Black-necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) phospholipases A₂ may cause Trypanosoma brucei death by blocking endocytosis through the flagellar pocket.

ABSTRACT: African trypanosomes, such as Trypanosoma brucei, are flagellated protozoa which proliferate in mammals and cause a variety of diseases in people and animals. In a mammalian host, the external face of the African trypanosome plasma membrane is covered by a densely packed coat formed of variant surface glycoprotein (VSG), which counteracts the host's adaptive immune response by antigenic variation. The VSG is attached to the external face of the plasma membrane by covalent attachment of the C-terminus to glycosylphosphatidylinositol. As the trypanosome grows, newly synthesised VSG is added to the plasma membrane by vesicle fusion to the flagellar pocket, the sole location of exo- and endocytosis. Snake venoms contain dozens of components, including proteases and phospholipases A₂

SUBMITTER: Martos-Esteban A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9013370 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature