Antibody clearance and trans-sialylation as virulence factors in African trypanosomiasis

锥虫是撒哈拉以南非洲地区人类福祉的主要威胁。它们通过臭名昭著的采采蝇传播，感染了包括人类和牛在内的各种动物。我们已经表明，寄生虫在宿主中的生存是由不断的鞭毛运动和快速的内吞作用。这两种过程结合起来从锥虫细胞表面去除宿主抗体。我们已经成功地详细说明，在单细胞水平和毫秒级的精度，锥虫在体外游泳的模式，并在不同的和拥挤的环境中的主机。我们发现，不同的锥虫物种已适应不同的感染壁龛，如循环或组织空间。他们已经进化出一种特殊的细胞波形，允许完美的annidation。刚果锥虫是一个例外，因为它是一个糟糕的游泳。这个物种已经进化出一种不同的生存策略：它使用红细胞附着和转唾液酸化来逃避免疫破坏。我们将破译T.与宿主细胞的相互作用。最后，我们将挑战我们的抗体清除和细胞波形假设使用冷血主机，尼罗河巨蜥。

Trypanosomes are a major threat to human welfare in sub-saharan Africa. Transmitted by the infamous tsetse fly, they infect a broad range of animals, including humans and cattle. We have shown that survival of the parasite in the host is aided by incessant flagellar motility and rapid endocytosis. Both processes combined remove host antibodies from the trypanosome cell surface. We have succeeded in detailing, on the single cell level and with millisecond accuracy, the mode of trypanosome swimming in vitro and in the diverse and crowded environments of the host. We show that different trypanosome species have adapted to distinct infection niches, such as the circulation or tissue spaces. They have evolved a special cellular waveform that allows perfect annidation. Trypanosoma congolense is an exception as it is a bad swimmer. This species has evolved a different survival strategy: it uses erythrocyte attachment and trans-sialylation to escape immune destruction. We will decipher the molecular and biomechanical mechanisms behind T. congolense interaction with host cells. Finally, we will challenge our antibody clearance and cellular waveform hypotheses using a cold-blooded host, the Nile monitor lizard.