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Penetration of the salivary glands of Rhodnius domesticus Neiva & Pinto, 1923 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) by Trypanosoma rangeli Tejera, 1920 (Protozoa: Kinetoplastida)

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Abstract

Penetration of the heteroxenous protozoan Trypanosoma rangeli into the salivary glands of its invertebrate host Rhodnius domesticus has been investigated here using different approaches. Electron microscopy showed that epimastigotes coming from the insect hemocoel cross the basal lamina that surrounds the salivary glands and penetrate through the gland cells cytoplasm. After reaching the gland lumen, epimastigote forms remain adhered to the gland cell microvilli by their flagella, while metacyclic trypomastigotes are found swimming free in the saliva. Analysis by flow cytometry, western blotting and hemolytic activity allowed to demonstrate the presence in T. rangeli of a hemolytic molecule with antigenic cross-reactivity with murine perforin, which could be used by the parasites to reach the salivary gland lumen. This molecule, which we named as rangelysin, has 120 kDa molecular weight, is able to induce hemolysis only in acidic pH, and is produced by both trypomastigote and epimastigote forms.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr. Pedro M. Persechini (Institute of Biophysics, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) for kindly supplying the anti-perforin antibody and Mr. José Lopes de Faria for the photographic work. This work was supported by CNPq, FAPERJ, PAPES-III/FIOCRUZ and FIOCRUZ. All experiments were performed according to the Brazilian laws.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Biologia Celular de Microrganismos, Departamento de Ultra-estrutura e Biologia Celular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/FIOCRUZ, Avenida Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Rosane M. S. Meirelles & Maurilio J. Soares

  2. Laboratório de Biologia Celular, Departamento de Ultra-estrutura e Biologia Celular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/FIOCRUZ, Avenida Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Andrea Henriques-Pons

  3. Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Caixa Postal 476, 88040-900, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil

    Mário Steindel

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  1. Rosane M. S. Meirelles
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  2. Andrea Henriques-Pons
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Correspondence to Maurilio J. Soares.

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Meirelles, R.M.S., Henriques-Pons, A., Soares, M.J. et al. Penetration of the salivary glands of Rhodnius domesticus Neiva & Pinto, 1923 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) by Trypanosoma rangeli Tejera, 1920 (Protozoa: Kinetoplastida). Parasitol Res 97, 259–269 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-005-1433-4

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