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Calcium Homeostasis and Acidocalcisomes in Trypanosoma cruzi

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Structures and Organelles in Pathogenic Protists

Part of the book series: Microbiology Monographs ((MICROMONO,volume 17))

Abstract

Calcium ion (Ca2+) is an important second messenger in Trypanosoma cruzi and is essential for invasion of host cells by this parasite. A number of transporters and channels in the plasma membrane, endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria regulate cytosolic calcium concentration. Additionally, the T. cruzi genome contains a wide variety of signaling and regulatory proteins that bind calcium as well as many putative calcium-binding proteins that await further characterization. In T. cruzi, acidic organelles known as acidocalcisomes are the primary reservoir of intracellular calcium and mediate polyphosphate metabolism, osmoregulation, and calcium and pH homeostasis.

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Abbreviations

AQP:

Aquaporin

cADPR:

Cyclic ADP ribose

Ca2+ :

Calcium ion

[Ca2+]i :

Cytosolic Ca2+ concentration

CaM:

Calmodulin

CaMK:

Ca2+/calmodulin dependent kinase

CICR:

Calcium induced calcium release

Cn:

Calcineurin

FCaBP:

Flagellar calcium binding protein

InsP3 :

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate

InsP3R:

InsP3 receptor

NAADP:

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate

PIP2 :

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate

PI-PLC:

Phosphatidylinositol phospholipase C

PMCA:

Plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase

poly P:

Polyphosphate

RyR:

Ryanodine receptor

SERCA:

Sarcoplasmic-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase

V-H+-ATPase:

Vacuolar proton ATPase

V-H+-PPase:

Vacuolar proton pyrophosphatase

VTC:

Vacuolar transporter chaperone

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association (to PU), grant AI-068647 from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) (to RD), and by a NIH Research Supplement to grant AI-068467, to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (to RC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases and Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Paul Ulrich, Roxana Cintrón & Roberto Docampo

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  1. Paul Ulrich
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  2. Roxana Cintrón
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  3. Roberto Docampo
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Correspondence to Roberto Docampo .

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  1. Inst. Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, 21949-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    W. de Souza

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Ulrich, P., Cintrón, R., Docampo, R. (2010). Calcium Homeostasis and Acidocalcisomes in Trypanosoma cruzi . In: de Souza, W. (eds) Structures and Organelles in Pathogenic Protists. Microbiology Monographs, vol 17. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12863-9_13

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