An Arginine Deprivation Response Pathway Is Induced in Leishmania during Macrophage Invasion.

ABSTRACT: Amino acid sensing is an intracellular function that supports nutrient homeostasis, largely through controlled release of amino acids from lysosomal pools. The intracellular pathogen Leishmania resides and proliferates within human macrophage phagolysosomes. Here we describe a new pathway in Leishmania that specifically senses the extracellular levels of arginine, an amino acid that is essential for the parasite. During infection, the macrophage arginine pool is depleted due to its use to produce metabolites (NO and polyamines) that constitute part of the host defense response and its suppression, respectively. We found that parasites respond to this shortage of arginine by up-regulating expression and activity of the Leishmania arginine transporter (LdAAP3), as well as several other trans

SUBMITTER: Goldman-Pinkovich A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4846328 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature