 
hydrophobic residues that are highly conserved among trypanosomatid RNA 
editing ligases which may play a role in protein-protein interactions in
 the editosome. The distinct characteristics of the adenine-binding 
pocket, and the absence of any close homolog in the human genome, bode 
well for the design of selective inhibitors that will block the 
essential RNA ligase function in a number of major protozoan pathogens.




PMID: 15472268
 

TITLE: Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis: an imported infection among travellers to
central and South America.

AUTHORS: Sukhbir Ahluwalia, Stephen D Lawn, Jeevendra Kanagalingam, Henry Grant,
Diana N J Lockwood

AFFILIATION: Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, London.

REFERENCE: BMJ 2004 Oct 329(7470):842-4




PMID: 15470762
 

TITLE: Emergency initiative to reduce leishmaniasis in Afghanistan.

AUTHORS: Josephine Querido

REFERENCE: Lancet Infect Dis 2004 Oct 4(10):599




PMID: 15472874
 

TITLE: Visceral Leishmaniasis as a Cause of Anemia in HIV-Infected Patients.

AUTHORS: Antonio Cascio, Chiara Iaria, Spinello Antinori

AFFILIATION: Clinica Malattie Infettive, Dipartimento di Patologia Umana,
Universita di Messina, Messina, Italy. acascio at unime.it.

REFERENCE: Clin Infect Dis 2004 Oct 39(7):1088-9




PMID: 15468528
 

TITLE: Influence of H2 complex and non-H2 genes on progression of cutaneous
lesions in mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis.

AUTHORS: Masaki Terabe, Shigeharu Wakana, Ken Katakura, Takashi Onodera,
Yoshitsugu Matsumoto, Mamoru Ito

AFFILIATION: Department of Molecular Immunology, School of Agriculture and Life
Sciences, University of Tokyo 113-6857, Japan.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Int 2004 Sep 53(3):217-21

Susceptibility to infection with Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes 
was examined in six B10 congenic mouse strains, including C57BL/10J (H2b
), B10.BR (H2k), B10.M (H2f), B10.S (H2s), B10.RIII (H2r), and B10.D2 (
H2d). All strains of mice developed skin nodules with punch-out ulcers 
by 8 weeks post-infection, but B10.M and B10.S mice showed resolution of
 cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions by 16 weeks post-infection. In addition
, the skin lesions were much larger in BALB congenic mice than in B10 
and C3H mice, even though these mice share the same H2 haplotypes. These
 results suggest that H2 complex controls the growth of L. amazonensis 
in cutaneous lesions, and that non-H2 genes inherited by BALB congenic 
mice have a more potent role than the H2 complex in lesion progression.




PMID: 15206058
 

TITLE: Aging and infectious diseases in the developing world.

AUTHORS: Gaëtan Gavazzi, Francois Herrmann, Karl-Heinz Krause

AFFILIATION: Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University
Hospitals, Switzerland. gaetan.gavazzi at hcuge.ch

REFERENCE: Clin Infect Dis 2004 Jul 39(1):83-91

Although demographic aging does not remain restricted to industrialized 
countries, the medical challenge arising from the aging population will 
be distinct in the developing world. This is particularly true with 
respect to infectious diseases, which have a distinct spectrum in the 
elderly population, as well as a greater overall relevance in the 
developing world. Tropical diseases have a specific presentation and 
epidemiology in elderly patients. Infectious diseases with a worldwide 
distribution impact elderly patients in the developing world in a 
specific manner, which is most obvious with respect to human 
immunodeficiency virus and tuberculosis but is also true with respect to
 "trivial" manifestations of infection, such as diarrhea and pneumonia. 
Malnutrition contributes in a major way to the immunodeficiency of 
elderly patients in the developing world. Poorly controlled use of 
antimicrobial drugs leads to multidrug-resistant microorganisms, which, 
together with the limited resources available for drug treatment, makes 
appropriate treatment of infections in elderly patients in developing 
countries very difficult. Infections in elderly patients will have an 
increasing impact on the public health and economy of developing 
countries.




PMID: 15461432
 

TITLE: Genetic divergence in the cacophony IVS6 intron among five Brazilian
populations of Lutzomyia longipalpis.

AUTHORS: M Bottecchia, S G Oliveira, L G S R Bauzer, N A Souza, R D Ward, K J
Garner, C P Kyriacou, A A Peixoto

AFFILIATION: Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Fundacão Oswaldo
Cruz, Av. Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, CEP 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

REFERENCE: J Mol Evol 2004 Jun 58(6):754-61

Genes involved in the reproductive isolation are particularly useful as 
molecular markers in speciation studies. Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera
: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae), a putative species complex, is a vector 
of visceral leishmaniasis in Latin America. We isolated from this 
species a fragment homologous to cacophony, a Drosophila gene that 
encodes features of the lovesong, an acoustic signal that is important 
in the sexual isolation of closely related species and known to vary 
considerably among L. longipalpis putative siblings species. Using an 
intron of the sandfly cacophony as a marker, we analyzed the molecular 
variation and sequence divergence among five populations of L. 
longipalpis from Brazil, three allopatric (Jacobina, Lapinha and Natal) 
and two putative sympatric sibling species from the locality of Sobral. 
A high level of polymorphism was found and analysis of the data 
indicates that very little gene flow is occurring among the populations 
of Jacobina, Lapinha, and Natal. A high level of differentiation was 
also observed between the two putative sympatric species of Sobral, one 
of which seems to be the same sibling species found in Natal, while the 
other is somewhat more related to Jacobina and Lapinha. However, the 
amount of estimated gene flow among the Sobral siblings is about seven 
times higher than the previously estimated for period, another lovesong 
gene, perhaps indicating that introgression might be affecting cacophony
 more than period. The results suggest that L. longipalpis is not a 
single species in Brazil, but it is yet not clear whether the different 
populations studied deserve species status rather than representing an 
incipient speciation process.




PMID: 15094168
 

TITLE: Hepatic cellular immune responses in mice with "cure" and "non-cure"
phenotype to Leishmania infantum infection: importance of CD8+ T cells and
TGF-beta production.

AUTHORS: Sandra Gomes-Pereira, Olivia Roos Rodrigues, Nuno Rolão, Paulo David
Almeida, Gabriela Maria Santos-Gomes

AFFILIATION: Unidade de Leishmanioses, Centro de Malária e Outras Doenças
Tropicais, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova
de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira 96, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal.

REFERENCE: FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol 2004 May 41(1):59-68

The objective of this study was to analyse hepatic cellular immune 
response of mice with "cure" and "non-cure" phenotypes to Leishmania 
infantum infection. During infection establishment, elevated TGF-beta 
levels and absence of a Th1 response may have contributed to parasite 
multiplication and to similar hepatic parasitic loads. Later in 
infection, an increase in the number and activation levels of CD8+ cells
 was observed simultaneously with parasite elimination, but only 
significant in "cure" strain. During this recovering phase, "non-cure" 
animals showed low Th2 cytokine levels, while TGF-beta production was 
higher than in "cure" mice. These results point out to a role for CD8+ T
 cells in liver acquired immune response and to TGF-beta regulation of "
cure" and "non-cure" phenotype to L. infantum infection.




PMID: 15462295
 

TITLE: Comparative biology of two populations of Lutzomyia umbratilis (Diptera:
Psychodidae) of Central Amazonia, Brazil, under laboratory conditions.

AUTHORS: S C B Justiniano, A C Chagas, F A C Pessoa, R G Queiroz

AFFILIATION: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, INPA/CPCS, C.P. 478,
CEP 69011-970, Manaus, AM, Brazil.

REFERENCE: Braz J Biol 2004 May 64(2):227-35

Lutzomyia umbratilis is the main vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis due 
to Leishmania guyanensis in northern South America. It has been found 
naturally infected with this species of Leishmania only east of the Rio 
Negro and north of the Rio Amazonas. However, populations of this sand 
fly species are also present in areas south of the Amazon river system, 
which may act as a geographical barrier to the Leishmania guyanensis 
cycle. With the aim of looking for possible biological differences 
between populations of L. umbratilis from each side of this river system
, their biology in the laboratory was investigated. Progenitors 
collected on tree bases in Manaus and Manacapuru (east and west, 
respectively, of the Rio Negro) were reared in the laboratory. Results 
from observations of the life cycle, fecundity, fertility, and adult 
longevity at 27 degrees C and 92% RH were analyzed by descriptive 
statistics and z, t, U, and chi2 tests. Although the Manaus and 
Manacapuru colonies showed a longer developmental time than most 
Lutzomyia species reared at similar temperatures, length of time of egg 
and 4th instar larva of the two populations differed significantly (p &#
60; 0.01). Females of the latter retained significantly (p < 0.001) 
less mature oocytes, and the general productivity (% adults from a known
 number of eggs) of the colony was significantly (p < 0.01) higher 
than that of the former. These results show that the L. umbratilis 
population of Manaus is more productive, and thus a better candidate for
 future mass-rearing attempts. The two populations differ in their life 
cycle, fecundity, fertility, adult longevity, and emergence. These 
differences may reflect some divergence of intrinsic biological features
 evolved as a result of their geographical isolation by the Rio Negro. 
It is expected that further investigations on morphometry, cuticular 
hydrocarbon, isoenzyme, molecular and chromossomal analyses, infection, 
and cross-mating experiments with these and other allopatric populations
 of both margins of the Amazon river system will help reveal whether or 
not L. umbratilis has genetically diverged into two or more 
reproductively isolated populations of vectors or non-vectors of 
Leishmania guyanensis.




PMID: 15461868
 

TITLE: Dendritic cells pulsed with peptides of gp63 induce differential
protection against experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis.

AUTHORS: P Tsagozis, E Karagouni, E Dotsika

AFFILIATION: Laboratory of Cellular Immunology, Institute Pasteur Hellenique,
Athens, Greece.

REFERENCE: Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 2004 Sep-Dec 17(3):343-52

Ohe need for a vaccine against Leishmania spp., a major cause of 
worldwide morbidity and mortality, is urgent. We tested the efficacy of 
an experimental vaccination in murine models of cutaneous leishmaniasis
, using dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with synthetic or native parasite 
antigens. DCs pulsed with peptide 154&#x2015169 of gp63 or soluble 
promastigote lysate (SPL) triggered antigen-specific immune responses 
and efficiently reduced lesion formation and parasite load of 
genetically susceptible BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania major. This
 effect was accompanied by a modulation of the cellular immune response 
towards a Th1 profile. Vaccination of genetically resistant CBA mice 
with DCs pulsed with peptide 154&#x2015169 or SPL did not affect the
 course of the disease, whereas pulsing with the epitope 467&#
x2015482 of gp63 resulted in disease exacerbation, accompanied by a 
switch to a Th2 profile. In view of our continuously growing knowledge 
about the immunobiology of DCs, these findings suggest that vaccination 
with DCs pulsed with defined peptides could be a strategy against 
infectious diseases. Peptide selection is a prerequisite as they can 
differentially regulate the type of immune response in susceptible or 
resistant hosts.




PMID: 15460194
 

TITLE: Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) and pregnancy.

AUTHORS: Ernesto Antonio Figueiró-Filho, Geraldo Duarte, Patrícia El-Beitune,
Silvana Maria Quintana, Tamara Lemos Maia

AFFILIATION: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine of
Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
eafigueiro at uol.com.br

REFERENCE: Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol 2004  12(1):31-40

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present review was to close the gap in the 
approach to pregnant women with visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) by 
providing up-to-date information to obstetricians about physiopathology
, epidemiology, vertical transmission, drugs and treatment during 
pregnancy. BACKGROUND: Infection with Leishmania chagasi during 
pregnancy is rare and deserves special attention since little 
information is available regarding the occurrence of visceral 
leishmaniasis during gestational period and the real possibility of 
vertical transmission of this disease. Because specific areas in the 
world are endemic for the disease and considering the continuous growth 
of the population, cases of pregnant women with visceral leishmaniasis 
are becoming more frequent. Unfortunately, textbooks on infectious 
diseases do not include this specific group of patients, and studies in 
the literature on aspects related to pregnancy and visceral 
leishmaniasis are scarce. CONCLUSIONS: Vertical transmission of 
leishmaniasis is possible and the institution of treatment is imperative
 in cases of pregnant women with kala-azar. Amphotericin B is strongly 
recommended as the first choice drug due to its fewer maternal-fetal 
adverse effects.




PMID: 15460145
 

TITLE: [Particularities of visceral leishmaniasis in adults not infected by HIV
in Tunisia]

AUTHORS: K Aoun, H Kaaroud, S Hamzaoui, E Siala, C Kooli, S Turki, S Mrad, A
Bouratbine, H Ben Maïz

AFFILIATION: Laboratoire de parasitologie, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, 13, Pl
Pasteur BP 74, 1002 Tunis, Tunisie. Karim.Aoun at fmt.rnu.tn

REFERENCE: Med Trop (Mars) 2004  64(2):160-2

The incidence of adult visceral leishmaniasis in Tunisia has increased 
in recent years. As a result the epidemiological profile of the disease 
in our country is now closer to those observed in other Mediterranean 
countries. Most of the increase involves adults not infected by human 
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) although 56% of patients presented 
concurrent disease. In comparison with pediatric visceral leishmaniasis
, adult disease is characterized by inconsistence occurrence of some 
major symptoms such as fever and spleen enlargement. For this reason the
 clinical disease syndrome may be incomplete and diagnosis may be 
difficult. Laboratory tests are essential for definitive diagnosis. 
Although no test is specific, some findings are highly useful, e.g, 
elevated g-globulins which was observed in 94% of patients in our series
. Standard serology is less sensitive in adults with 18% of false 
negatives in our series probably as a result of immunodeficiency in some
 patients.




PMID: 15463794
 

TITLE: Practical progress and new drugs for changing patterns of leishmaniasis.

AUTHORS: P L Olliaro, A D Bryceson

AFFILIATION: Piero Olliaro is at the ropical Diseases Research, World Health
Organisation, 20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211, Geneva 27, Switzerland.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1993  9(9):323-8

The problems surrounding leishmaniasis are changing. An increase in 
travel, the Indian and Sudanese epidemics of visceral leishmaniasis, 
parasite resistance to antimony and the emergence of AIDS-related 
leishmaniasis have all increased the urgency for new drugs, and led to 
reappraisals of the old ones, as discussed here by Piero Olliaro and 
Anthony Bryceson.




PMID: 15463585
 

TITLE: Estimation of population at risk of infection and number of cases of
Leishmaniasis.

AUTHORS: R W Ashford, P Desjeux, P Deraadt

AFFILIATION: Dick Ashford is at the Loboratoire d'Ecologie Medicale et
Pathalogie Parasitoire, University of Montpellier I, France (on secondment from
the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine).

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1992 Mar 8(3):104-5

In this paper, Dick Ashford, Philippe Desjeux and Peter deRaadt attempt 
to estimate the total number of people at risk of acquiring disease 
caused by infection with Leishmania spp. In many areas a very small risk
 is distributed among large numbers of people so, although the number of
 people at risk may be large, the number of infections may be very small
. An estimate of the global annual incidence of new cases has also been 
made. This refers to reported clinical isease and probably grossly 
underestimates the number of infections. The methods by which the 
estimates have been made are specified so that they, as well as the 
estimates themselves, may be criticized and modified with some degree of
 objectivity.




PMID: 15463565
 

TITLE: Effects of ultraviolet B irradiation on cutaneous leishmaniasis.

AUTHORS: S H Giannini

AFFILIATION: Suzanne Holmes Giannini is at the University of Maryland School of
Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, 655 West Baltimore Street,
Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1992 Feb 8(2):44-8

Protection against many infectious diseases is mediated by cellular 
immunity in the competent host. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, a component 
of sunlight, is a potent suppressor of cell-mediated immune responses. 
Suzanne Holmes Giannini discusses the possible relevance of ambient 
levels of UVB to pathogenesis and immunity in infectious diseases, with 
special reference to cutaneous leishmaniasis.




PMID: 15463440
 

TITLE: Helper T-cell subsets in mouse leishmaniasis: induction, expansion and
effector function.

AUTHORS: R M Locksley, P Scott

AFFILIATION: Richard M. Locksley is at the Dept of Medicine and Microbiology,
University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0654, USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1991 Mar 7(3):58-61

It has been a surprise to find that the two distinct subsets of mouse 
CD4(+) T cells identified from clones cultured in vitro also occur 
during Leishmania infection. The spectrum of disease encountered during 
these infections ranges from successful resolution to fatal 
dissemination and in mice these outcomes are accompanied by expansion of
 T(H)1 or T(H)2 CD4(+) cells, respectively. This review focuses on the 
mechanisms that cause such disparate responses to the parasite.




PMID: 15463261
 

TITLE: National reporting of leishmaniasis: The Brazilian experience.

AUTHORS: J B Vieira, M M Lacerda, P D Marsden

AFFILIATION: Division of Focal Endemic Diseases, Ministry of Health, Brasília,
Brazil.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1990 Oct 6(10):339-40

Leishmaniasis is one of Brazil's major disease problems. Notifications 
of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis given to the Ministry of Health 
over the past few years show that the problem is increasing.








PMID: 15463282
 

TITLE: Latin American workshop for the evaluation of DNA probes for
Leishmaniasis.

AUTHORS: L A Labrada, D S Smith

AFFILIATION: Luz Angela Labradas is at the Centro Internacional de
Investigaciones Medicas, Colciencias, Cali, Colombia USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1990 Feb 6(2):30




PMID: 15463135
 

TITLE: Highlights from brocket Hall.

AUTHORS: C Ash

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1989 Oct 5(10):308-9

'Advances in Parasitology' was the second meeting in the series of 
symposia entitled 'Frontiers of Infectious Diseases' organized by 
Professors McAdam, Norrby, Neu, Peterson and Verhoef The purpose of the 
meeting was to discuss the recent advances in the fields of malaria, 
tryponosomiasis, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis and AIDS-associated 
parasitic infections. Sixteen scientists were invited to make 
presentations and these will be collated in a book entitled Advances in 
Parasitology edited by Professor K.P.W.J. McAdam and published in 
October 1989 by Churchill Livingstone.




PMID: 15463227
 

TITLE: Leishmaniasis in manaus, Brazil.

AUTHORS: T V Barrett, M S Senra

AFFILIATION: Toby Barrett is at the Departomento de Ciên-cias da Saúde,
Instituto National de Pesquisas da Amazônaa-INPA CP 478, 69083 Manaus-AM,
Brazil.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1989 Aug 5(8):255-7




PMID: 15463223
 

TITLE: Present situation of visceral leishmaniasis in China.

AUTHORS: X Zhi-Biao

AFFILIATION: Being Tropical Medicine Research Institute, 94 Yong An Road,
Beijing 100050, People's Republic of China.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1989 Jul 5(7):224-8

Visceral leishmaniasis or kola czar is a disease that is distributed 
world-wide from countries around the Mediterranean Sea to Africa, the 
Middle East, Asia and South America (Fig. 1). Visceral leishmaniasis was
 highly prevalent in China but since 1958, after a nationwide campaign, 
it has been brought under control. Only sporadic cases occur in the 
hilly and newly reclaimed desert areas in NW China.




PMID: 15463209
 

TITLE: BCG: A modifier of immune responses to parasites.

AUTHORS: D Frommel, P H Lagrange

AFFILIATION: Dominique Frommel is at the Armauer Hansen Research Institute, PO
Box 1005, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is a staff-member of the Institut National
de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1989 Jun 5(6):188-90

The use of BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guerin) as an adjuvant is well-
established for vaccination against leprosy and tuberculosis. Dominique 
Frommel and Phillippe Lagrange discuss the effects of BCG in the control
 of parasite infections, particularly leishmaniasis, and the possibility
 of the development of anti-parasite recombinant BCG vaccines.




PMID: 15463047
 

TITLE: Topical chemotherapy of cutaneous Leishmaniasis.

AUTHORS: J Ei-On, G P Jacobs, L Weinrauch

AFFILIATION: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Health
Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1988 Mar 4(3):76-81

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is one of the most important causes of 
chronic ulcerative skin lesions. The disease is endemic in many parts of
 the world, presenting a range of clinical forms - acute, chronic, 
recurrent and diffuse(1). Several species of Leishmania are involved, 
including L. major, L. tropica and L. aethiopica in the Old World, and 
several members of the L. braziliensis and L. mexicana complexes in the 
New World. Some forms of the disease produce only mild, self-limited 
lesions, while at the other extreme are the destructive mucocutaneous 
forms caused by L. braziliensis and L. panamensis(1-7). In all cases, 
chemotherapy tends to be difficult - often requiring prolonged 
parenteral administration of toxic drugs such as pentavalent antimonials
 or amphotericin B. Such drugs are also expensive and relatively 
inefficient in the sense that much of the active ingredient is excreted 
by the patient before reaching its target. Consequently, there is 
renewed interest in the development of active formulations suitable for 
topical application directly onto the lesions.




PMID: 15463038
 

TITLE: Leishmaniasis: The first centenary (1885-1985) new strategies for
control.

AUTHORS: S L Croft, C Dye, L P Kahl

AFFILIATION: Simon Croft and Chris Dye are at the London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1988 Feb 4(2):51-3




PMID: 15463039
 

TITLE: Cutaneous leishmaniasis: The prospects for a killed vaccine.

AUTHORS: C L Greenblatt

AFFILIATION: Dr C. Greenblatt is at the Hebrew University, Hodossah Medical
School, Jerusalem, POB 1172, Code 91010, Jerusalem, Israel.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1988 Feb 4(2):53-4

Of the various protozoal diseases for which vaccines are under 
development, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), in spite o f its chronic 
nature, may provide the best candidate for success. Stringent 
experimental models are available for both new and old world CL, human 
studies have been conducted for several years, and there is now 
considerable experience in using both attenuated and killed vaccines. In
 this article, Chuck Greenblatt discusses this experience, showing how 
it has led to current WHO-TDR plans for field trials of killed vaccines 
followed by virulent challenge (as used in Iran in the practice of '
leishmanization').




PMID: 15462875
 

TITLE: Trypanothione metabolism: a chemotherapeutic target in trypanosomatids.

AUTHORS: G B Henderson, A H Fairlamb

AFFILIATION: Laboratory of Medical Biochemistry, The Rocke feller University,
New York, NY 10021, USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1987 Oct 3(10):312-5

Chemotherapy of trypanosomotid infections continues to present 
challenges. Treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infections is virtually 
impossible, while treatment of Leishmaniasis and African tryponosomiasis
 is, at best, difficult - often involving toxic drugs based on heavy 
metals such as antimony and arsenic. As with several other parasites, 
much recent research has focused on defining metabolic differences 
between parasite and host that could represent good targets for 
chemotherapy. As Graeme Henderson and Alan Fairlamb explain, there is 
something strange about glutothione in trypanosomotids - which seems to 
offer a very promising chemotherapeutic target.




PMID: 15462949
 

TITLE: DNA diagnosis of human leishmaniasis.

AUTHORS: D C Barker

AFFILIATION: MRC Biochemical Parasitology Unit University of Cambridge Molteno
Institute Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EE, UK.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1987 Jun 3(6):177-84

Early identification of the causal agent of human leishmaniasis is 
difficult even in a well-equipped hospital. This makes early treatment 
of cases more difficult, and also adds to the problem of accurately 
assessing the prevalence and incidence of the disease. Incrimination of 
vector species of sandfies and reservoir hosts is also complicated by 
difficulties in detecting and identifying the infective organisms. 
Although the importance of leishmantasis is now well-recognized, 
improved methods of diagnosis have been much in demand (Box 1). In this 
article. Douglas Barker reviews progress in developing diagnostic DNA 
probes for the parasites, that are suitable for use even in field areas.




PMID: 15462732
 

TITLE: Cell-mediated immunity in experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis.

AUTHORS: F Y Liew

AFFILIATION: Department of Experimental Immunobiology The Wellcome Research
Laboratories Beckenham Kent BR3 3B5, UK.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1986 Oct 2(10):264-70

Forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis are caused by Leishmania major, L. 
tropica, L. mexicana, L. amazonensis and L. panamensis. Like all 
leishmanial species, these are obligate intracellular parasites of the 
mononuclear phagocyte system, with a restricted range of vertebrate 
hosts including humans, dogs, rodents and arboreal animals. The disease 
evolves chronically, usually with slow healing, but can sometimes become
 nonhealing, diffuse disseminating or relapsing. The parasite exists 
within the macrophages of the vertebrate host in the amastigote form. 
These transform into extracellular flagellated promastigotes in the gut 
of the sandfly vectors. The promastigotes can then be injected into new 
vertebrate hosts as the insects feed. Promastigotes, and to a lesser 
extent amastigotes, can now be grown in tissue culture. This, together 
with the use of inbred mouse strains that are susceptible to most of the
 Leishmania species which are pathogenic for man, has facilitated great 
advances in our understanding of the immunological control of 
leishmaniasis. However, as Eddy Liew points out, there are still many 
unanswered questions.




PMID: 15462818
 

TITLE: Molecular vaccines against parasites.

AUTHORS: P Timms, A J de Vas, R J Dalgliesh, R M Sandeman, M D Rickard, J K
Dineen, G F Mitchell

AFFILIATION: P. Timms, A.J. de Vas and R.J. Dalgliesh, QDPI Tick Fever Research
Centre, Wacol, Queensland, Australia.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1986 Jul 2(7):S11-2

Prophylactic vaccines can be expected to be one of the major practical 
outputs of parasitology research. Various groups within Australia have 
pursued the vaccine objective for several years, with particular 
emphasis on blood-stage falciparum malaria in man, intestinal helminths 
of sheep and cattle, cutaneous myiasis (blowfly strike) in sheep, 
cysticercosis in sheep and cattle, bovine babesiosis, and cattle ticks. 
Other vaccine programmes are concerned with giardiasis, filariasis, 
toxoplasmosis, fascioliasis, coccidiosis in poultry, cutaneous 
leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis japonica. For many years, the only 
available vaccine against a parasite in Australia has been the 
attenuated Babesia bovis vaccine produced by the Tick Fever Research 
Centre of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries. Strategies 
for achieving molecular vaccines are generally similar within the 
various research groups. They involve analysis of the immunology and 
immunochemistry of a model or in-vitro system; development of functional
 monoclonal antibodies; analysis of antibody specificities in clinically
 and/or functionally defined polyclonal sera; screening of cDNA or 
genomic expression libraries; peptide synthesis; identification of an 
appropriate vaccination schedule involving adjuvants or new recombinant 
DNA-based antigen delivery systems. Outlined below are five of the major
 vaccine programmes.




PMID: 15462789
 

TITLE: Liposomes as drug carriers in leishmaniasis and malaria.

AUTHORS: C R Alving

AFFILIATION: Department of Membrane Biochemistry Walter Reed Army Institute of
Research Washington, DC 20307-5100 USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1986 Apr 2(4):101-7

Experimental studies suggest that liposomes could substantially improve 
the performance of anti-leishmanial drugs in the chemotherapy of 
visceral leishmaniasis. In this article, Carl Alving discusses the 
potential for overcoming resistance to antimonial drugs; for 'buffering
' the toxicity of drugs, and for drug delivery under conditions where 
hospitalization is impossible or inconvenient. Liposomes can also be 
used experimentally to reduce the toxicity and increase the efficacy of 
parenterally-administered primaquine in the treatment of sporozoite-
induced murine malaria.




PMID: 15462773
 

TITLE: In vitro screens in the experimental chemotherapy of leishmaniasis and
trypanosomiasis.

AUTHORS: S L Croft

AFFILIATION: Department of Biochemical Parasitology, Wellcome Research
Laboratories, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3BS, UK.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1986 Mar 2(3):64-9

The search for more effective drugs for the treatment of leishmaniasis 
and trypanosomiasis has increasingly involved the use of in vitro 
screens. These possess the immediate advantages of requiring only a few 
mg of compound for tests, providing for a large through-put of compounds
 with rapid results at lower costs, and requiring fewer animals. Models 
for the cultivation or maintenance in vitro of 'mammalian stages' of 
Leishmania and Trypanosoma cruzi have been available for many years but 
only in the last decade have satisfactory techniques for the cultivation
 of bloodstream forms of T. brucei been developed.




********************************************************************************************************************

 The following references are revised files and are brought to you in accordance
to license agreement with the NLM.

********************************************************************************************************************


PMID: 15234661
 

TITLE: The Leishmania chagasi proteasome: role in promastigotes growth and
amastigotes survival within murine macrophages.

AUTHORS: Izaltina Silva-Jardim, M F Horta, F Juarez Ramalho-Pinto

AFFILIATION: Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Faculdade de Medicina de
Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, CEP
14049-900, Brazil.

REFERENCE: Acta Trop 2004 Jul 91(2):121-30

Proteasomes are multisubunit proteases that exist universally among 
eukaryotes. They have multiple proteolytic activities and are believed 
to have important roles in regulating cell cycle, selective 
intracellular proteolysis, and antigen presentation. Here we have 
partially purified Leishmania chagasi proteasome. The L. chagasi 
proteasome rich fraction displayed the typical features of eukaryotic 
20S proteasome complexes, being active towards peptidyl substrates with 
hydrophobic and acidic residues, and sensitive to the proteasome-
specific inhibitor lactacystin. We have shown that lactacystin, or its 
active form clasto-lactacystin beta-lactone, but not E-64, blocks the in
 vitro growth of L. chagasi promastigotes, demonstrating that the 
interference with parasite growth is due to the lack of proteasome 
activity. Furthermore, pre-treatment of L. chagasi promastigotes with 
lactacystin did not prevent parasite entry in host cells, but markedly 
restricted its intracellular survival. These results demonstrate that 
intact parasite proteasome function is required for replication of L. 
chagasi and for amastigotes survival inside the vertebrate host cell.




PMID: 10967021
 

TITLE: CD4(+) v(alpha)14 NKT cells play a crucial role in an early stage of
protective immunity against infection with Leishmania major.

AUTHORS: H Ishikawa, H Hisaeda, M Taniguchi, T Nakayama, T Sakai, Y Maekawa, Y
Nakano, M Zhang, T Zhang, M Nishitani, M Takashima, K Himeno

AFFILIATION: Department of Parasitology and Immunology, University of Tokushima
School of Medicine, 3-18 Kuramoto, Tokusima 770-8503, Japan.

REFERENCE: Int Immunol 2000 Sep 12(9):1267-74

The roles of gamma delta T, NK and NKT cells in an early stage of 
protective immunity against infection with Leishmania major were 
investigated. Further, the contribution of these innate cells to the 
expression of 65 kDa heat shock protein (HSP65) in host macrophages was 
examined, since we found previously that this expression prevents 
apoptotic death of infected macrophages and is a crucial step in the 
acquisition of protective immunity against infection with various 
obligate intracellular protozoa including L. major. C57BL/6 and DBA/2 
mice were found to be resistant against the infection on the basis of 
the parasite burden in their regional lymph nodes, and to strongly 
express HSP65 in their macrophages, whereas BALB/c mice were susceptible
 and barely expressed the HSP65. In those resistant mice, CD4(+) NKT 
cells prominently increased in their regional lymph node and were the 
main effector cells at least for an early stage of the protective 
immunity and for the HSP65 expression, whereas this subset did not 
increase in susceptible BALB/c mice. Further, neither gamma delta T nor 
NK cells in resistant mice contributed to those protective immune 
responses. The NKT cell subset bore CD3, CD4, TCR alpha beta, IL-2R beta
 and NK1.1 but scarcely asialo-GM(1). Moreover, this effector subset was
 confirmed to be V(alpha)14 NKT cells by using J(alpha)281(-/-) mice.




PMID: 8906817
 

TITLE: Early production of IL-4 and induction of Th2 responses in the lymph node
originate from an MHC class I-independent CD4+NK1.1- T cell population.

AUTHORS: T von der Weid, A M Beebe, D C Roopenian, R L Coffman

AFFILIATION: Department of Immunology, DNAX Research Institute of Molecular and
Cellular Biology, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.

REFERENCE: J Immunol 1996 Nov 157(10):4421-7

Splenic CD4+NK1.1+ T cells have been shown to secrete large and 
transient amounts of IL-4 mRNA 90 min after i.v. injection of anti-CD3 
Ab, suggesting that this novel subset of T cells may induce Th2 
responses in the spleen by quickly providing IL-4 at the onset of an 
immune response. beta2-microglobulin-deficient (beta2m(o/o)) mice have 
been shown to contain strongly reduced numbers of NK1.1+ T cells and to 
be severely impaired in their capacity for rapid induction of IL-4 mRNA 
in response to anti-CD3, demonstrating that these cells are MHC class I 
dependent. To address the role of CD4+NK1.1+ T cells in the induction of
 Th2 responses against Leishmania major, we have dissected the onset and
 the outcome of the immune response elicited against the parasite in 
BALB/c-beta2m(o/o) mice and in anti-NK1.1-treated congenic BALB/c mice 
expressing the NK1.1 marker (BALB/c-NK1.1+). Both BALB/c-beta2m(o/o) and
 NK1.1-depleted BALB/c-NK1.1+ mice developed a progressive, nonhealing 
disease that was indistinguishable from wild-type mice. Upon infection, 
early induction of IL-4 mRNA in the lymph node was not affected in BALB/
c-beta2m(o/o) and in NK1.1-depleted BALB/c-NK1.1+ mice, but was 
abrogated by injection of a CD4-depleting Ab. These data suggest that, 
in the lymph node, MHC class I-dependent CD4+NK1.1+ T cells do not play 
a major role in the generation of Th2 responses against L. major. To 
investigate whether the inability of NK1.1+ T cells to induce IL-4 
production in the lymph node was specific to L. major Ag, mice were 
challenged with low doses of anti-CD3 Ab s.c. in the footpad. In 
contrast to the spleen, normal levels of IL-4 mRNA were expressed in the
 lymph nodes of BALB/c-beta2m(o/o) mice. Thus, the MHC class I-dependent
 CD4+NK1.1+ cell population that gives a rapid IL-4 response in the 
spleen appears not to contribute significantly to early induced IL-4 
responses in the popliteal lymph nodes.








PMID: 8879201
 

TITLE: Beta 2-microglobulin-dependent NK1.1+ T cells are not essential for T
helper cell 2 immune responses.

AUTHORS: D R Brown, D J Fowell, D B Corry, T A Wynn, N H Moskowitz, A W Cheever,
R M Locksley, S L Reiner

AFFILIATION: Gwen Knapp Center for Lupus and Immunology Research, University of
Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.

REFERENCE: J Exp Med 1996 Oct 184(4):1295-304

A number of investigations have established the critical role of 
interleukin 4 (IL-4) in mediating the development of T helper (Th)2 
effector cells in vitro and in vivo. Despite intensive study, the origin
 of the IL-4 required for Th2 priming and differentiation remains 
unclear. Natural killer (NK)1.1+ alpha/beta T cell receptor+ T(NT) cells
, a unique lineage of cells capable of producing large amounts of IL-4 
after activation in vivo, are important candidates for directing Th2 
priming. These cells are selected by the nonpolymorphic major 
histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule, CD1, and are 
deficient in beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2m)-null mice. We used beta 2m-
deficient mice on both BALB/c and C57BL/6 backgrounds to examine their 
capacity to mount Th2 immune responses after challenge with a number of 
well-characterized antigens administered by a variety of routes. As 
assessed by immunization with protein antigen, infection with Leishmania
 major, embolization with eggs of Schistosoma mansoni, intestinal 
infection with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, or induction of airway 
hyperreactivity to aerosolized antigen, beta 2m-deficient mice developed
 functional type 2 immune responses that were not substantially 
different than those in wild-type mice. Production of IL-4 and the 
generation of immunoglobulin E (IgE) and eosinophil responses were 
preserved as assessed by a variety of assays. Collectively, these 
results present a comprehensive analysis of type 2 immune responses in 
beta 2m-deficient mice, and indicate that beta 2m-dependent NT cells are
 not required for Th2 development in vivo.




REQUEST: [ leishmania ]

(48 articles match this request. 14 articles matching other requests removed)



PMID: 15466210
 

TITLE: Celastraceae sesquiterpenes as a new class of modulators that bind
specifically to human P-glycoprotein and reverse cellular multidrug
resistance.

AUTHORS: Francisco Muñoz-Martínez, Peihua Lu, Fernando Cortés-Selva, José
María Pérez-Victoria, Ignacio A Jiménez, Angel G Ravelo, Frances J Sharom,
Francisco Gamarro, Santiago Castanys

AFFILIATION: Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra, Consejo
Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Granada, Spain.

REFERENCE: Cancer Res 2004 Oct 64(19):7130-8

Overexpression of ABCB1 (MDR1) P-glycoprotein, a multidrug efflux pump, 
is one mechanism by which tumor cells may develop multidrug resistance (
MDR), preventing the successful chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer. 
Sesquiterpenes from Celastraceae family are natural compounds shown 
previously to reverse MDR in several human cancer cell lines and 
Leishmania strains. However, their molecular mechanism of reversion has 
not been characterized. In the present work, we have studied the ability
 of 28 dihydro-beta-agarofuran sesquiterpenes to reverse the P-
glycoprotein-dependent MDR phenotype and elucidated their molecular 
mechanism of action. Cytotoxicity assays using human MDR1-transfected 
NIH-3T3 cells allowed us to select the most potent sesquiterpenes 
reversing the in vitro resistance to daunomycin and vinblastine. Flow 
cytometry experiments showed that the above active compounds 
specifically inhibited drug transport activity of P-glycoprotein in a 
saturable, concentration-dependent manner (K(i) down to 0.24 +/- 0.01 
micromol/L) but not that of ABCC1 (multidrug resistance protein 1; MRP1
), ABCC2 (MRP2), and ABCG2 (breast cancer resistance protein; BCRP) 
transporters. Moreover, sesquiterpenes inhibited at submicromolar 
concentrations the P-glycoprotein-mediated transport of [(3)H]colchicine
 and tetramethylrosamine in plasma membrane from CH(R)B30 cells and P-
glycoprotein-enriched proteoliposomes, supporting that P-glycoprotein is
 their molecular target. Photoaffinity labeling in plasma membrane and 
fluorescence spectroscopy experiments with purified protein suggested 
that sesquiterpenes interact with transmembrane domains of P-
glycoprotein. Finally, sesquiterpenes modulated P-glycoprotein ATPase-
activity in a biphasic, concentration-dependent manner: they stimulated 
at very low concentrations but inhibited ATPase activity as 
noncompetitive inhibitors at higher concentrations. Sesquiterpenes from 
Celastraceae are promising P-glycoprotein modulators with potential 
applications in cancer chemotherapy because of their MDR reversal 
potency and specificity for P-glycoprotein.




PMID: 15280394
 

TITLE: Mitochondrial tRNA Import in Toxoplasma gondii.

AUTHORS: Anne Crausaz Esseiva, Arunasalam Naguleswaran, Andrew Hemphill, André
Schneider

AFFILIATION: Department of Biology/Zoology, University of Fribourg, Chemin du
Musée 10, CH-1700 Fribourg.

REFERENCE: J Biol Chem 2004 Oct 279(41):42363-8

Apicomplexan parasites have the smallest known mitochondrial genome. It 
consists of a repeated element of approximately 6-7 kb in length and 
encodes three mitochondrial proteins, a number of rRNA fragments, but no
 tRNAs. It has therefore been postulated that in apicomplexans all tRNAs
 required for mitochondrial translation are imported from the cytosol. 
To provide direct evidence for this process we have established a cell 
fractionation procedure allowing the isolation of defined organellar RNA
 fractions from the apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii. Analysis of T. 
gondii total and organellar RNA by Northern hybridization showed that 
except for the cytosol-specific initiator tRNA(Met) all nucleus-encoded 
tRNAs tested were present in the cytosol and in the mitochondrion but 
not in the plastid. Thus, these results provide the first experimental 
evidence for mitochondrial tRNA import in apicomplexans. The only other 
taxon that imports the whole set of mitochondrial tRNAs are the 
trypanosomatids. Interestingly, the initiator tRNA(Met) is the only 
cytosol-specific tRNA in trypanosomatids, indicating that the import 
specificity is identical in both groups. In agreement with this, the T. 
gondii initiator tRNA(Met) remained in the cytosol when expressed in 
Trypanosoma brucei. However, in contrast to trypanosomatids, no thio-
modifications were detected in the tRNA(Gln) of T. gondii indicating 
that, unlike what is suggested in Leishmania, they are not involved in 
regulating import.




PMID: 15466622
 

TITLE: A Subset of Liver NK T Cells Is Activated during Leishmania donovani
Infection by CD1d-bound Lipophosphoglycan.

AUTHORS: Joseph L Amprey, Jin S Im, Salvatore J Turco, Henry W Murray, Petr A
Illarionov, Gurdyal S Besra, Steven A Porcelli, Gerald F Späth

AFFILIATION: Dept. of Medical and Molecular Parasitology, New York University
School of Medicine, 341 E. 25th St., New York, NY 10010. spaetg01 at med.nyu.edu.

REFERENCE: J Exp Med 2004 Oct 200(7):895-904

Natural killer (NK) T cells are activated by synthetic or self-
glycolipids and implicated in innate host resistance to a range of viral
, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens. Despite the immunogenicity of 
microbial lipoglycans and their promiscuous binding to CD1d, no pathogen
-derived glycolipid antigen presented by this pathway has been 
identified to date. In the current work, we show increased 
susceptibility of NK T cell-deficient CD1d(-/-) mice to Leishmania 
donovani infection and Leishmania-induced CD1d-dependent activation of 
NK T cells in wild-type animals. The elicited response was Th1 polarized
, occurred as early as 2 h after infection, and was independent from IL-
12. The Leishmania surface glycoconjugate lipophosphoglycan, as well as 
related glycoinositol phospholipids, bound with high affinity to CD1d 
and induced a CD1d-dependent IFNgamma response in naive intrahepatic 
lymphocytes. Together, these data identify Leishmania surface 
glycoconjugates as potential glycolipid antigens and suggest an 
important role for the CD1d-NK T cell immune axis in the early response 
to visceral Leishmania infection.




PMID: 15254033
 

TITLE: Endosomes, glycosomes, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol catabolism in
Leishmania major.

AUTHORS: Zhifeng Zheng, Kimberly D Butler, Rodney K Tweten, Kojo Mensa-Wilmot

AFFILIATION: Department of Cellular Biology, the University of Georgia, Athens,
Georgia 30602, USA.

REFERENCE: J Biol Chem 2004 Oct 279(40):42106-13

Glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs) serve as membrane anchors of 
polysaccharides and proteins in the protozoan parasite Leishmania major
. Free GPIs that are not attached to macromolecules are present in L. 
major as intermediates of protein-GPI and polysaccharide-GPI synthesis 
or as terminal glycolipids. The importance of the intracellular location
 of GPIs in vivo for functions of the glycolipids is not appreciated. To
 examine the roles of intracellular free GPI pools for attachment to 
polypeptide, a GPI-specific phospholipase C (GPI-PLCp) from Trypanosoma 
brucei was used to probe trafficking of GPI pools inside L. major. The 
locations of GPIs were determined, and their catabolism by GPI-PLCp was 
analyzed with respect to the intracellular location of the enzyme. GPIs 
accumulated on the endo-lysosomal system, where GPI-PLCp was also 
detected. A peptide motif [CS][CS]-x(0,2)-G-x(1)-C-x(2,3)-S-x(3)-L 
formed part of an endosome targeting signal for GPI-PLCp. Mutations of 
the endosome targeting motif caused GPI-PLCp to associate with 
glycosomes (peroxisomes). Endosomal GPI-PLCp caused a deficiency of 
protein-GPI in L. major, whereas glycosomal GPI-PLCp failed to produce 
the GPI deficiency. We surmise that (i) endo-lysosomal GPIs are 
important for biogenesis of GPI-anchored proteins in L. major; (ii) 
sequestration of GPI-PLCp to glycosomes protects free protein-GPIs from 
cleavage by the phospholipase. In T. brucei, protein-GPIs are 
concentrated at the endoplasmic reticulum, separated from GPI-PLCp. 
These observations support a model in which glycosome sequestration of a
 catabolic GPI-PLCp preserves free protein-GPIs in vivo.




PMID: 15470021
 

TITLE: Localization of marginal zone macrophages is regulated by C-C chemokine
ligands 21/19.

AUTHORS: Manabu Ato, Hideki Nakano, Terutaka Kakiuchi, Paul M Kaye

AFFILIATION: Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

REFERENCE: J Immunol 2004 Oct 173(8):4815-20

The marginal zone (MZ) of the spleen is an important site for the 
capture of blood-borne pathogens and a gateway for lymphocytes entering 
the white pulp. We have recently reported that Leishmania donovani 
infection results in a remarkably selective loss of MZ macrophages (MZM
) from the MZ. To understand the basis of this observation, we have 
investigated how MZM maintain their anatomical distribution in the 
steady state in uninfected mice. We now report that plt/plt mice, which 
lack functional CCL19 and CCL21, have significantly reduced numbers of 
MZM compared with normal C57BL/6 (B6) mice. Similarly, in B6.CD45.1-->
plt/plt chimeras, donor-derived MZM were rare compared with the number 
observed in reciprocal plt/plt-->B6.CD45.1 chimeras. Moreover, we show 
that administration of pertussis toxin, an inhibitor of chemokine 
receptor signaling, to B6 mice results in exit of MZM from the MZ, that 
MZM can migrate in response to CCL19 and CCL21 in vitro, and that MZM 
colocalize with CD31(+)CCL21(+) endothelial cells. Collectively, these 
data indicate that CCL21 and, to a lesser extent, CCL19 play significant
 roles in the distinctive localization of MZM within the splenic MZ. 
Deficiency of CCL19 and CCL21, as also previously observed in mice 
infected with L. donovani, may thus account for the selective loss of 
MZM seen during this infection.




PMID: 15378809
 

TITLE: Leishmaniasis.

AUTHORS: Philippe Desjeux

REFERENCE: Nat Rev Microbiol 2004 Sep 2(9):692




PMID: 15471007
 

TITLE: Characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi TcRjl locus and analysis of its
transcript.

AUTHORS: J L Nepomuceno-Silva, L D B De Melo, S M Mendonça, J C Paixão, U G
Lopes

AFFILIATION: Laboratório de Parasitologia Molecular, Instituto de Biofisica
Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21949-900,
Brazil. nepomuc at biof.ufrj.br

REFERENCE: Parasitology 2004 Sep 129(Pt 3):325-33

RJLs represent a recently described family of the Ras-related GTP-
binding proteins. The Trypanosoma cruzi orthologue, TeRjl, was isolated 
and its locus was characterized in a region of almost 5 kb. Its 660 bp 
orf, predicting a protein of 24.13 kDa, is present as a single copy gene
 in T. cruzi I lineage, and from 1-2 copies in T. cruzi II lineage. 
TcRjl shares 73% aa sequence similarity with its closest identified 
orthologue, T. brucei TbRjl. RT-PCR experiments revealed that TcRjl is 
transcribed in mRNA in the 3 main life forms of the parasite, while 
Northern hybridization demonstrated that TcRjl is transcribed in T. 
cruzi epimastigotes as at least 2 transcripts, one of around 950 nt and 
the other of 1500 nt. Splice-leader addition was mapped to a single site
 at -69 bp upstream of TcRjl orf indicating that the two mRNA types may 
derive in differences at the 3' of TcRjl mRNA. TcRjl locus presents 
considerable synteny with Rjl loci from Trypanosoma brucei and 
Leishmania major as available from their respective genome projects.




PMID: 15463696
 

TITLE: The lipophosphoglycan of Leishmania and macrophage protein kinase C.

AUTHORS: A Descoteaux, S J Turco

AFFILIATION: Department of Biochemistry, University of Kentucky Medical Center,
Lexington, KY 40536, USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1993 Dec 9(12):468-71

Lipophosphoglycan (LPG), the major cellsurface glycoconjugote of 
Leishmania promastigotes, is on essential virulence determinant. One 
feature of LPG resides in its strong inhibitory effect on the activity 
of purified protein kinase C (PKC). In this article, Albert Descoteaux 
and Salvatore Turco briefly review the evidence that LPG effectively 
inhibits PKC activity in the macrophage, and discuss the implication of 
such inhibition on Leishmania intromocrophoge survival.




PMID: 15463772
 

TITLE: Leishmania and Sandflies: Interactions in the life cycle and
transmission.

AUTHORS: Y Schlein

AFFILIATION: Yosef Schlein is ot the Department of Parasitology, The Hebrew
University, Hodassh Medical School, PO Box 1172, Jerusalem 91010, Israel.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1993 Jul 9(7):255-8

Leishmania infections in the vector sandfly are limited to the gut, 
where contact with tissues, secretions and the medium of sandfly food 
influence their cycle of development The parasites cope with and exploit
 their habitat by generating products that impair the function and 
damage the tissues of the gut In this review, Yose f Schlein 
concentrates on some of the recent advances in the limited knowledge of 
these parasite-vector interactions.




PMID: 15463755
 

TITLE: Glucose and proline transport in kinetoplastids.

AUTHORS: B H Ter Kulle

AFFILIATION: Benno ter Kuile is at the Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue,
New York, NY 10021, USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1993 Jun 9(6):206-10

The parasitic protozoa belonging to the kinetoplastids can use both 
sugars and amino acids as carbon and energy sources. In this review, 
Benno ter Kuile discusses nutrient acquisition and utilization and how 
the metabolic strategies reflect the environment encountered in host and
 vector. Recent genetic and physiological evidence suggests that 
facilitated diffusion may be the primary uptake mechanism for glucose, 
and possibly for proline as well, even though there is biochemical and 
genetic evidence suggesting that active transport occurs, if not across 
the plasma membrane, then across the membranes of organelles. 
Trypanosoma brucei seems to have a metabolic strategy that strives for 
maximum energy efficiency, making no storage materials and thereby 
limiting the control over its internal conditions. On the other hand, 
Leishmania donovani does create a storage buffer, entrapping glucose in 
the cell. In this manner, it maintains constant internal conditions at 
the expense of energy, enabling it to survive more adverse conditions in
 the macrophage and in its vector.




PMID: 15463741
 

TITLE: Mechanisms of drug resistance in Leishmania.

AUTHORS: M Ouellette, B Papadopoulou

AFFILIATION: Service d'Infectiologie du Centre de Recherche du CHUL, 2705
Boulevard Laurier, Sointe-Fay, Québec, Canada GIV 4G2.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1993 May 9(5):150-3

The emergence of drug resistancein protozoan parasites is a major 
obstacle to their control. Since vaccines are not yet in sight for 
several of these parasites, there is on urgent need to develop new and 
better drugs. These antimicrobial agents will possibly be more expensive
, and will therefore impose on additional burden in health-care costs 
and in the planning of public health policies of the developing 
countries. A better understanding of drug resistance, to try to 
circumvent or overcome it, and the search for new specific cellular 
targets of parasites are warranted. The development, in vitro, of drug-
resistant parasite cell lines has been instrumental in our understanding
 of the mechanisms of drug resistance in parasitic protozoans. Marc 
Ouellette and Barbara Popodopoulou here present on overview of the 
recent progress on the elucidation of mechanisms of drug resistance in 
the protozoan parasite Leishmania, selected under laboratory conditions.




PMID: 15463736
 

TITLE: The current status of Leishmania RNA virus I.

AUTHORS: J L Patterson

AFFILIATION: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and the Division
of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
02115, USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1993 Apr 9(4):135-6

Viruses of Leishmania have recently been identified and characterized. 
These viruses are consistently double-stranded RNA viruses of 
approximately 5 kb. They have not been shown to exist outside their 
protozoan host, persistently infecting these parasites. The laboratory 
of jean Patterson has been interested in characterizing and identifying 
virusese of protozoans in order to use them as molecular probes of the 
unique gene expression mechanisms of protozoan parasites.




PMID: 15463739
 

TITLE: Axenic culture of Leishmania Amastigotes.

AUTHORS: P A Bates

AFFILIATION: Laboratory for Biochemical Parasitology, Department of Zoology,
University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK G12 8QQ.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1993 Apr 9(4):143-6

One of the future goals in Leishmania research will be to reproduce the 
entire life cycle oxenically, in vitro. In this article, Paul Bates 
reviews recent progress in the axenic culture of amastigotes and 
addresses some of the remaining problems associated with culture methods
 for both amostigote and promostigote forms.




PMID: 15463727
 

TITLE: Intermediary metabolism of Leishmania.

AUTHORS: J J Blum

AFFILIATION: Duke University Medical Center, Department of Cell Biology,
Division of Physiology, PO Box 3709, Durham, NC 27710, USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1993 Apr 9(4):118-22

In the course of their existence, parasites develop several metabolic 
pathways that differ significantly from those of their hosts. Despite 
the fairly close evolutionary kinship between Leishmania donovani and 
Trypanosoma brucei, the forms that live in the insect vectors have 
evolved different strategies for the disposition of available food 
resources. In this brief review, Joseph Blum will focus on the data 
available from studies on Leishmania spp and will largely ignore the 
information available from Trypanosoma spp.




PMID: 15463561
 

TITLE: Cytokines, free radicals and resistance to Eimeria.

AUTHORS: K S Ovington, N C Smith

AFFILIATION: Karen Ovington is at the Division of Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology, School of Life Sciences, Australian National University, GPO Box 4,
Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1992 Dec 8(12):422-6

The cytokine, gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma), which is produced by CD4(+) 
T cells, plays a crucial role in host resistance to Eimeria infections. 
Karen Ovington and Nick Smith propose that free oxygen radical 
generation by leukocytes in response to infection with Eimeria is the 
result of activation by IFN-gamma. The functional role of free oxygen 
radicals is unclear but these highly reactive radicals are produced by 
the leukocytes that infiltrate the intestine in large numbers during 
infection, and the parasites,enterocytes and cells of the immune system 
may all be vulnerable to oxidative damage. Gamma-interferon also appears
 to induce the enterocytes inhabited by Eimeria to turn against the 
parasite. The authors draw from literature documenting similar effects 
on other protozoa, especially Leishmania and Plasmodium, and speculate 
that reactive nitrogen intermediates produced by enterocytes have a 
functional role in resistance to Eimeria.




PMID: 15463615
 

TITLE: The chromosomes of Leishmania.

AUTHORS: G K Lighthall, S H Giannini

AFFILIATION: Geoffrey Lighthall is at the Department of Physiology, University
of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201,
USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1992 Jun 8(6):192-9

Chromosome size polymorphisms occur in Leishmania such that each strain 
of a given species has a distinctive molecular karyotype. Despite this 
variability, the chromosomal similarities among closely related strains 
of Leishmania are sufficiently characteristic to permit classification 
of unidentified clinical isolates. Mechanisms generating chromosome size
 polymorphisms are related to chromosomal evolution. In this review, 
Geoffrey Lighthall and Suzanne Giannini explain that the chromosomal 
profiles of members of different species may be diverging from a 
conserved 'consensus' karyotype at different rates, and present a 
current understanding of the genomic organization of Leishmania with 
emphasis on chromosomal elements.




PMID: 15463609
 

TITLE: Leishmania: Sex, lies and karyotype.

AUTHORS: P Bastien, C Blaineau, M Pages

AFFILIATION: Patrick Bastien and Christine Blaineau are at the Laboratoire de
Parasitologie, Faculté de Médecine, Montpellier, France.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1992 May 8(5):174-7

The exploration of the genome of the tryponosomotid protozoan Leishmania
 has been difficult until recently owing to a number of obstacles, not 
least our ignorance of the ploidy and of the number of chromosomes (as 
inmany other protozoa, the latter do not condense during mitosis), the 
uncertainty of the species concept in these allegedly asexual protozoa 
and the absence of classical genetic studies. Here, Patrick Bastien, 
Christine Bloineou and Michel Pages discuss the advances in this field 
brought about by the advent of molecular biology and its techniques, 
with on emphasis on ploidy and genetic exchange. In particular, they 
discuss the data from pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). When 
coupled with DNA restriction analysis, PFGE constitutes a powerful tool 
for the direct examination o f chromosomes of protozoa.








PMID: 15463436
 

TITLE: Genetic control of innate resistance to mycobacterial infections.

AUTHORS: E Schurr, D Malo, D Radzioch, E Buschman, K Morgan, P Gros, E Skamene

AFFILIATION: Erwin Schurr, Danielle Malo, Danuta Radzioch, Ellen Buschman, Ken
Morgan, Philippe Gros and Emil Skamene are at the McGill Centre for the Study o
f Host Resistance, Montreal General Hospital Research Institute, Montreal,
Quebec H3G 1A4, Canada.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1991 Mar 7(3):42-5

The Mendelian segregation of resistance to infection in different 
strains of mice infected with mycobacteria, Salmonella and Leishmania 
spp, all of which live in macrophages, is currently under close scrutiny
. Here, Erwin Schurr and colleagues review the nature and function of 
the Bcg gene in controlling innate resistance to mycobacterial infection
 in mice and speculate on the occurrence of a possible human equivalent.




PMID: 15463431
 

TITLE: Strategies of obligate intracellular parasites for evading host
defences.

AUTHORS: B F Hall, K A Joiner

AFFILIATION: Fenton Hall and Keith joiner are at the Infectious Diseases
Section, Dept of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar
Street, New Haven, CT 06510-8056, USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1991 Mar 7(3):22-7

During the course of establishing infection in a susceptible host, 
obligate intracellular parasites evade host defence mechanisms before, 
during and after entry into host cells. Before entry they circumvent the
 lytic activity of the complement cascade, during cell entry they avoid 
being killed by toxic oxygen metabolites and a fter entry they escape 
nonoxidative killing mechanisms such as degradation by lysosomal 
hydrolases. Different intracellular parasites, exemplified here by 
Leishmania spp, Trypanosoma cruzi and Toxoplasma gondii, undermine host 
defences at each step by various strategies that ultimately ensure their
 targeting to, and survival in, an appropriate intracellular compartment.




PMID: 15463458
 

TITLE: On the function of repetitive domains in protein antigens of Plasmodium
and other eukaryotic parasites.

AUTHORS: L Schofield

AFFILIATION: Louis Schofield is at the National Institute for Medical Research,
The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 IAA, UK.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1991  7(5):99-105

Highly reiterated repetitive domains occur within the protein antigens 
of many parasitic taxa, including Plasmodium, Trypanosoma, Leishmania 
and Toxoplasma. In malaria it has been proposed that repeat regions may 
function as ligands for host proteins, or serve to suppress the 
development of immunity through a strategy of serological 
crossreactivity. In this article Louis Schofield presents a novel 
hypothesis, based on empirical evidence, that repetitive domains in 
antigens do not elicit protective immune responses and instead have 
evolved as a mechanism of immune evasion by their ability to induce 
thymus-independent B-cell activation. It is also proposed that this 
unusual response is associated with several forms of immunosuppression. 
The hypothesis has the added attraction of helping to explain several 
distinctive features of the molecular biology, evolution and immunology 
of repetitive regions in protein antigens of parasites.




PMID: 15463480
 

TITLE: Circular and linear multicopy DNAs in Leishmania.

AUTHORS: K D Stuart

AFFILIATION: Kenneth Stuart is at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, 4
Nickerson Street, Seattle, WA 98109-1651, USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1991  7(7):158-9




PMID: 15463506
 

TITLE: Population genetics of nonclonal, nonrandomly mating malaria parasites.

AUTHORS: C Dye

AFFILIATION: Christopher Dye is at the Department of Medical Parasitology,
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WCIE 7HT,
UK.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1991  7(9):236-40

In a highly controversial paper(1), Tibayrenc and colleagues have argued
 that clonal (asexual) reproduction may be a general phenomenon among 
protozoan parasites. Many parasitologists would be quite comfortable 
with a theory applied to Leishmania, Trypanosoma, Entamoeba and Giardia 
which proposes 'that uniparental reproduction is ... predominant enough 
in natural populations to generate clones that are stable in space and 
time ...' The current view is that these parasites can reproduce 
sexually some of the time (eg. Refs 2,3) but may not do so most of the 
time. What has provoked the most controversy(4-7) is the suggestion that
 malaria parasites can be considered as bedfellows of the above, for 
Plasmodium are generally thought to undergo obligate sexual reproduction
 in each generation. Here, Christopher Dye focuses on Tibayrenc's 
arguments for clonal reproduction in Plasmodium, not only because 
malaria parasites are at the heart of the dispute but also because an 
analysis of his arguments about sexually reproducing parasites carries 
implications for his assertions in general.




PMID: 15463448
 

TITLE: Viruses of parasitic protozoa.

AUTHORS: A L Wang, C C Wang

AFFILIATION: A.L. and C.C. Wang are at the Department of Pharmaceutical
Chemistry, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
94143-0446, USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1991  7(4):76-80

Recently, specific viruses have been identified among the parasitic 
protozoa Trichomonas vaginalis, Giardia lamblia, Leishmania braziliensis
, the Eimeria spp and the Babesia spp. These viruses share many features
: they are all RNA viruses and most, if not all, doublestranded (ds) RNA
 viruses with nonsegmented genomes ranging between 5 and 7 kilobases (kb
); they are spherical or icosahedral with an average diameter of 30-40 
nm. The giardiavirus is one of the best characterized and can infect 
virus free G. lamblia trophozoites in its freed, pure form. The 
replicative intermediate of the giardiavirus genome has been isolated 
from infected cells, and can be introduced into G. lamblia by 
electroporation to produce giardiavirus, thus raising the possibility of
 its being used as a specific genetic transfection vector for the 
parasite.




PMID: 15463335
 

TITLE: Evasion strategies of Leishmania parasites.

AUTHORS: C Bogdan, M Röllinghoff, W Solbach

AFFILIATION: Institute of Clinical Microbiology, University of Erlangen -
Nürnberg, Wasserturmstrasse 3, D-8520 Erlangen, FRG.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1990 Jun 6(6):183-7

Leishmania have long been known to clinicians and parasitologists as the
 causative agents of a variety of acute or chronic, cutaneous or 
visceral diseases in mammalian hosts. More recently, these protozoan 
parasites have evoked the interest of immunologists, as Leishmania 
infections are an excellent model for studying T-cell dominated 
antiparasite immune responses. In this review, Christian Bogdan, Martin 
Rollinghoff and Werner Solbach discuss the multiple interactions of 
Leishmania with components of the host immune system that illustrate the
 variety of highly elaborate evasion strategies developed by this 
parasite.




PMID: 15463178
 

TITLE: Adjuvants for anti-parasite vaccines.

AUTHORS: R Bomford

AFFILIATION: Department of Experimental Immunobiology Wellcome Biotech Langley
Court Beckenham, Kent BR3 3BS, UK.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1989 Feb 5(2):41-6

To date the most successful human vaccines use attenuated living 
pathogens, but the advent of techniques in genetic engineering has meant
 that pure antigen can be provided in quantity. This has allowed the 
development of combined vaccines that use only the parasite antigens 
that convey protective immunity. However, isolated antigens lose 
immunogenicity so to regain potency, living attenuated carriers like 
Vaccinia or Salmonella can be used. To avoid the attendant drawbacks of 
carriers as immunopotentiating agents, adjuvants are under investigation
 as alternatives for use in vaccines against parasitic infections. In 
this review, Robert Bomford describes the adjuvants currently being 
examined for use in vaccines for both protozoan and helminth infections 
including Leishmania, malaria and Schistosoma. He also points out the 
drawbacks of using adjuvants and the dilemma of needing to stimulate 
cell'-mediated immunity while avoiding the immunopathological 
consequences of doing so.




PMID: 15463026
 

TITLE: Oxidative killing of intracellular parasites mediated by macrophages.

AUTHORS: H P Hughes

AFFILIATION: Veterinary Research Laboratory Montana State University Bozeman
MT59717, USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1988 Dec 4(12):340-7

An important function of macrophages is to eliminate invading pathogens
, and one of their main weapons involves the generation of lethal oxygen
 radicals. Yet some parasites and pathogens - notably Leishmania, 
Toxoplasma, and Listeria and Mycobacterium - make use of macrophages as 
their primary cellular hosts displaying a capacity to survive the 
oxidative killing mechanisms of these host cells. It is now clear that 
more than one pathway is involved in the activation of macrophages to 
kill intracellular pathogens. Here, Huw Hughes discusses the 
biochemistry of the oxidative metabolism of macrophages, and the steps 
taken by parasites to survive within this hostile environment.




PMID: 15463118
 

TITLE: The lipophosphoglycan of Leishmania.

AUTHORS: S J Turco

AFFILIATION: Salvatore J. Turco is a Burroughs Wellcome Scholar in Molecular
Parasitology, and is with the Department of Biochemistry, University of
Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1988 Sep 4(9):255-7

The major cell surface glycoconjugate of leishmanial parasites is 
lipophosphoglycan (LPG). Its relative abundance, unique structure, and 
cellular location suggest one or more important roles in interactions 
between parasites and host cells. In this article, Sam Turco examines 
current information about this novel glycoconjugate and its significance.




PMID: 15463077
 

TITLE: Role of the RGD sequence in parasite adhesion to host cells.

AUTHORS: M A Ouaissi

AFFILIATION: Unité Mixte INSERM 167-CNRS 624 Institut Pasteur I rue du Prof.
Calmette 59019 Lille, France.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1988 Jun 4(6):169-73

For many protozoan parasites, one of the first events in the process of 
infection is attachment to the surface of host cells. This adhesion 
phase usually involves ligand-receptor interactions, and has stimulated 
interest in the biochemical characterization of those host cell and 
parasite surface components involved. In this article, Ali Ouaissi 
discusses the strategy employed by pathogens such as Trypanosoma cruzi, 
Trichomonas, Leishmania and Treponema pallidum, in binding to their host
 cells' fibronectin receptors. Two systems appear available - to bind to
 the dimeric cell surface fibronectin through the Arginine-Glycine-
Aspartic acid (RGD) sequence that is not occupied by the host cell 
surface receptors, or to present a surface antigen representing a '
fibronectin-like' molecule containing the RGD sequence directly to the 
host cell fibronectin receptors.




PMID: 15463063
 

TITLE: The status of Leishmania tarentolae/Trypanosoma platydactyli.

AUTHORS: L Simpson, G Holz

AFFILIATION: Larry Simpson is at the Department of Biology and ] Molecular
Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1988 Apr 4(4):115-8

Taxonomic studies and classification of Leishmania species have 
developed rapidly in recent years, but controversy still surrounds the 
relationships between those species infecting lizards and those 
infecting mammals. Some authorities maintain that the leishmanias o f 
lizards form a sufficiently distinct group to be ranked as a separate 
genus - Sauroleishmania(1,2) - while Wallbanks et al. have gone further 
to suggest that such species might be classified within the genus 
Trypanosoma(3). This suggestion followed from work showing that 
promostigote forms of Trypanosoma platydactyli from a gecko, had similar
 isoenzyme profiles to Leishmania tarentolae, a well-known species from 
lizards. In this article however, Larry Simpson and George Holz Jr 
discuss conflicting evidence, concluding from recent studies of DNA and 
lipid composition that the lizard leishmanias are more closely related 
to mammalian leishmanias than to trypanosomes.0.




PMID: 15462876
 

TITLE: Rapid characterization of recombinant lambdagtII clones expressing
parasite antigens.

AUTHORS: J M Kelly, M L Blaxter

AFFILIATION: Wolfson Unit, Department of Medical Protozoology, London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1987 Oct 3(10):315-7

Recombinant DNA techniques allow any parasite gene to be isolated, 
propagated and analysed in great detail. The techniques are now well 
known and widely used in research on parasite diagnosis, vaccine 
development and identification of chemotherapeutic targets. There are 
difficulties, for example in analysing carbohydrate antigens, and in 
selecting which genes merit the intensive investigation required. In 
this article john Kelly and Mark Blaxter discuss two simple procedures 
that allow recombinant clones to be characterized rapidly on the basis 
of both the parasite DNA sequences that they carry and the parasite 
antigens that they produce. They take examples from work on antigens of 
Leishmania donovani.




PMID: 15462939
 

TITLE: The promastigote surface protease of leishmania.

AUTHORS: C Bordier

AFFILIATION: Institut de Biochimie, Université de Lausanne, CH-1066 Epalinges,
Switzerland.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1987  3(5):151-3

The in fective forms o f several protozoan parasites are covered with a 
limited number o f major surface proteins. In this respect, Leishmania 
is no exception, and recent investigations have demonstrated on 
promostigotes the presence o f a single surface glycoprotein. In 
contrast to the major surface proteins o f other protozoans which have 
no known enzymatic activities, the surface protein of Leishmania. is a 
protease which is active on living cells. In this review, Clement 
Bordier presents the current structural, functional and immunological 
information concerning this intriguing and potentially important enzyme.




PMID: 15462814
 

TITLE: Sandfly diet and Leishmania.

AUTHORS: Y Schlein

AFFILIATION: Yosef is at the Department of Parasitology, Hadassah Medical
School, PO Box 1172, Jerusalem, Israel.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1986 Jun 2(6):175-7




********************************************************************************************************************

 The following references are revised files and are brought to you in accordance
to license agreement with the NLM.

********************************************************************************************************************


PMID: 9880256
 

TITLE: CD1d-restricted immunoglobulin G formation to GPI-anchored antigens
mediated by NKT cells.

AUTHORS: L Schofield, M J McConville, D Hansen, A S Campbell, B Fraser-Reid, M J
Grusby, S D Tachado

AFFILIATION: Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Post Office,
Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria 3050, Australia. schofield at wehi.edu.au

REFERENCE: Science 1999 Jan 283(5399):225-9

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses require major histocompatibility 
complex (MHC)-restricted recognition of peptide fragments by 
conventional CD4(+) helper T cells. Immunoglobulin G responses to 
glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)- anchored protein antigens, however, 
were found to be regulated in part through CD1d-restricted recognition 
of the GPI moiety by thymus-dependent, interleukin-4-producing CD4(+), 
natural killer cell antigen 1.1 [(NK1.1)+] helper T cells. The CD1-NKT 
cell pathway regulated immunogobulin G responses to the GPI-anchored 
surface antigens of Plasmodium and Trypanosoma and may be a general 
mechanism for rapid, MHC-unrestricted antibody responses to diverse 
pathogens.




PMID: 8566015
 

TITLE: In susceptible mice, Leishmania major induce very rapid interleukin-4
production by CD4+ T cells which are NK1.1-.

AUTHORS: P Launois, T Ohteki, K Swihart, H R MacDonald, J A Louis

AFFILIATION: WHO Immunology Research and Training Center, Institute of
Biochemistry, Epalinges, Switzerland.

REFERENCE: Eur J Immunol 1995 Dec 25(12):3298-307

Susceptibility of BALB/c mice to infection with Leishmania major is 
associated with a T helper type 2 (Th2) response. Since interleukin-4 (
IL-4) is critically required early for Th2 cell development, the 
kinetics of IL-4 mRNA expression was compared in susceptible and 
resistant mice during the first days of infection. In contrast to 
resistant mice, susceptible mice exhibited a peak of IL-4 mRNA in their 
spleens 90 min after i.v. injection of parasites and in lymph nodes 16 h
 after s.c. injection. IL-12 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) down-
regulated this early peak of IL-4 mRNA; the effect of IL-12 was IFN-
gamma dependent. Treatment of resistant C57BL/6 mice with anti-IFN-gamma
 allowed the expression of this early IL-4 response to L. major. The 
increased IL-4 mRNA expression occurred in V beta 8, 7, 2- CD4+ cells in
 BALB/c mice and NK1.1- CD4+ cells in anti-IFN-gamma treated C57BL/6 
mice. These results show that the NK1.1+ CD4+ cells, responsible for the
 rapid burst of IL-4 production after i.v. injection of anti-CD3, do not
 contribute to the early IL-4 response to L. major.




REQUEST: [ sand fly ]

(1 article matches this request. 1 article matching other requests removed)



REQUEST: [ sandfly ]

(5 articles match this request. 4 articles matching other requests removed)



PMID: 15463235
 

TITLE: Sandfly control: a simple method to reduce biting rates.

AUTHORS: S Kamhawi, S K Abdel-Hafez, D H Molyneux

AFFILIATION: Dept of Biological Sciences Yarmouk University Irbid, Jordan.

REFERENCE: Parasitol Today 1989 Sep 5(9):298















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