Exploring the genomic landscape of the GP63 family in Trypanosoma cruzi: Evolutionary dynamics and functional peculiarities.

ABSTRACT: Members of the GP63 metalloprotease family play crucial roles in parasite-host interactions, immune evasion, and pathogenesis. Although it has been widely studied in Leishmania spp., less is known about its function and diversity in Trypanosoma cruzi. This study focuses on characterizing the complete repertoire of GP63 sequences in the T. cruzi genome, refining gene annotations, and exploring the evolutionary dynamics that shape the diversity of these proteins. Eleven GP63 groups were identified, which are sharply defined and have a higher intra- than inter-group sequence identity. These GP63 groups display some distinctive features. First, two groups lack an essential amino acid in the active site, indicating that they are enzymatically inactive. Second, GP63 groups show strong preference

SUBMITTER: Berna L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11957388 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature