The Role of Mucins in Host–Parasite Interactions. Part I – Protozoan Parasites

Selection of Lactobacillus Species from Intestinal Microbiota of Fish for Their Potential Use as Biopreservatives

“…Lactose may be present or was present in the environment as a waste; resulting from livestock production, and disposal effluents from dairy factories. Another component, often fermented by the strains was the amino-sugar Nacetyl-glucosamine, a compound present in peptidoglycans, in blood, chitin and as one of the main constituents of mucus in the gastrointestinal tract [41]. The carbohydrate portion constitutes above 40% of the weight of the mucus [42] or higher values [41].…”

Structures of Glycolipids Found in Trypanosomatids: Contribution to Parasite Functions

“…The core polypeptides of these glycoproteins are only 50-200 amino acids in length and their sequences are rich in Ser and Thr residues [67,[74][75][76][77][78]. The surface of Trypanosoma cruzi at different stages is covered by mucins.…”

“…The surface of Trypanosoma cruzi at different stages is covered by mucins. Acting at the interface between the parasite and both the vector and the infected host, these molecules provide protection against the vector and/or vertebrate-host-derived defense mechanisms and ensure the targeting and invasion of specific cells or tissues [8,78].…”

The compatibility polymorphism in invertebrate host/trematodes interactions: research of molecular determinants

“…Parasite, 2008, 15, 304-309 from protozoa and helminths (Hicks et al, 2000;Theodoropoulos et al, 2001), but also for other parasitic molecules displaying a VNTR region. Examples are the SOWgp cell surface proteins from the pathogenic fungi Coccidioides immitis (Hung et al, 2000) and different proteins from Plasmodium, the circomsporozoite proteins (CSP, (Nussenzweig & Nussenzweig, 1985)) or the merozoite surface proteins (Msp-1 and Msp-2, (Holder, 1988;Smythe et al, 1988)).…”

“…Parasite-derived mucin or mucin-like molecules have been extensively described in different protozoan and helminth parasites, but their function has not yet been completely elucidated. They could have roles in host recognition, penetration, adhesion and invasion of host cells, immunoprotection, immunomodulation and in the avoidance of host immune processes (Hicks et al, 2000;Theodoropoulos et al, 2001). Among these molecules described in parasites, the mucin-like molecules of Trypanosoma cruzi have been extensively studied and share numerous characteristics with Sm PoMuc (see (Buscaglia et al, 2006) for review), such as their structure, a high level of glycosylation and polymorphism.…”