Parasitic protists are responsible for several important human and veterinary diseases, exerting a devastating socioeconomic burden on global healthcare systems and agriculture. Among these diseases are malaria, leishmaniasis, African trypanosomiasis, Chagas’ disease, amebiasis, trichomoniasis, giardiasis, toxoplasmosis and cryptosporidiosis. Some of these protists, i.e. trichomonads, have simple life cycles. Others, i.e. Apicomplexa and trypanosomatids, can display several developmental stages in different hosts.
In addition to their medical and veterinary importance, protists represent interesting cell, biology models. These pathogens are quite distinct from each other, exhibiting unique cell architecture and numerous exceptional features in terms of molecular biology, metabolic pathways, and subcellular structures. Among those structures are: (a) specialized cell membranes regions, such as cytostome, undulating membrane, inner membrane complex, and surface projections (filopodia, nanotubes, cytonemes); (b) cytoskeleton structures, such as cilia and their adjacent extra-axonemal structures, subpellicular microtubules in trypanosomatids, adhesive disc, median bodies and funis in Giardia, pelta-axostyle complex and costa in Trichomonas; (c) basic and unusual endomembrane systems, including endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complex, endosomes, reservosomes, peripheral and encystation vesicles; (d) unique organelles, like secretory (rhoptries, micronemes, and dense granules) and metabolic ones (apicoplast, glicosomes and lipid bodies); (e) mitochondria and mitochondrion-related organelles (hydrogenosomes and mitosomes); among others.
Most of those organelles are related to the pathogenicity, parasitic lifestyle or differentiation process as specialized adaptations for parasites’ infection, replication, survival, and transmission. These processes involve a complex cell-to-cell interaction between the protozoan and hosts. Understanding parasite cell biology and its interactions with the hosts, nevertheless, is imperative to diagnostics and treatment.
Over the last decade, we have had spectacular progress in the ultrastructure and cell biology areas. The cell biology of the parasites can now be studied at unprecedented level thanks to the development of 3D electron microscopy, live imaging, super-resolution microscopy, cryo-electron microscopy, and ultrastructure expansion microscopy techniques. These tools have allowed a global examination of the cell architecture by accessing volumetric information, with increased time and space resolution and the possibility to image parasites in the hosts. This new era of light and electron microscopy is essential to explore the complex cell biology of parasites and unravel their interactions with the hosts.
In this Research Topic, we aim to bring together and update the scientific community working on parasitic protists to highlight novel aspects, critical evaluation and review of data published at the ultrastructural, cellular, or molecular levels so far.
For this, we welcome Original Research Articles, Reviews, Brief Research Reports, and Mini-Reviews that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Morphological and metabolic features of the parasites’ life cycle forms.
- Biogenesis, 3-D architecture, dynamics and functions of cell organelles and structures.
- Strategies of invasion, remodeling, and ultrastructural alterations of the host cells (mammalian and vectors) by parasites.
- Unique organelles and metabolic pathways involved in the life cycle, pathogenicity, and potential new targets for therapeutic strategies.
- Applied methods and protocols focused on the physical expansion of protists in an isotropic manner using the ultrastructure expansion microscopy technique.
Parasitic protists are responsible for several important human and veterinary diseases, exerting a devastating socioeconomic burden on global healthcare systems and agriculture. Among these diseases are malaria, leishmaniasis, African trypanosomiasis, Chagas’ disease, amebiasis, trichomoniasis, giardiasis, toxoplasmosis and cryptosporidiosis. Some of these protists, i.e. trichomonads, have simple life cycles. Others, i.e. Apicomplexa and trypanosomatids, can display several developmental stages in different hosts.
In addition to their medical and veterinary importance, protists represent interesting cell, biology models. These pathogens are quite distinct from each other, exhibiting unique cell architecture and numerous exceptional features in terms of molecular biology, metabolic pathways, and subcellular structures. Among those structures are: (a) specialized cell membranes regions, such as cytostome, undulating membrane, inner membrane complex, and surface projections (filopodia, nanotubes, cytonemes); (b) cytoskeleton structures, such as cilia and their adjacent extra-axonemal structures, subpellicular microtubules in trypanosomatids, adhesive disc, median bodies and funis in Giardia, pelta-axostyle complex and costa in Trichomonas; (c) basic and unusual endomembrane systems, including endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complex, endosomes, reservosomes, peripheral and encystation vesicles; (d) unique organelles, like secretory (rhoptries, micronemes, and dense granules) and metabolic ones (apicoplast, glicosomes and lipid bodies); (e) mitochondria and mitochondrion-related organelles (hydrogenosomes and mitosomes); among others.
Most of those organelles are related to the pathogenicity, parasitic lifestyle or differentiation process as specialized adaptations for parasites’ infection, replication, survival, and transmission. These processes involve a complex cell-to-cell interaction between the protozoan and hosts. Understanding parasite cell biology and its interactions with the hosts, nevertheless, is imperative to diagnostics and treatment.
Over the last decade, we have had spectacular progress in the ultrastructure and cell biology areas. The cell biology of the parasites can now be studied at unprecedented level thanks to the development of 3D electron microscopy, live imaging, super-resolution microscopy, cryo-electron microscopy, and ultrastructure expansion microscopy techniques. These tools have allowed a global examination of the cell architecture by accessing volumetric information, with increased time and space resolution and the possibility to image parasites in the hosts. This new era of light and electron microscopy is essential to explore the complex cell biology of parasites and unravel their interactions with the hosts.
In this Research Topic, we aim to bring together and update the scientific community working on parasitic protists to highlight novel aspects, critical evaluation and review of data published at the ultrastructural, cellular, or molecular levels so far.
For this, we welcome Original Research Articles, Reviews, Brief Research Reports, and Mini-Reviews that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Morphological and metabolic features of the parasites’ life cycle forms.
- Biogenesis, 3-D architecture, dynamics and functions of cell organelles and structures.
- Strategies of invasion, remodeling, and ultrastructural alterations of the host cells (mammalian and vectors) by parasites.
- Unique organelles and metabolic pathways involved in the life cycle, pathogenicity, and potential new targets for therapeutic strategies.
- Applied methods and protocols focused on the physical expansion of protists in an isotropic manner using the ultrastructure expansion microscopy technique.
