Title:Signal Transduction Pathways as Therapeutic Target for Chagas Disease
Volume: 26
Issue: 36
Author(s): Alejandra Cecilia Schoijet, Tamara Sternlieb and Guillermo Daniel Alonso*
Affiliation:
- Laboratorio de Senalizacion y Mecanismos Adaptativos en Tripanosomatidos, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingenieria Genetica y Biologia Molecular “Dr. Hector N. Torres”; Vuelta de Obligado 2490 (C1428ADN), Buenos Aires,Argentina
Keywords:
Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei, Leishmania spp, cAMP, adenylyl cyclase, phosphodiesterase,
therapeutic target, drug repositioning.
Abstract: Trypanosomatids are a group of flagellated unicellular eukaryotes, causing serious
human diseases including Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi), sleeping sickness
(Trypanosoma brucei spp.) and Leishmaniasis (Leishmania spp.). The second messenger
cAMP is involved in numerous and fundamental processes in these parasites including
differentiation between stages, proliferation, osmoregulation, oxidative stress and quorum
sensing. Interestingly, its signaling pathway is quite different from that of mammals,
including structurally different adenylyl cyclases, the shortage of orthologous effector
proteins and the absence of G-protein-coupled-receptors, among others. These characteristics
make the proteins involved in these transduction pathways good candidates for therapeutic
targets. However, the identification of new unknown druggable targets involves extensive
research time and is economically very expensive, making difficult the transition from basic
research to the clinical phase. Trypanosomatid PDEs have characteristic binding pockets that
allow for a differential inhibition from their human orthologs. Modification in the approved
drugs for human to convert them into trypanocidal treatments could lead to more effective
therapies, shorter lab time and lower costs. In view of the fact that kinetoplastid PDEs are
highly conserved with their mammalian counterparts, and since there are already numerous
drugs on the market against human PDEs, the drug repositioning approach is highly
promising. The development of new technologies, higher government and industrial
involvement and more scientists committed to basic investigation, are the key to ultimately
find an effective treatment and cure for the neglected tropical diseases.