Open AccessThe flexibility of Apicomplexa parasites in lipid metabolism
Author(s) -
Serena Shunmugam,
Christophe-Sébastien Arnold,
Sheena Dass,
Nicholas J. Katris,
Cyrille Y. Botté
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
plos pathogens
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.719
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1553-7374
pISSN - 1553-7366
DOI - 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010313
Subject(s) - biology , apicoplast , apicomplexa , obligate , obligate parasite , host (biology) , plasmodium (life cycle) , biogenesis , adaptation (eye) , intracellular parasite , parasite hosting , malaria , microbiology and biotechnology , intracellular , plasmodium falciparum , genetics , ecology , gene , immunology , neuroscience , world wide web , computer science
Apicomplexa are obligate intracellular parasites responsible for major human infectious diseases such as toxoplasmosis and malaria, which pose social and economic burdens around the world. To survive and propagate, these parasites need to acquire a significant number of essential biomolecules from their hosts. Among these biomolecules, lipids are a key metabolite required for parasite membrane biogenesis, signaling events, and energy storage. Parasites can either scavenge lipids from their host or synthesize them de novo in a relict plastid, the apicoplast. During their complex life cycle (sexual/asexual/dormant), Apicomplexa infect a large variety of cells and their metabolic flexibility allows them to adapt to different host environments such as low/high fat content or low/high sugar levels. In this review, we discuss the role of lipids in Apicomplexa parasites and summarize recent findings on the metabolic mechanisms in host nutrient adaptation.