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Significance of the Leishmania infantum mitochondrial 2-cysteine peroxiredoxin chaperone activity and its role in parasite infectivity.

IBMC - Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology
Project classification

Scientific area

3.3 Health sciences

Discipline(s)

Parasitology
Infectious diseases
Tropical medicine

Project description

Project title

Significance of the Leishmania infantum mitochondrial 2-cysteine peroxiredoxin chaperone activity and its role in parasite infectivity.

Scientific Coordinator's name:

Ana M. Tomás

Scientific Coordinator's e-mail:

atomas@ibmc.up.pt

Principal R&D Unit:

Molecular Parasitology

Other R&D Units involved in the project:

Other R&D units involved in the project

Project keyword(s)

Leishmania; parasite; trypanosomatids; 2-cysteine peroxiredoxin; chaperone

Short abstract and comments

The well characterized mitochondrial 2-cysteine peroxiredoxin is an active peroxidase (Castro et al., 2002, Free Radic. Biol. Med., 33:1552-1562). This protein is also crucial for Leishmania to thrive in mammalian hosts. Interestingly, this essential role is not due to the peroxidise activity (PLoS Pathogens., 7:e1002325). Looking for an alternative function for mTXNPx, we observed that, in biochemical assays, this protein displays chaperone activity. This project aims at characterizing biochemically the chaperone activity of the Leishmania mitochondrial tryparedoxin peroxidase and at investigating whether it is the reason for why the protein is essential in vivo is in fact that of a chaperone. This study is being carried out in collaboration with Dr. Ursula Jakob’s (University of Michigan, USA). Apart from its interest in the field of Leishmania research and of the factors that determine infectivity, this project should constitute an important contribution to the knowledge mode of action of a ubiquitous class of proteins, the 2-cysteine peroxiredoxins.

Potential uses/indications

This study can clarify the molecular basis of the 2-cysteine peroxiredoxin chaperone activity.

Status

Ongoing

Partner Status: Seeking Partners?

Yes

Grant number (QREN, FP7, Eureka, etc)

Grant number (QREN, FP7, Eureka, etc)

Last edited on

2012-12-27 18:18:47

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